Elli turns 4!

Elli turned 4 on the 20th, but we waited to celebrate until Gogo arrived to celebrate together.  And in her mind, she didn't turn 4 (regardless of date) until she blew her candles out.  She chose her meals; waffles with strawberries for breakfast and "chicken and crunchy bread."





I have determined that I am not a cake decorator.  It is so stressful to try and make these masterpieces to match the dreams and expectations of my kiddos.  Luckily she turned out at all; she baked for at least 2 hours (in a new to me oven); we couldn't find food coloring at the store, so we used writing icing to color our frosting; the entire top of the cake (the part with the dents and details) came off in the pan.  My kids are gracious when the cake doesn't turn out quite like the picture.  But I sure wish I had thought through what I was setting myself up for when I started the birthday cake tradition with the Lighting McQueen birthday cake!

The bleeding Lightning McQueen cake that started all of this!

There were several fun gifts as we celebrated Elli's birthday:

• To have a Grandparent here, even when we leave so far away.
• A Strawberry Shortcake Pan; borrowed from a friend of Gogo's after a post on facebook
• Lots of dear girl friends to celebrate with; friends that we know from home and have missed so much.
• Fresh strawberries for a little girl that has been dreaming of a Strawberry Shortcake birthday since the week after her 3rd birthday.  
• Gifts sent from family and friends back in the States.
• Special pictures, with birthday signs and balloons, from her buddies back in the Valley.  

She definitely felt celebrated and loved on.  Happy Birthday Elli!