Elliot says...

A day at the efteling.

2010-07-04T09:28:00.003+02:00

yesterday i went to the efteling.It was really fun. I went with Naomi Joost Leslie Cor Elora Marc olivia and Heidi. In one ride it was really scary I saw a skeleton and it was dark.I drank a lot of fanta . I went in a boat ride and ate my lunch i also saw a funky looking duck.After that i went for a tour in the carnival.then I went in the maze and got wet.Then i went in the vogelvlucht.Then i wentfor a tour in the park. For supper i ate fries with ketchup and a chickenstick.and thatwas my day at the efteling. your friend Elliot.

my surgery.

2010-03-07T08:31:00.002+01:00

i had a sugery. it was better for me, but boy did it hurt ! i had to get up early.and no breakfast for me.and when i got out i was so hungry i ate three popsicles in a row.but im doing good now. your friend elliot.

Weird Animals

2009-10-04T08:10:00.001+02:00

Once there was a bird.
He only said one word.
His name was Cuckoo,
and the word was boo-boo.

And then there was a bat.
He had a red hat.
And he ate a rat.

The Autumn Sounds

2009-10-03T08:14:00.002+02:00

The birds are flying in the breeze.
The leaves are shaking in the trees.

The mole
is digging his hole.

The skink
is taking his drink.

The deer
is sitting right here.

The squirrel
is going to hurl
acorns at the girl.

And I
am looking at the sky.

The Bass Who Was out of Gas

2009-09-23T08:17:00.001+02:00

Once there was a bass.
He was out of gas.
And he broke his glass.

He had a red hat.
And he had a baseball bat.

The Blogging Hog

2009-09-23T08:15:00.001+02:00

Once there was a hog.
He liked to write on his blog.
His house was in a log.
And he looked like a dog.

The Man Who Lived on Bread

2009-09-23T08:12:00.001+02:00

Once there was a man.
He had a red can.
He ate bread.
He stored it in his bed.
And his hair was red.

A Poem for Olivia's Birthday

2009-09-21T18:40:00.001+02:00

Poems are very hard to write.
I worked on it all day and night.
But I just have one thing to say:
Olivia, have the best birthday!

Ant's Crazy Day

2009-09-15T12:56:00.003+02:00

Once upon a time there was an ant.
He had a brown pant
and an aunt.

Then he pulled out his tooth
in a telephone booth.

His hair was red,
and he slept in a blue bed.

And he drank
Frank.

Poezie vanuit Groep 4

2009-09-11T08:26:00.003+02:00

Er was eens een schip
Die leek op een lip
Toen kwam er een storm
En ze zagen een worm

"Help!" riep de kapitein.
"Ik moet snel naar Albert Heijn!"
Daar kan ik schuilen tussen buiken
En morgen kan ik me verborgen.

[Elliot's English Translation]

Once there was a ship
It looked like a lip
Then there came a storm
And they saw a worm.

"Help!" cried the captain.
"I have to go to Albert Heijn (grocery store)!"
There I can hide between the bellies
And tomorrow I can be hidden.

The Story of Star Wars, According to Elliot

2009-01-18T09:10:00.002+01:00

Once upon a time there was a spaceship. r2d2 and c3po were in the spaceship. Darth Vader told the stormtroopers to surround them. The stormtroopers blasted in. They almost won. Two got out: R2D2 and C3PO.

They went out to a dry land. C3PO said "Let's go this way." R2D2 said "Let's go this way." They split apart. R2D2 went out to a cave. There were little monsters who captured robots; they brought R2D2 to a transporter.

C3PO said, "There's a transporter!" He found R2D2 back. They also found Luke. And Ben Kenobi.

They went to Luke's house. They got a message from Princess Leia. She needed Ben Kenobi.

Luke said, "Why did my father die?"

Ben Kenobi said, "Your father was a Jedi knight."

Luke said, "I want to be a Jedi knight." Just then someone called him. His aunt and his uncle. Ben Kenobi showed Luke something: a speeder. Luke went to a different place. It was very dry. There were bad guys. One had a big thing that hits you. C3PO broke one arm. Luke fell over. Just then, Ben Kenobi showed up.

Ben Kenobi showed Luke a different thing -- two different things -- a light saber and a Jedi helmet. They went with a speeder to where Darth Vader was. They said to the stormtroopers, "Just go along with your work." The speeder repeated it, "Just go along with your work."

Next they went to a restaurant where they met two other people: one person and one wookie. Han Solo and Chewbacca the Wookie. The stormtroopers tried to shoot them. Luckily, Han Solo had a space-fighter. They went out to space. They fought ships -- space-ships. Finally they won.

So what's your poem for Eva?

2008-12-19T15:59:00.002+01:00

eva, for you i have a rime
i hope it's better than a dime
but by i've got to run
i am going to tun fun

What are six random things about your six-year-old life?

2008-09-13T08:54:00.003+02:00

[The following is a list of random thoughts which Elliot provided as a response to being tagged by our friend Marco Pauws, according to the following "rules" of a kind of blogging chain letter: (1) Post the rules on your blog, (2) Write 6 random things about yourself, (3) Tag 6 people at the end of your post, and (4) If you're tagged, DO IT and pass on the tag].

I saw the Sear's Tower.
And I saw a sunset.
I did a little bit of sewing (here in the Netherlands): Pants. For Monkey.
I rode on the street with my bike.
I saw kitties -- the ones at Oma's house in America.
Once upon a time there was an alien. And he went out to the forest [Elliot took over the typing at this point] he wennt two a bush he sed wut a nise bush but he fel in hte bush the end

[No response was given to the question of further tagging and such. Sorry for whatever pain and heartache that might cause whomever chose to initiate the blogging chain letter challenge!]

Why did you want me to write down these songs for you?

2007-10-02T08:28:00.000+02:00

For Mommy. Because then she can sing the song to Cor because he's special.

[So without further ado, here are Elliot's self-composed songs for Cor:]

The Special Song

You are special.
You are special,
even though you have a little mouth.

You are special.
You are special,
even though you have two little eyes.

You are special.
You are special,
even though you have a little nose.

You are special.
You are special,
even though you have little belly.

You are special.
You are special,
even though you have little hands and fingers.

You are special.
You are special,
even though you have two little legs...
and feet...and a little back.

You are special.
You are special.
You are special.
You are special.

And You are special.
You are special,
even though you have a little back of your head.

You are special.
You are special,
even though you have a little forehead.

You are special.
You are special,
even though you have a little neck.

--------------------------------------------

The Comfy Song

You are comfy.
You are comfy.
So you go to bed.

Comfy, comfy, comfy.

What do you think about your new baby brother?

2007-09-08T19:04:00.000+02:00

I think that he is really sleepy. And that he likes baths… And, um… that he likes to be warm -- 'cause they’re out of the mommy’s belly, and in the mommy’s belly it’s nice and warm.

I like that he gets to have a baby burrito. There’s this blanket and then you lay the baby down in it and then you wrap the baby up in it and then he gets really warm.

And he likes poems. I think he does. And how about I tell you a poem right now?

Once there was an ant.
And the ant said, “No, what are you doing ant?"
And then the other ant came -- and bugs came --
And they wanted to eat the ants.
And the ants said, “No, you can’t come in here!"
And then a chopper came.
And then he wanted to kill them.
And then he went back and forth --
Back and forth, Back and forth --
And then they stopped.
And they said, “Oh no! No! It’s raining!”
And then they’re thinking
About their homes and their food.
And then they all jumped in their homes.
And they all got flooded out.
And that’s the end.

What did you learn how to do yesterday?

2007-06-29T07:35:00.001+02:00

Ride my bike.

[What was it like?]

With two wheels. That was the first time! I got to ride it. I felt cool. Some of the time, my Dad holded me. And some of the times, I ride it on my own. I go really, really fast. It was even faster when I had just two wheels on. I biked down the street. And I rode my bike in the park.

I'm going to say something to Mommy: I am going to send a picture! I'm riding with myself -- that's the best picture!

What do you want to say about the dinosaur egg?

2007-04-19T18:22:00.000+02:00

I got it from Wieke and Timo for my verjaardag feest [birthday party].

There was a little egg. And you put it in the water. And after a night, it starts to get a little bit of cracks. And it takes a couple of days for it to open. And that's the end.

What do you want to tell Aydan about art?

2007-04-19T18:18:00.000+02:00

[Elliot's cousin Aydan has recently developed a webspace of his own, where he can display his artwork from school. And, to say the least, Elliot has been very impressed. But as an aspiring artist of his own accord, Elliot also wanted to reach out to his cousin on the level of creative collaboration. Thus, this post:]

Aydan, if you want to be an artist, you have to draw really good.

I am an artist, too! I like to do artist papers like, um... centers and reading. I like to draw people and animals, too. I've got three done actually. I got 3 poppen -- I mean, guy tekenings. Guy drawings, I mean. I think that's all.

What do you want to write about crocodiles?

2007-03-24T19:38:00.000+01:00

Well, the crocodiles were so short that they almost ate the men in the boat. Seventy-fourteen years, a crocodile was too fast. The rowers were faster than the crocodile. First the crocodile went faster. The crocodile had a really fast super-hero boat. And he pushed it really fast. And it goes. The End.

What are you going to do for your birthday?

2007-03-24T19:33:00.000+01:00

I don't know. It hasn't happened yet.

[What would you like to do?]

I would like a Superman cake. I'm going to have a Superman cake. Mommy is making it.

I'm going to go swimming with my friends: Tobias and Olivia and Dennis. D-e-n-n-i-s. Dennis is my friend.

What about vampire bats?

2007-03-18T08:44:00.000+01:00

vampire bat [typed by Elliot].

Well, vampire bats suck blood. They also suck their own blood. I think my book said they also suck in the rainforest -- their own blood in the rainforest. Well, at night they come out. I think they live in leaves.

leaves [typed by Elliot]

[What part of the world do vampire bats live in?]

The rainforest! The Amazon rainforest! There were some army ants there marching by. Whenever they heard a creaking sound, they were not so nice. The End.

Why have you suddenly become so interested in blogging again?

2007-03-18T08:31:00.000+01:00

Well, I just like comments. I like comments. And I like your hat.

Let me write about sharks. Now, I want to write "sh" -- shark [typed by Elliot].

The sharks were really big. They eat seals, turtles, penguins, and even other sharks! And, then, sharks do not die very often. They have really sharp teeth. And they're the most biggest, biggest -- they're almost as big as a car! And the shark can't get two turtles when they're on land. So the shark cannot get those. The End.

You want to write a blog about dinosaurs?

2007-03-18T08:27:00.000+01:00

Dinosaur bones! The dinosaur bones were about thirteen-fourteen big. First, they still were alive. Then, they falled. And then they were dead. And then they jumped with the bones, and then it fell.

And then a farmer usually comes. And then he takes the bone and he looks at it, and he makes it into a dinosaur skeleton! And they built a real one too. With a real head and real legs. And it was real big.

It was his whole body except his tail. His tail stretched so high that it almost touched the ceiling. But the ceiling is erg hoog [very high]. Have you ever seen a dinosaur in a house that could put his tail up to the ceiling?

You reallly want to write again? OK -- what?

2007-03-17T19:54:00.000+01:00

boat [typed by Elliot himself]

He searched to find, and found a cow! Then, that cow -- but he, he wanted to buy. Then he went to the store, and then he bought a bat. He tried to hit but no one says he thought it was an egg. But he kept it as an egg.

And the fisher searched to find a fish. But all that he could find was mosses hanging in the sea. And then a cowboy started climbing. He searched over the ground. He found a cookie in the grass. The grass was on the meadow. He looked into the sky, but all that he could see was the blue sky. And all the birds he saw.

A policeman traveled by. He searched to find a bad guy. He found a bad guy to take to jail. He put him in jail, and then he went.

The End.

So what do you want to write about?

2007-02-10T19:09:00.000+01:00

Let's write about the krokodil dans [Obviously, he was influenced by another reading of the comments from his blog on 13 January 2007 -- as this suggestion stems from Patricia's comment]. I was dancing but it was a real hard dance [Sorry, Patricia, that's all the information you're going to get].

And I want to do a story.

Once upon a time, there was an old wolf. And he tried to gobble all the pigs. And one pig's house was made out of brick. And one pig's house was made out of straw... And another one's house was made out of sticks. And the wolf tried to eat them.

But all the pigs caught the wolf, and they put him in soup. And they boiled him. And they had roast soup in the brick house. They were in the brick house.

The End.

And you know what, Daddy? When Tobias wakes up, he can see a new blog, and then he'll be really excited. We'll stay here the whole night, and we can keep making blogs [Again, this enthusiasm seems to stem directly from a re-reading of his comments. Perhaps the blogging fire has been stoked again...].

Where did all the snow go?

2007-02-10T18:47:00.000+01:00

[In Skyping with his uncles and grandparents, Elliot was finally urged to break through his blogging apathy and post something new on his blog! As you will be able to read below, his thoughts were not entirely focused... But, we started with the above question -- reflecting on his snowman-building experience from earlier in the week -- and went from there.].

I don't know. There was not a lot rocks to build our snowman.

I want to write a tale.

There was once a tiger, and he got cooked. Well, then he put snakes in. And there was a dinosaur in, too.

The End.

Oh really?

2007-01-13T14:03:00.000+01:00

[For whatever reason, Elliot has not been much in the mood for blogging over the last couple of months. Whenever asked if he'd like to post something, he generally responds with "Hmm... Not right now." Still, he seems to enjoy checking for comments on his blog. And even though we inform him that he's not likely to get new comments without new posts, he hasn't completely grasped the correlation. So in the spirit of some of Elliot's older blogs, this post is pulled from a casual conversation earlier today... Who knows? Maybe it will help to jump-start the process again.]

"You're going to get real tall soon, Daddy."

["Oh yeah? Because it's going to be my birthday soon?"]

"Yeah. You're going to be a real man when you get taller. Because you keep getting taller and taller and taller and taller and taller... 'Cause it's your birthday."

What does it mean to be a Zwarte Piet?

2006-11-29T16:59:00.000+01:00

You have to give out pepernoten [dime-sized gingerbread cookies popular during this time of year leading up to the celebration of the Dutch holiday Sinterklaas]. I have to go down the pretend schoorsteen [chimney]. Then I have to bloop, 'cause I [do a flip on the ground] like that. Then I also have to do this [another flip]. Zwarte Pieten also do this [a somersault]. They do this also [crazy dance with his tongue sticking out].

They hide the grote boek van Sinterklaas [Sinterklaas's big book, that supposedly keeps a list of all the children to whom Sinterklaas must deliver presents]. I don't know why they hide the book... They don't want Sinterklaas to find it, I guess... Oh, I know! 'Cause they don't need it so much. And Zwarte Pieten also do this [run around in a circle with his tongue out and then fall to be floor].

They have to ask who they want -- if they want pepernoten. Then I just have to give it to you. Daddy's supposed to give the home group a message: You can only a pepernoot if you ask you if you want you.

What do you think we should do with Oma and Opa?

2006-11-07T19:54:00.000+01:00

[Elliot's grandparents are coming to Amsterdam this week, starting on Thursday. In preparation for their visit, it seemed appropriate to ask Elliot what he would want to do with his "Oma" and "Opa" while they're in town]:

Show them school. Inside of the school and the outside of the school. I want them to see everything. I'll tell them my friends. I'll tell them the juf [the teacher].

I'll show them all the things in my room. Maybe I can paint the outside of our house; that would be good. We can show them the leaf project [a special autumn decoration that Elliot did together with his Mom, making imprints of leaves on clay and them painting them to create a centerpiece for our dining room table]! We still have to put the candles in them.

Are Oma and Opa coming tomorrow?

[No, not until the day after tomorrow actually].

After tomorrow? After tomorrow?!?! That's not so many days? Oma and Opa! That will be such a surprise!

Do you like herfst vakantie?

2006-10-26T16:47:00.000+02:00

Yeah. [Why?] Because I just do. It's hard to explain.

Well... I was staying at Tobias's house [on Tuesday]. We played clowns. We put make-up on, but Caden [Tobias's little brother] was the lion. So the clowns had to get the lion, because the lion was going to eat us. He wanted to eat us. We had to get him so he would not eat us. But we ate Caden up for pretend. And we put some cuffs on Caden.

And we made some road stuff [earlier in the week, this "road stuff" was described as "mud soup"]. We put some leaves in it, and some pretend cinnamon. And we threw them into the bucket that has water in it. And we keep mixing it up, and it keeps on getting pinker and pinker. We were making road stuff, and the road stuff smelled like brick.

But I couldn't stay with him [Tobias]. I was going to stay at his house [for a sleepover], but I couldn't. Well, I stayed there a little while, but in the evening I was feeling sick, so I had to come home. But now I'm feeling better. But I'm not going to Tobias's house today. They said I could come back one day. So what day can I go to Tobias's house?

[What kind of projects have you been working on with Mommy?]

A turkey project. You can't eat the turkey. We made it with the beans on the box, and with the kind of things from Olivia. And then we did the eyes. And the nose. And the body is a balloon with papier mache. We had to take it [the balloon] out, and it [the remaining paper shell] was still an oval. Well, we took the little thing out on the bottom and it made a hole. So it doesn't have any air, but it's still an oval thing. We put some newspaper on, and now we painted it today. It's all brown because turkeys are usually brown.

[And why have you been making cookie dough with Mommy?]

To sell 'em. And we can also have some. We're selling them to people at the Zolder. To get mosquito nets for the kids in Africa [raising money for Millenium Promise]. Because they get really sick. And they don't have any money or food. They already have food, but they don't have clothes. Or money. Or mosquito bites. Or, they have mosquito bites -- but they still don't have mosquito nets. So we get money for the people in Africa, not clothes. And with the money, they can get mosquito nets. But I don't want to go to Africa. Because in Africa, when it comes in the night, you get sick. So I don't want to sleep there. 'Cause then I'll get sick or something. And then I'll die. I don't want to stay in Africa to sleep.

What was Politiedag?

2006-10-14T15:20:00.000+02:00

We went to a politie [Dutch for "police"] thing -- a thing that there was pretend polities there. But actually they were real ones. They were real.

But I was afraid. Because some black guys get taken by the polities. And I was wearing black. But they didn't take me away, because I have a soccer shirt. But those bad guys were not wearing it. But I was not a bad guy.

We saw Wieke -- Timo's mommy [Timo is a classmate of Elliot's, whose mother works for the police department and thus invited us to visit the event]. She gave me this pen, and I got to talk on the microphone inside the bus [Wieke works as a dispatcher for the police, so Elliot got to see how it works to receive calls from a walkie-talkie].

I have a politie thing [a sticker with the police emergency numbers on it -- which Elliot seems to consider to be a sort of badge officially identifying him as a member of the police force], so if you want to call me, then push een - een - twee. One - one - two. If you want to call me, then push 1 - 1 - 2. But if I don't hear you, then don't let me... Do you want to talk to me now? Cause I'm available. I'm wearing a politie hat. I got it from politiedag because I winned [knocked over a pyramid of cans with a foam ball]. And I got a drawing [coloring page] 'cause I winned.

Could you tell me about your circus at school?

2006-10-04T19:26:00.000+02:00

Well, actually I had paint on me by myself. But my teacher painted me. I didn't put on my nose [his foam clown nose], so she painted on a nose with paint. But she didn't paint my hair. Because that would be silly to paint hair. I wore a wig. And I got my things on after. I had pants on together with my clown clothes.

When we were coming in, we marched next to each other. And we made, um... what was that called again? [After some consulting and dialogue in a mix of Dutch and English, we were able to come up with the answer that had eluded him] Een rij -- a row! Then we made another rij, but it was kind of a circle. When I went around the table, Daddy, remember? En je hebt gezwaaid? [And you waved at me?] And there was a song: dum, dum, dum, dum, a-dobee-dumdee-dumbee dum...

I was the clown, and I was in the song. My balloon was stuk [broken] -- so I made it sad like this... And then I got a new balloon, and I blowed, and I blowed, and I blowed, and it went "BAM!" And then it popped again. Then the circus directeurs said to me, sometimes I didn't know, but he did see me actually. Ik was op een step [I was on a scooter]. En nog een ding [And one more thing]. Ik heb niet met een voet maar twee voeten [I didn't just do it with one foot, but with two feet]!

Dennis was a leeuw [lion]. And Zubair. And someone else. They jumped through the hoop. The hoop was especially made for leeuwen. For pretend leeuwen. Dennis was wearing a yellow shirt, but he got whiskers because he didn't have whiskers. So they painted him with whiskers.

My Dad came to watch. And my sister came to watch. And Linda came to watch. And Mommy came to watch. But I didn't -- because I was in it.

And when we were done, we loopten [a grammatically incorrect form of "walked"] back naar de klaas [to the class]. And we got some limonade [kool-aid] and koekjes [cookies]. But I ate it before I went home. And then I went home, and that's it.

What's your class circus going to be like?

2006-09-30T08:18:00.000+02:00

Well, I'm going to be the clown. When I'm being the clown, I have to have make-up on. So, I use something else. I use a mask, because I don't have make-up. And if I don't have make-up, I won't be a clown. And I have a nose, and a dress, and a wig -- but when I'm wearing my mask, I don't need them. It's a clown mask.

But it's not only me that's going to be a clown. There's a lot of clowns in it. Maybe like a hundred maybe. They do funny things. They're going to throw balls in the air. And my best friend Dennis is going to be a lion! ROAR!

Levi is going to be the circus directeur [ringmaster]. And Mariah. Remember the circus man that has the long top hat on? They tell iedereen [everyone] what to do. I don't know where my microphone is that I made at school. But they have another one that Kubilai made. Het is echt een microfoon [It's a real microphone].

I'm not going to write anything on the circus day. 'Cause otherwise, I'll be too late for school and too late for the circus. But it's OK to write today, because it's not circus day. But on Tuesday I can't write anything. Because Tuesday is the circus day.

Could you tell me about your picture here?

2006-09-09T16:32:00.000+02:00

There's not really anything about it, Daddy!

[Could you describe what the picture is all about?]

It's a picture of Olivia going to the potty and of me going to the potty [Elliot going to the potty is in another portion of the larger picture, which was cropped out for the purposes of easier viewing].

[Why did you want to make that picture?]

So everybody can see it. Then I can make a studio here, tonight. I can hang them all up. I can make a studio with all the pictures.

How did you like your first day of school?

2006-09-04T19:53:00.000+02:00

Good. I stayed there for a little longer because I was there, and I... [apparently, he lost his train of thought for a moment]...

But Mommy took me to the Frankendael [a park nearby his school] to take a picnic. And then we had to go really, really, really far -- because if we go really far then we would see a verstoppen huis [the translation of this phrase would be something like a "hidden house," but the context seems to be referring to a long detour that was required by construction between the school and the park]. But then I came back to school, and it's a little bit different.

Tomorrow, I'm going to take on the overblijf. The overblijf is where you eat lunch at school, but then I go back to my class. Because then, if I go back to my class, after my teacher teaches then I go home. Then school is done.

I got to have a sticker with a poppetje [translation - "puppet" -- explanation - each child is represented by a different symbol that indicates which chair they sit in, which activities they get to do during play time, and so on; last year Elliot's symbol was a turtle, and this year his symbol is a puppet]. It's a new one. I like it. I just like it. I liked making a book. I liked to play outside. I got to do it twice. I got to do it morning twice and afternoon twice. But tomorrow I'm going to go to overblijf.

How could you possibly still be hungry!?!?

2006-08-28T18:23:00.000+02:00

[The children in our family must be going through a growth spurt. They've been eating like ravenous wolves at each meal over the last few days -- often consuming more food than Mom and Dad. So after a particularly large supper, it was shocking when Elliot asked for a snack less than an hour afterwards. The above question, prompted by this snack request, was answered with classic child-like simplicity]:

Just because, I guess.

So you want to write another poem?

2006-08-25T07:59:00.000+02:00

[Elliot seems to have entered a new period of unique artistic expression. Now whenever we sit down to blog, he seems to be inspired to write poetry. It's hard to say why? But at any rate, here's the latest poem:]

The chocolate went up the bushes,
but they didn't have a lamp on their heads.
And then they put a big monster on him,
and the big monster said, "Ow!"
They were taking the monster to the forest.
He was sinking -- Ha!
And then they put papers on him and papers.
And a Wham-Bam-Kam-Fram came down on him.
And then he did a bocko-flocko-wocko-jocko-flay!

So you want to write a poem?

2006-08-15T09:42:00.000+02:00

The applesauce man...
He had so much applesauce on his head.
But then he dove right into a pond,
And then he mixed up in the water,
And then a lightbulb came in the water,
And then the knuffels [stuffed animals] fell in the pot.
And then they put a toy,
And they threw it in the bush
Where the President was.

And then a boom-belly came,
And he threw all the things in the water,
And they all went "blauw!" [blue]
And then came a chocolate factory
And it sucked out your brains.
Oscar Pereiro threw his bike right in the pond,
And then he threw a ramp with his headphones
And a ball on his head and a phone on his head,
So he had so many things on his head.
They splashed right back into the water.

The End.

How does the coffee taste?

2006-08-10T09:31:00.000+02:00

[At his request, Elliot had his first taste of "real" coffee this morning -- a sip from Daddy's mug at the breakfast table. When asked for his opinion about this new, strong flavor, he responded:]

Hmm -- Wow. That tastes black.

[It seems to us that this is about the best description that we've ever heard for the taste of coffee.]

Do you like your new protective gear?

2006-08-05T17:55:00.000+02:00

I got armpads -- wrist-guards, I mean.... Knee pads... Elbow pads... I like that I can go skating. I tried it. I was pretty good, maybe.

I need something to put on my ears. Ik heb geen oren [I don't have any ears]. Ik heb geen benen [I don't have any legs]. Ik heb geen buik [I don't have any belly]. Ik heb geen voeten of geen hoofd [I don't have any feet or head]. Ik heb geen hoofd [I don't have a head]. Ik heb geen wangen [I don't have any cheeks].

What's your nickname(s)?

2006-08-03T07:45:00.000+02:00

My name is Charlie Bogantz. Because I'm fast, and Charlie Bogantz is fast. That's what my Dad likes to name me. [For the record, I (Elliot's father) have always issued flippant, spontaneous, ridiculous nicknames to my children -- just off the cuff, like "Hey Elliot, can I call you (fill in the blank)? But for some reason, earlier this summer, I asked him, "Hey Elliot, can I call you Charlie Bogantz?" and it just stuck. He accepted and embraced that nickname like no other -- to the point where he now considers it to be his official nickname.]

My Dad's name is Boominy Lollipop -- because I heard that name on television at Oma and Opa's house, when Jack and Virginia was there. Do you know when you and Mommy when with Uncle Matthew to see Matthew's little thing? That's when I saw it on television. At Oma and Opa's house. He said, "Hoi! Ik ben Boominy Lollipop!" So that's where I learned the name Boominy Lollipop.

My cousin Aydan is named Alexander Cuckoo-in-the-Head... Daddy, let's tell 'em Tobias's nickname: Carlos Sastre for short. And his last name is Carlos Sastre Karomat. And Olivia is Levi Leipheimer. And what did we call the girl at the Cleft? [Kim?] Yeah, what was Kim's name? Coco Kradago! It was something with chocolate. Coco Kradagochifs.

Well, my whole nickname is Charlie Bogantz Floyd Landis Elliot Asp. I like my nicknames because it's all mixed up together.

How does it feel to be Floyd Landis?

2006-07-20T18:56:00.000+02:00

[Our family has been closely following the Tour de France on television this summer -- as we have for the past several years -- as "Le Tour" is one of the major broadcast sports events in Europe. Today, one of the top American contenders -- Floyd Landis -- bounced back from a disastrous showing yesterday. Elliot was so inspired by his compatriot's performance that he decided not to just cheer for Floyd Landis -- but to actually become Floyd Landis! And throughout supper and the early hours of this evening, we've been enjoying the company of celebrity. He was kind enough to grant us a short interview.]

I don't have much time to talk because I have to do the race. I'm having a good race. I get the fastest. I'm faster than all the other racers. Do you know what they say when I win the race? They say, "Good race, Floyd." Well, my feet feel like they're kind of on the pedals.

[How many miles did you have to race today?]

Pretty much miles. But right now, I'm not on the race because I'm having a water break. Do you think George Hincapie [another American contender in the Tour de France, unwillingly played by liitle sister Olivia] is still having a water break?

[What do you think about the pizza dinner that we're having tonight after the race, Floyd?]

Well, I think that it's pretty... Well, Floyd really likes pizza. This is the first time that Floyd has had this kind of pizza. Well... I think that the race pizza is doughy. [But what about other kinds of pizza?] Yeah, I like those.

[Do you think you're going to be able to win the Tour de France this year?]

Yeah. I'll lean over my handles.

Why was Amber mad at school today?

2006-07-19T18:50:00.000+02:00

Because I was going potty, and she didn't know that boys could go standing up pee. Because she didn't know it, she wanted me to take toilet paper and wipe my bottom. And I didn't know why she was so mad at me. It was just some reason. She wanted to give me some toilet paper, but I didn't need it because I was going standing-up-pee.

She said, "Ik ben een beetje boos met je" ["I'm a little bit mad at you"]. But I didn't say anything. I didn't know why she was boos [angry]. I don't know why she was boos, but she was boos. I don't know what I said.

[Just for clarification, the situation seems to have arisen from the fact that the school does not keep toilet paper in the toilet stalls themselves (lest they be used to clog the drain). Instead, when children leave the classroom to use the toilet, they must bring along a few squares of toilet paper before they go out of the classroom. Thus, Elliot's classmate was likely bringing him some toilet paper, thinking that he had accidentally forgotten it.]

Do you like speaking Dutch?

2006-07-08T16:31:00.000+02:00

Not so much. Because I like speaking English at home and Dutch in school. 'Cause I'm supposed to speak Dutch in the school. It's hard for me to learn so much. Because I don't know some of it.

[Which parts don't you know?]

Lots of different parts. Lots of different parts I don't know. The parts that aren't in English.

[Which parts do you know?]

Een vlinder en een vlieger [a butterfly and a kite]. "Tjoem zet de vlieger en de vlieger om hoog"... [my best guess at translation is "Zoom went the kite and the kite went up high" -- he continues singing an elaborate song about a vlieger that's too quick to transcribe].

I have nothing to say in Dutch because I already know Dutch. Dad, I only practice it once a day.

Why haven't you been blogging so much lately?

2006-07-05T18:49:00.000+02:00

Well, because I have to go to school. For a long time. They have a castle there. Well, I haven't been to the castle so much now, so I'm not so sure, because the other boys are not up there for very long. So I just have to play with the other boys. Because there were only girls upstairs and downstairs. So I play with the big boys. They said if you go in the girls, then they say you will be in groep twee [second grade]. So I play with the boys.

I didn't write in my blog because I didn't really have to do it, because I didn't know what to say. Because I didn't know what I was going to say before I did it.

What is your new school like?

2006-06-28T19:20:00.000+02:00

[Elliot started basisschool (elementary school) upon his return to Amsterdam from America (they still have a month left before their summer vacation). Thus, it seemed like it would be good to ask him for some observations regarding his new educational environment. His response is as follows:]

I like the chuckle boxes and the giraffe -- from a long, long time ago, when I had my boots. At school, I held Wian's hand. And me and Christian, and me and Ryan and Christian saw a giraffe choking a whole bunch of boxes on his hair. And that was really crazy. And he had a sticky thing on the book...

[Apparently, Elliot feels that the rest of the information about his teacher or his friends or his school activities is too "secret" to publish at this time. So we will leave his report at this for the time being and hope for a more extensive follow-up at a later date.]

What was your first fishing experience like?

2006-06-17T19:05:00.000+02:00

Uncle David fishes. He said at first I need a fishing pole. And then I needed to go on the boat -- the fishing boat. Well, what I did is that I reeled it in. I guess I caught a plant with it. And I said, "I'm going to let Mommy cook it!"...

Then, well, I cooked him. And I ate him. It tasted like fish. It was good. It was fun.

Who is Aydan?

2006-06-10T16:13:00.000+02:00

[Obviously, Elliot has been a bit preoccupied lately -- with not much blogging to show for the last week and a half. A significant part of his preoccupation in the month of June has been a special opportunity to interact with his cousins from Texas: Aydan and Brennan. In our recent reunion in Ohio, Elliot particularly enjoyed the companionship of his older cousin, six-year-old Aydan. So a blog about Aydan seemed to be in order.]

He's a cousin. He's a friend. We do lots of things -- like playing stuff, do crazy stuff...

Do I throw things with him? Yes, I do. Like cases of letters and puckles and dossers on their heads -- and stuff like that. And we carry mushrooms. And we put a drum in the car! Put houses in the water in the bush! And we throw warriors.

I had a good time with him, and I miss him right now.

What all have you done in the last week?

2006-05-31T13:49:00.000+02:00

I've been into a clown. Well, I put some make-up on, and I chose on and Aunt Mo painted them, and I put on a funny wig. And then I was a funny clown. And I'm going to do it again. I took a picture. I'm a funny clown.

I went to a parade. They threw candy. And there were soldiers. There were boys. And the big horses! And what else? A clown. Uncle Alex was in the band, and Uncle Alex was one of the soldiers.

And I swammed. And I sprayed a little bit. But it was starting to rain, so I didn't spray as much. And I had my swim suit on.

And we fed the cows. And I think the blog is filled up, and I think we're done with that blog.

What was it like to feed the cows today?

2006-05-24T20:55:00.000+02:00

It was like, you had to hold it [a handful of grass] out and then when they start pulling it in you let go. The cows in the back were scared of their supper. One cow licked my hand -- “schlurp, schlurp” -- it was like that. Daddy is the one that told me they like to chew on grass, so we fed them some grass.

How does it feel to be a boy genius?

2006-05-22T13:56:00.000+02:00

[This playful question is answered with playfully embarrassed denial:]

Naw!

[So a follow-up question in a similar vein is posed: “How does it feel to be the handsomest boy in the world?” And Elliot answers with a confident-yet-casual shrug of his shoulders:]

Good.

What do you think about America?

2006-05-22T07:54:00.000+02:00

[After a year and a half absence, Elliot has returned to the United States of America. When asked for his opinions about the land of his birth, he responded as follows:]

I like it. I go to Ohio. Fluff up all the pillows. Fluff up all the couches. Fluff up all the balls. That’s about it.

What do you like about Jason Slack?

2006-05-18T13:08:00.000+02:00

I like that he does lots of things -- like go fishing... and make presents... and does crazy things. He reads lots of lots of books. All the whole time. He reads the whole book at the same time. He counts all the books on his head.

He's from Bowling Green, Uana [What is Uana?].

Uana is a state in Bowling Green. I like that he wears helmets a lot.

How does it feel to be sick?

2006-05-16T09:02:00.000+02:00

[Elliot came down with a case of strep throat this weekend. It's been a long, slow recovery. So, it seemed like a blog about the subject would be appropriate...]

Well, your body's not feeling good. And you need a little bit of medicine. And then when you go to sleep, you can't go back to sleep because you have to drink a lot of water (Wuh-wuh-wuh-W. Water starts with "W"). Then when you're sleeping, you take up and you go down a little bit.

You have to go and talk to the doctor, and then he sees if you have white spots. If he looks with a flashlight, then you're still going to have the white spots.

What do you like about your room?

2006-05-11T17:18:00.000+02:00

I like that I can play with Lego's in it. There's a big tent in it -- for mosquito bites -- so they don't bite me...

[Is there anything else that you want to say about your room].

Yeah. I like my shoes. Oh, my shoes are stinky now. My last question is that my shoes are stinky.

How do you brush your teeth?

2006-05-10T19:54:00.000+02:00

Well, first I have the day a little bit. I eat lunch, and then I play for a little while. but on days that we take a bath, we take a bath a little bit so we can wash up. And after that, we watch Caillou. And after I wash Caillou I brush my teeth a little bit. And I put some toothpaste on. You have to squeeze a little bit, but not so much toothpaste on -- 'cause then you'll run out. And then we go to bed.

What's your favorite thing to do at the playground?

2006-05-09T19:29:00.000+02:00

At the Flevopark, to make food. You go in the house, remember? The house that we played with Anika Erwin in, remember? [At the Flevopark, a bit east of our home in Amsterdam, there is a small wooden house with a built-in countertop and table to seat four small children. One person stands behind the counter, as if a waiter/cook, and the others sit at the table to order their favorite imaginary delicacies.] When someone wants something, you make it. After they tell you what you want to eat, and they ask for a lot of things, then you can eat a lot of things.

I like to order pizza, and pannekoeken. And I like to buy some new pencils; they have pencils there. And they have cheeseburgers. And they have pickles. And they have cheese curls. And carrots. And tomatoes.

What's your ideal job?

2006-05-08T08:46:00.000+02:00

Box up all these boxes. That means I get to get rid of the boxes. I would tear them, and I would put them in the trash. I get to pick the boxes, and I hit them. I would get a bunch of letters, and the letters would get in the boxes.

I would work with Leo, Caillou's friend [Calliou is a Canadian children's television program, broadcast on American public television]. If I jumped into a Caillou episode, then I'd box up all those boxes.

You wear a kind of a dress. It looks like it has a big tail on it. And it has big wings. And it has big tops on it. It's pink.

What did you say?

2006-05-03T08:10:00.000+02:00

[In our household, we often tease each other with mild threats, like "I'm going to get you," or "I'm going to tickle you," or other such nonsense cloaked in animosity but spoken with a smile. Today, Elliot came up with a new one:]

"I'm going to give you a pigeon to walk around the world."

[From his tone and telling grin, it was clear that this was a threat. Let the adversary beware.]

What do you like about springtime?

2006-05-02T19:53:00.000+02:00

That there's lots of flowers and trees. There's lots of grass. There's lots of bushes. There's basketballen [the Dutch verb for playing basketball]. The sun shines. You can eat popsicles and drink some warme chocolademelk [hot chocolate] in the sun.

What did you get for Koninginnedag?

2006-04-30T10:16:00.000+02:00

I got some guys. I got a Spiderman; he can roll.

And Malooshka [a.k.a. Zorro]; he can fly up in the air... And he has a sword, so he can do battle... Spiderman changed his name into Malooshka, because he thinks he's cool.

And Lord of the Beans; he's the guy goes to the church to help the guys do the battle.

And Basketball Man; he's the guy that gives them directions to do the battle. He looks kind of sad because he's got yellow underwear.

And Fireman; the Fireman saves people. Everybody is my favorite, but I really like Fireman.

[From foreground/right to background/left: Malooshka, Lord of the Beans, Basketball Man, Fireman, and -- on the ground in front of them --Spiderman]

What is your favorite snack?

2006-04-27T18:55:00.000+02:00

Veggie Tales Scoobies [fruit snacks]... 'Cause they taste so good. They taste like strawberry. And some of the Veggie Tales go inside Elliot's mouth. Some of them don't.

They come in a box. They're in bags. They have Larrys and Bobs on them.

What do you like about Mommy?

2006-04-26T08:17:00.000+02:00

That she tells me good stories. That she goes to school for Nederlands, and I'm going to have vakantie. She krobbles up, because that means she gets up and she throws up and she pushes into the ground.

My favorite thing to do with Mommy is to go to the playground. We like to play games: Ring Around the Rosie and also Memory, 'cause that's cards. When I give her a hug.

What does "unusubal" mean?

2006-04-25T09:17:00.000+02:00

[Eating breakfast this morning, Elliot announced a new reason for not going to school]

Daddy, I'm too unusubal to go to school today.

[The word "unusubal" sounded like a cross between "unusual" and "unuseable" -- but its context was a bit vague. So I asked for clarification.]

Unusubal means that I'm not too handsome to go to school. That's what unusubal means. So I can't go to school today. Don't you know what unusubal means?

What was your favorite thing about visiting Budapest?

2006-04-22T12:50:00.000+02:00

[Elliot has not posted anything for the last week because our family had been visiting Hungary, for a missions conference. But to commemorate the traveling adventures, Elliot was asked about his favorite aspects of the trip... You might be surprised by the response...]

[His favorite thing was not the immense medieval castle]

[Not the huge lion statues]

[Not the mysterious underground Labyrinth caves]

[Not the fascinating architecture]

My favorite was the Popper [a small wooden toy that was bought for the equivalent of about two euros in one of the markets of downtown Budapest]! I like that it pops. I think it's cool and it's really good. And it also has a big stick, and it pops down. The thing comes down in, and it goes, "Pop! Pop! Pop!"

Why do we celebrate Easter?

2006-04-16T09:51:00.000+02:00

Because God is risen today. We sealed our own tomb. And then the tomb was opened. Today we opened it.

What did you do last night?

2006-04-14T10:55:00.000+02:00

I went to a basketball game. It had lots of things there. Lots of people. And there was a red guy and a monkey. But the red guy was sick [this apparently explains why he would occasionally leave the court area to go back to the locker rooms]. The monkey came out, and the monkey had a drum. Monkeys don't usually have drums, so he doesn't need a drum. Monkeys don't need houses either.

I like shaking their hands. And then they gave me the video! If I go back to another game, I'll tell a joke to them. I'll tell them the story of "The Grapes." Grapes are a fruit. There once was three grapes. And they went over a hill. And then they slipped. And then they blop-blip-blooped. And then someone crunched them. And then they slapped them. And then they licked them. The End.

What did you do at school today?

2006-04-13T17:58:00.000+02:00

[On Elliot's last day before Easter vacation, his peuterspeelzaal organized a special Easter egg hunt and pannekoeken lunch. A series of probing questions brought out the adventures of the afternoon.]

So how was the Easter egg hunt?

I like that we looked in there, but we didn't do it in Oosterpark. 'Cause we did it out where you can ride the bikes [in the enclosed playground area behind the school]. We found the eggs there. They had all this kind of stuff out there, like trees and bushes and those kinds of stuff. The bike house and other stuff. We had to look for eieren [eggs].

Where did you find the eggs?

In lots of places. In sand. In dirt. And I found one in the bush. I also found one in the dirt.

And were there a lot of other kids, too?

Real kids. I joined forces with Imine, Oliver, Manar. It was lots of fun 'cause you find eggs.

And then how was the special Easter lunch?

I had some syrup met mijn pannekoek [with my pancake]. Want to know what shapes we had? Squares. Big squares. And you can roll them up. I know a song about rolling up. Do you want to hear it? Roll it up... Roll it up... Alles goed... Alles goed... [roughly to the tune of "Frere Jacques"].

What is Easter all about?

2006-04-12T18:57:00.000+02:00

It means about Easter eggs. It also means about eggs that crack. It was like when you put them in the pink and then you take them out. Then you got to take them out.

[The question was asked with expectation of more spiritual insights, but when the day's earlier activity included coloring Easter eggs, there should probably not be much more of an answer expected.]

Could you tell me a funny story?

2006-04-11T15:30:00.000+02:00

There once was a muffin that her name was Pogy. So... Togy! [uproarious laughter]... Then some guy... [laughing]... Someone came and kicked them... [laughing]... Someone ate them again, and then someone watched them eat it... [more laughing]...

He came down to the bottom of the sea and drinked... [laughing]... He burped underwater... [laughing very hard]... Then a tractor rolled over him... [laughing]... Then he's not alive anymore, right? Then he came down to the bottom of the sea again, and he drinked again. Then the ducks came and pecked him.... [deep belly laughter]... And he went underwater, and he burped... [laughing]...

He splashed, and then he threw himself underwater... [laughing]... And then he stinked underwater. He was stinky... [laughing]... And then he plop-plop-plopped [laughing]... Then he threw the rest of his stuff in the water.

That's funny.

[Note to reader: Even after several readings of the story, the funny parts retained their comedic effect -- especially the parts where there's drinking, and burping, and stinkiness.]

What is your favorite animal, and why?

2006-04-10T09:16:00.000+02:00

My favorite animal is a giraffe. 'Cause they can stand taller than mice. And they have looooong necks. They have black feet. I like that they also have spots on their backs, and all over them. I like that they're yellow; that's my favorite color. I like that they can stand by themselves, without no other animals.

What do you like to do on Saturday mornings?

2006-04-08T10:06:00.000+02:00

Go to the Coffee Company; eat some moofins (Do you want to know what "moofins" means? "Muffins.")... Sometimes, we go feed the ducks. We feed the ducks some muffins sometimes. Ik vind hen heel lekker [I think they're delicious]. I like to go to the Coffee Company met mijn papa [with my Daddy]. Ik ben klaar [I'm done].

Could you tell me about last Saturday at TunFun?

2006-04-07T10:41:00.000+02:00

I like that I can go there with Tobias. I like that they have the little cars there. I like the balls. And we played in the balls. And, uh, we just didn't know if Lego people were there. I think that's all for now, Daddy.

What do you like about your sister, Olivia?

2006-04-07T07:38:00.000+02:00

I like that in the morning, I can play with her a little bit. But then I have to work on something else. I like that I get to play with her sometimes. But I don't have to play with her all day. I get some time by myself. But she says "Elliuh! Elliuh!" She doesn't know how to say "Elliot" so she says "Elliuh." That's how she says "Elliot."

Would you put that thing down please?

2006-04-06T11:44:00.000+02:00

I - am - a robot.
I - am - a robot.
I - am - a robot.
I - am - a robot.

[Elliot got an electronic voice-distortion megaphone for his birthday. It has four settings: Boy, Old Man, Kid, and Robot... Guess which one is his favorite.]

Why do you like to pretend to be a kitty in the morning?

2006-04-05T07:58:00.000+02:00

Because I have so much fur covered on me [the kitty's fur is Elliot's blanket]. Daddy likes when I am a kitty. I like that he pets my fur. I like that it's warm. I've got a kitty friend -- his name is Valentino. And I can do neat tricks, too. The kitty likes this blog.

Do you like blogging?

2006-04-04T15:45:00.000+02:00

I like that Daddy made the blog because then I didn't have to do it. I like doing blogging.

I also like this turtle [that I'm playing with while dictating this blog]. I like this scooter because he hangs from it. I like that he throws it.

Could you tell me about "Monkey Support Raising"?

2006-04-03T08:32:00.000+02:00

[Instead of going to school today, Elliot proposed that he spend the day "doing monkey support raising" -- a concept presumably linked to the "support raising" that his father must do to share the story of our ministry in Amsterdam with other Christians around the world who commit to providing financial support on a regular basis in order to allow us to be involved with ministry with Zolder50 on a full-time basis. Because the concept of "monkey support raising" was so intriguing, it was only logical to follow up by asking for an explanation of things.]

I play with all the monkeys. We play "hang" -- hanging on the trees. We play with a ball and run fast and play with a ball.

I'm a monkey. But monkeys can't swing to school.

Could you introduce us to your "Guys"?

2006-04-02T18:40:00.000+02:00

Monkey. Jorge. Froggy. And Elmo.

Jorge and Monkey can both hang from the chair, and I can hang from the chair, too. Froggy and Elmo told Jorge what they were going to have for supper. Jorge said that he was going to have bananas for supper. And Monkey is going to have bananas, too. Froggy is going to have salmon. Elmo has carrots.

Jorge is my favorite today. Because he hangs from his tail. And he's a good hanger. I got Jorge from Renske... for my birthday.

I think that's all right now.

Why don't you have to go to school anymore?

2006-04-02T09:32:00.000+02:00

"I don't have to go to school anymore."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because Mevrouw Wil is gone."

"Yeah (she retired on Friday)... but your other teachers are still there."

"Yeah, but when they get tired, then they'll go home too -- and I won't have to go to school anymore."

What do you want to be when you grow up?

2006-04-01T16:42:00.000+02:00

I want to be a bee. Because then, I can fly. It would be nice if I had a sting on it. I wish I could make honey. I wish I had a bee hive. If I take all my clothes off then I turn into a bee, right? Because then I can fly around with all the other bees.

What would you like to write about?

2006-03-31T08:31:00.000+02:00

I want Mommy. I don't want to stay here. But I'm still sad because Mommy left. And I wanted to go with her, but I don't. I like being with her better. I want to be with her. I want to go with Mommy instead of staying here. But I can't just do this. I have to go. I want to go see Lindy and Amelie. I wish I could. I want to go to Lindy and Amelie's house a different day -- instead of Olivia. She can stay here. But I wish I could go today.

[written moments after Mommy and Olivia left for a baby gymnastics class with Lindy and Amelie Watkins... Daddy thought it might be a good idea to try a distraction technique, with dictating something for the new blog instead of merely pining for Mommy and Olivia, but Elliot's mind was definitely a bit preoccupied.]

Elliot in profile...

2006-03-31T01:14:00.000+02:00