Happy Birthday Elspeth

43 friends and family converged to celbrate the 4ness of Ella, a process she hopes to recreate daily.

Vacation Highlights (it has to be done)

Take Grandma for a walk on the beach.

If you wake up and it's chilly outside, Elspeth insists on a rousing game of "Sink or Float" (Thank you Celina for introducing that gem to our world, and thank you Grandma for not objecting when you found your large pot full of water and toys as you awoke.)

If it's still chilly, you get to open your Valentine's Day gift from Grandma and Grandpa early because Mommy knows there is a long sleeved shirt in there and Mommy didn't pack you enough long sleeved shirts for the trip.

Going to the amusement park and driving a truck all by yourself (no adults allowed).

And Mommy's personal favorite. Grandpa fitting all 6 feet 3 inches in a space designed for 4 feet so that you can fly an airplane together.

Status: Doctoral Candidate

Verdict overall pleasant. Challenging questions. He enjoyed it.

He passed!

My Husband Proposes Today

Next month we will celebrate our 12th anniversary. A clean dozen, well it hasn't really been clean. It has been up and down and sometimes downright messy. I can laugh now about mopping up vomit when we first discovered Ella gets carsick, but it wasn't funny at the time.

Over half our marriage has been centered where we live now, something I find hard to believe. We have connected with our community, our church, our friends. We had babies here. I saw the man I loved, because he was so much fun to play with, become the man I love because he isn't faking it when he is pleased to get a welcome home gift from his girls that some would see as a box full of scribbled on paper. I would guess he still has those drawings somewhere.

We have changed. Mostly we like who we are now better than our younger versions.

And now we finally culminate in a day that I have waited for longer than I have truly understand.

Today my husband proposes.

Not to me.

To a committee of four academics who will decide if his research is valuable or worthy to pursue. Who will decide if his study is structured in a way that it will actually capture the data he seeks to find. People who have a lot of power over our lives.

I am in awe of the event that takes place today at 2:00, but not worried. He is ready.

Chick Bits

Ella turns 4 this week. We are getting ready for the big day.

I have let her help me with the party preparations this year which leads to the following:

"Can we look at the ice cream again? Just look, I will leave it in the freezer, otherwise it will melt."

"Can I look at the goodie bags, I won't open them. My friends are going to be so proud of me."

I think she is excited.

Winter Camp

Wish you were here!

What's it spell?

Sylvia - asking the kids would be considered cheating . . . . :)