Happy 5th Birthday Elli

It's amazing how fast 5 years can fly!  Our little Ellianna Grace just turned 5!  This is the short version of the birthday, and birthday prep.  I hope to make time to write a longer version too . . . but I wanted to get pictures loaded.

Our family tradition is the birthday person gets to pick their menu.  Elli wanted cinnamon rolls with pudding (frosting) for breakfast along with a marshmallow in her hot chocolate.  For lunch, she couldn't decide between peanut butter and jelly sandwiches or pooroshkies (fried, potato filled bread).  And for dinner, she wanted the local traditional dish Osh Pilau.  She has lived in Central Asia most of her life, it's crazy to see how that shows up even in her menu selection. 

Elli with her birthday banner.  The name didn't work out so well.  I failed to get pictures of the banner hanging throughout the room

Sporting her new Kaleen hat.  She was gifted multi-cultural dress up accessories.

Elias admiring Elli's birthday skates (that she's been requesting for years).  He started out in his pajamas, but for some reason decided disrobing was necessary for true streamline skating!

Elli in her new dress up dress.  Just in time for her birthday princess tea party.

One of 7 adult women guests who dropped in for a birthday lunch

The princess tea party guests

Elli and Auntie, who made the pooroshkies and osh happen!

First look at the Belle cake

 

The Sassiest Belle cake I've ever seen!  You gotta work with what you've got, and this is the doll we could find.

  

Elli got a birthday card with 5 local currency (the equivalent of about a $1.)  She, excitedly glanced up and said "Thanks Ezra" accompanied with a wink.  This girl loves winking and seems to do it as an appropriate form of punctuation.  Ezra happens to be 5 years older than her and Ethan's best bud.  The entire room broke out laughing.  

 And Ezra started blushing!

It was a great day.  Way more than we anticipated or planned for, but lots of fun.  With 3 brothers, you have to seize the opportunity to celebrate the princess.  And I think the day was officially seized.

Hopefully more musings to come.  Until then, with all the expression Elli makes, in looking through the pictures, you may just feel like you were there!

A window to our world!

Some pictures of life around our home this past week.  Resolution isn't great, cause I've just been grabbing the shots with the iphone.  But I'm so glad to catch them, however I can!

 

 Zeke fully enjoying his cappuccino muffins; chocolate chips and all.  What I didn't catch was his older brother spitting out the chocolate chips.  Halfway through breakfast I noticed he had a pile of chocolate chips by his plate.  "Elias, what are you doing?"  "Rocks, Mommy, in my muppins." 

 

Elli playing "Strawberry Shortcake" with her set (complete with lots of little things) up at the table away from little brothers.  When Elmo and Cookie Monster (Lego guys, how great is that) show up to visit the ice cream parlor.  Elli's response "Can't you go play with Elmo in your own little world?"

 Zeke enjoying a ride in the "pram" we inherited from a British family when we moved here in 2009.  We also inherited an assortment of Usborne books featuring the Bunn family (must be read with full British accent.)  I love the pram ride, where you get full view of said "chubby calves."  On warmer days, we don't wear long socks and the "kankles" get to breathe a little.

 Another fun warm day activity; Playing bazaar.  Elli is selling potatoes and carrots to her brother.  I love that she wanted the extra bag to use as a makeshift glove, just like some sellers do (usually those selling cookies by the kilo).  I bought her last potatoes and proceeded to use them for our lunch.  It brought on quite an emotional response.  So much so, Ethan rescued her by escorting her down the road to buy 2 more kilo of potatoes to re-stash her stall!

This is the treat and book box that we created so the kids can eat their snacks and read books in their "Tree house."  The plan is only for the older two to enjoy this privilege.

However, you notice Elias feels quite brave and wants to join in on the fun!  The ladder is only set up with supervision!  As the tree house is quite high!

 Some moms believe lids should stay on markers.  Apparently I believe that stifles one's creativity. :)  Or I'm just not as with it as other moms.  Why not sort them by color and line all the lids up!

 

 All his own idea and he was pretty proud of it!

Elli had her first peer sleepover.  The big girl, not fully pictured, is the 13 year old friend who came to help during the night, as the girls sleep in the warm room across the yard.  Elli, and friends, had a blast.  Austin, however, was in shock most of the time.  His response "I feel like I'm living an episode of Downton Abby, we've had tea time and there is plenty of drama."  Daddy to 3 sons, not so used to all the girl drama!" 

We are never in shortage of laughable moments at our house!

Popcorn

If you've been around our family any time at all, you know that Friday night is family fun night.  And it is anticipated from about Wednesday on!  And on family fun night we do popcorn and apples (or a more flavorful fruit in season, but most often apples).  We get to watch a movie.  Our family favorites are The Cosby Show and Little House on the Prairie.  If we get baths and dinner done with enough time, we live on the edge and squeeze in both before bed. :)  (Just some insight into our family excitement!)

On a very far tangent, here's a video of Elli "reading" her first book.  I think she had it memorized before she started to "read" a word, but she is eager and is catching on.  Both the action on screen and the rustling in the background should give you a small idea of what school time is like at our house; full of life.  Most of the time all four kiddos are in the small proximity for learning, feeding, playing, or diaper changing.  Sometimes for all of it.  I digress with more family insights . . . on to the video:

The news anchors of tomorrow!

My kids have too much fun with the iphone we inherited from Aunt Jenni.  I thought you'd get a kick out of their own documentation, all on their own thinking!

Ethan started it off:



Then Elli's turn:


And this is a rap that Ethan has made up in the local language!  Translation "1, 2, 3, 4.  Do not fear, we are ready!"  Only one of the numerous fruits of attending local school!