My Eli

Finally, the kid who raises his hand every Sunday in Primary when they ask who has a birthday made it to the LONG-awaited December 14th.  How can you not be excited to celebrate with a kid who's been talking about turning four for nearly as many months?

What makes Eli Jonathan Eli Jonathan:

1. His infectious enthusiasm for everything.

2. His non-stop energy that both entertains and exhausts.

3. His hilarious albeit odd ball sense of humor.  His goofy nicknames and made-up words keep us laughing every day.

4. His big brother and best frienemy, Benito.

5. His wrestling buddy, Millie, who puts up with his antics all day long.

6. His action figures, whether Star Wars, superheroes, or Toy Story.

We had a little family gathering on the big day, and here's a peek at what made the birthday boy happy as could be:

His own Luke Skywalker! 

A chalkboard piggy bank that he could color himself



Millie thought it was real and couldn't keep from petting the little piggy



"Welcome to my house!" says Luke Skywalker from his Tattoine home

There's a funny story to this cake:  Ever since Stephen's birthday in September, when we were talking about "Daddy's favorite cake," Eli has been telling me that he wants a lemon cake for his birthday.  Three months and many reminders later, I wasn't about to forget.  So I'm baking his lemon cake an hour before the party and up comes Eli to ask why it's not a Star Wars cake.  I told him I thought he wanted a lemon cake and that I wasn't sure I knew how to make a Star Wars cake anyway, when he says, "Why can't you be a super mom?  Super moms can make lemon Star Wars cakes." 

Well, that was it.  The gauntlet had been thrown down.  I grappled to find any kind of connection between a yellow-brown lemon bundt cake and Star Wars.  The only thing I could think of was Luke's home planet of Tattoine, where he lives in the white adobe house on those sand dune type cliffs.  Liz showed up just in time to help make this whip cream beauty come to fruition.  Cake Wrecks, here I come!  But at least I was a super mom for a day.


Can you tell what Eli is into right now?  He is the echo of his older brother's interests. . .



Eager to eat their Yoda cake pops, courtesy of Aunt Kristi

Elefante Blanco

Look at the gems we scored the other night at a white elephant party with friends.

I knew Stephen had an inner Jane Fonda just waiting to come out



He just needed the proper neon headbands, hairbands, and legwarmers
(the little pink chug bottle completes the workout look)



As for me, I scored with a soon-to-be bestselling book called Mistakes Men Make

Mesh tank tops out of style?  Really?

The kids getting in on the white elephant goodness

What she wore

A little package showed up at our house yesterday for the littlest someone in our house. It contained a Christmas dress for Millie (Thank you, C & K!) to debut at church today, especially fitting as it was her first day in nursery. (Can I get a Hallelujah?!) It's the first time she's worn something other than Chucks on her feet to church in a very long time, because it's the first time she's had something fancy enough to go with those little dress shoes somebody gave us. I found the red coat at Goodwill this summer and love that something so cute cost me only a couple bucks.

Anyway, here's to eighteen months of brassy, sassy cuteness from Miss Amelia. 

Miraculous moment of still.  Maybe it's that branch in my armpit.

Speak softly, or scream loudly in my case, and carry a big stick.

Running, running, running.  I'm always in a hurry these days.

Eat your stick-loving hearts out, big brothers!

Lip-smackin' good kisses.