We had a fun time being with Johnson cousins on Eli's birthday. Courtney (John's sister) and her family have adopted three kids from the Ukraine, and I got to meet them for the first time on Sunday. John had already gone with her to the Ukraine to pick them up, so it was a reunion for him. They've only been here a couple weeks, but they seem to be adjusting well. They are: Hannah (3), Lena (6), and Oleg (11).
They all came to Eli's party and then afterwards we came back to our house for the little ones to nap. Then the birthday boy thought it would be fun to go bowling and we all agreed, so that's what we did. All seven kids had a lane to themselves and the three adults wrangled kids and assisted with the bowling. It was fun!
Afterwards, we all went out for pizza and then they all headed home. I'll admit I was exhausted after the eventful day. Courtney has been with the kids without Cliff since he's working in Virginia. He's having to go back and forth until they sell thier house in Houston. I'm impressed with Courtney and the great job she's doing with all five of her kids. It's no easy task!!
Here's a picture of the whole Johnson family taken while they were in the Ukraine.
I can't believe it (I'm sure I'll be saying that every year)...Eli is five years old! We had a fun day celebrating his birthday on Sunday. We got to have his party on his birthday again this year. It was a Star Wars themed party at Zilker Park, which is what Eli requested. A lot of friends came and it was a beautiful day to be outside. We ended up having to change locations at the park from the pavilion with tables and shade to the grassy area by the playground because apparently the pavilion was already reserved. So, we went with plan B and had a picnic on the grass. It worked out even better than plan A in my opinion.
I regret that I didn't take more pictures, but I did get a video of us singing Happy Birthday to Eli. For the first time, Eli requested to be sung to and wanted to blow out candles. In the past, he didn't like the part where everyone sang to him and all the attention was on him. I guess being five has brought more confidence for Eli!
Speaking of being five, the day before Eli turned five, he was telling us all the things he was going to be able to do the next day. He said, "tomorrow when I'm five, I'm going to be able to run faster and build my Lego sets without any help". You see, the Lego sets are for ages 5-12. I think he was right because he definitely built he new Lego set without help! He also seems to have turned a corner with the whining and behavior in general since Sunday. It's crazy, maybe five is the magic number...for now at least! We are enjoying the positive, cooperative attitude while it lasts. It's great being five!
Eli got some fun gifts, perfect for him. It's been quieter around here lately because Eli has been working on Lego sets mostly, or playing with Star Wars figures, or exploring other new toys. Me and Legos have a love/hate relationship because it keeps Eli focused and entertained for a long time, but there's all those tiny pieces to keep up with. Oh well. Here's Eli in action:
Addendum: I got a couple more pictures that I wanted to post. One is from our friend Randy that he took at the party. The other is from Eli's teacher, Ms. Bass, from his bday party at school. I brought popscicles for snack time. And I wanted to show you a few lego trucks Eli has put together. He already has at least three more like it!
In my first trimester, I drank a lot of drinks other than water. For some reason, water just did not taste good, which is weird b/c that's usually all I drink. I bought some Fresca on a whim and had been drinking it a lot, so naturally, the boys wanted some too. I'd let them have some every now and then.
Since we don't usually have sodas in the house, Jed didn't know exactly what to call these strange drinks from a can, so he called them beer! I thought it was funny, so I didn't ever correct him. A few times after he woke up from naps, he would walk into the living room and say, "Mamma, I need a beer and pretzels". Picture him walking clumsily with squinty, sleepy eyes and a groggy voice. It was hilarious! I wish I could have captured it on video, but he wouldn't let me. Oh well, it's a fun memory nonetheless!
