Birthdays

We've celebrated 2 birthdays in the last 3 weeks. Roman's birthday was on the 13th of February and Ella's was yesterday on the 5th. Tripp already posted some pictures of Roman's new bike we got him here but I wanted to share a little bit more.



I rarely pass up an opportunity to create something and make fun decorations and birthdays are certainly no exception. I know Roman doesn't appreciate it now but it's something I love doing for my family and I hope once he gets older it will be something he cherishes on his special day. I made a simple heart cake for my almost Valentine's baby and a garland that I strung from a picture frame.



Here are a few of the things our new 2 year old is doing and saying:
*he can say a few 2-3 word sentences
*he has a handful of Indonesian phrases he can say
*for breakfast and most lunches he doesn't sit at the big table with us, but at a little kids' table looking out into the backyard. He reminds me of an old man eating all by himself at the retirement home.
*he sings when he rides his bike
*he is in full swing demolition mode these days, knocking down everything in sight from puzzles, legos, plates, cups, etc.
*since our return from the States he's had a rough time getting back into a sleeping routine
*he loves to wrinkle his nose
*in the book if you give a cat a cupcake, there is a picture of a cat doing karate and I always say, "Hi-ya" when reading it. Roman is the cutest thing when he tries to imitate me. He has moves to go with it too.
*he still cuddles with me, mostly after he wakes up from his naps

As I type this I can hear all the kids giving Tripp a "performance" as they like to call it. Drew on the drums, Ella behind the mic and Roman doing whatever he can to fit in. I can hear Roman belting it out trying to be the loudest of the bunch. He has such a fun, lighthearted personality and we are so thankful God brought him into our family.



Ella turned 4 yesterday and we had such a fun time celebrating her life. I found a picture of a cake on pinterest that I thought was super cute and tried to re-create it. Well, it didn't turn out quite like the picture but Ella absolutely loved it and that's all that matters.



She has been asking for a cash register for the last 4-5 months and she finally got one (thanks Grandma and Grandpa). She also got a rapunzel dress because she LOVES to dress up and she loves the movie Tangled. I am planning on taking Ella to the nice hotel in town for a night of mother/daughter fun. When we told her about it she got a huge smile on her face and gave me a big hug. I'm really looking forward to spending some one on one time with my Ella girl.



Here's what Ella's been up to lately:
*she loves Happy Kids (Indonesian preschool) and we're thinking about enrolling her for next year
*she is quite the perceptive little new 4 year old. she asked me the other day why a certain person's nose was "skinny" compared to someone else's not so skinny nose
*she is really helpful when I ask her to clean up
*she knows so much Indonesian. she doesn't really speak it to us when we ask her to but she understands a lot. she's taught me quite a few words
*she has such a motherly spirit and can't wait to be a mom. she's informed me that she's having 6 kids
*she loves to perform, hence the aforementioned performance. give that girl anything resembling a microphone and she will sing her heart out
*she must be wearing lipgloss at ALL times

I see a lot of myself in Ella but I see so much more at the same time. She is so smart and full of life. She has such a sweet spirit and she LOVES to laugh. Her understanding of the Word of God is humbling and I pray that it will lead her to her Savior soon. She is a true blessing in our lives and we love her so much!!

Happy Birthday Roman and Ella!

here's a picture of the kids all dressed up for our Valentine's dinner. Drew requested a tie.