Happy Birthday, Elle!

 

Can you believe how big she’s getting?!  We put balloons on her door last night (with much difficulty) so that when she opened  it, the balloons would all fall on her!  It worked

 

Since it was General Conference, we had our semi-annual “conference breakfast” of cinnamon rolls, eggs, and orange julius.  It worked out perfectly for Elle’s birthday breakfast!

It’s so nice that we get to watch conference via internet, and then plug it into our GIANT bigger-than-life TV!  It’s like we are practically at the Conference center itself! 

Elle took full advantage of  watching at home, and stayed in her PJ’s until about six o’clock when we told her she had to put on something cute for her birthday pictures.

After conference, we taught Elle how to play Settlers of Catan.  She caught on really well!

 

We had macaroni and cheese, and broccoli for dinner—her favorite!  She got to eat on the “You Are Special” plate and everything today

She chose the theme “rocks and minerals” for her birthday.  THAT was a challenge!  I decided to make a cake that looked like the layers of the earth.  Then, I put some rock-looking jelly bellies in the top graham cracker “sand” layer, and she had to excavate them with a pastry brush.   I also shoved some gushers fruit snacks into some cupcakes and put them on the cake too.  She had to use her little “pic axe” to dig them out.  It sounds great on paper, but I’m afraid it didn’t hold  together very well.  It tasted good though! (Especially with mint brownie ice cream [which, next to peppermint, has to be one of the finest ice creams out there] )

 

There’s Polly Pocket the geologist in her sun visor, bag of gems, brush, and pick.

You can see how Elle had to find the “rocks”

 

Elle is imagining the flames that will come from having so many candles

 

As always, we have a “pin the (something) on the (something)”  This year Chris decided it would be “pin the flame on the explosive you will use to blow up a rock”

(she was back in her PJ’s by the time we played!)

 

She got some awesome presents and some big hugs from us!

I read her the “long version” letter I wrote her for school (she was the ‘star of the week’)  It turns out that the smaller version was even too long!  They had to take three days to get through i!  I had nine years worth of stories about her complete with pictures.

Then, it was time for bed.  She said it was a good birthday—considering it was on “boring Conference Sunday”

We’re sure glad you came to our family, little princess!

Happy Birthday!