Eli is a poser

Just when I think Eli can’t be cuter or sillier…

I finished up this upgraded tee-shirt this afternoon while procrastinating my own blouse. But this tutu top, as I like to call it, will coordinate with one of the blouses I’ve already made for myself. 

The trouble I now have is that for every piece of clothing I make myself, I now have the irresistible urge to make something to match for Eli!  Couture never rests!

Eliana seems to understand the importance of workin’ the camera!

We were jamming out to the Little Mermaid’s famous song.

And this is a snapshot of the Popo dance!

Eli loved her top because it had a “hanya” (flower) and a “hah” (heart)!

How did Eli get so tired??

Because this is my 266th blog entry, I am shaking things up a bit. This a backwards glance at our Sunday!  After a long day at the Pumpkin Patch it wasn’t long before Eliana fell asleep on the long drive home.

Ana got to ride a horse!

I love this pic. She looks the same as she did last year when she rode Uncle Roger’s horse.

I don’t remember Sweetberry Farms being so dusty last year. But at the end of the day we were covered in dirt!  This picture will show you why. But because Eli is very creative and joyful she decided dancing in a dust storm is better than complaining about it!

Where does she get these moves?

Eliana loved the goats but was extremely ticklish to their inquisitive tongues!

Eli has freakishly long arms…

Posing for pictures is not Eliana’s spiritual gift!  This looks like Christmas card material, don’t you agree?

At the time it seemed fun to hide between JW and Hattie, but now it just makes my head look really small!  What you don’t see on the other side of this picture is the curious onlookers watching our makeshift photo shoot.  I don’t know why they were staring. It’s not like Harriett and I strategically rolled all those pumpkins around the haystack for our Smith family picture….

This shot is cute too although restraining Eli from leaping off my lap inhibits the full exhibition of her pumpkin patch couture! Oh well!

Now this shot is my absolute favorite of all!  This shot made the whole day worth it!  The tripods, the cameras, the hot rollers, the couture, the prayers for Eliana to nap on the way to Hattie & Pops’!  I love the technological advancements that made this shot possible. Maybe this should be our Christmas card?

the Beth Moore experience

This weekend I got to fulfill 3 very important wishes: 1) see Beth Moore 2) be on tv and 3) get Eliana to a zoo!  Beth taught at Life Outreach International in Euless, TX and they are super sweet at LOI!  The whole thing was free of cost plus they kept us well-nourished with water, soft drinks, chocolate, donuts and pizza the whole weekend long!  Here we were Friday evening arriving very early “to get a good seat” (NOT). Eliana is giving me lots of moral support as I wait in line.

Poor girl. When she realized Mama would be staying here and she would not, she was NOT happy! But why show those pics, right? This is my super fabulous new top by an up and coming fashion diva designer extraordinaire: ME!

And here is Dada and Eli at happy hour in the hotel while I sat under Beth’s tutelage.  Aren’t they adorable? Don’t worry Eli’s drink is non-alcoholic, but I’m not sure what Tata had to drink, she doesn’t look well.

So at LOI even the seating arrangements are kind. I decided that their seating plan is grace based. I arrived super early Friday night and got sat all the way in the back! And yet people who showed up really late got seats within spitting distance of Beth! 

So I prayed that Saturday I would get a better seat. Not only was I in the back but it was freezing back there!  Today God heard my prayer and we showed up late but I got a front row seat!  Here we are getting a shot inside the studio!  Sitting in the front row was a little warmer but it was also a little intimidating to be that close to the fireball that is BETH!  Yes, she did compliment my outfit and yes she did stare me in the face TWICE and while teaching.

Because she stared at me right in the face I remember her words very clearly: “Showing kindness to someone is not being their false Christ.” 

And another jewel of wisdom: “Blessed are you when something that comes naturally for others happens supernaturally for YOU.”  She was talking about Elizabeth getting pregnant with John the Baptist when she was an old lady. 

That woman is full of the Holy Spirit! 

She opens her mouth with wisdom and on her tongue is the law of kindness. Proverbs 31:26

Here is Ana at the zoo with Dada. Notice the beautiful black hair bow is gone!

Here is Eli commiserating with a monkey.

Here are Eli and Dada with the birds. Notice Eli’s brooch is gone. I think JW is afraid for his life if he loses one of these so he’d rather just stow them away than be held liable for their disappearance.

Here is Eli at the carousel!! I was so bummed to not be with her during her first zoo visit, but  I realized that agape love would let her go on without me!

Here is Eli at the Roger’s house. Eli is wearing her “pumpkin patch” dress.  This dress is why I pulled an all-nighter Thursday night.  After this dress I have decided to take a break from sweetheart necklines. Modifying a pattern is painful for an inexperienced fashion diva designer.    What do you think about my color combinations? Too funky?

Here is Q, the dog. Aunt Nancy was playing catch with both girls. If Eli were a dog, she would be a Chihuahua.

Here is Uncle Steve, thanks for the hospitality!

Eliana could not get enough of playing catch with Q!

Oh yes! I forgot to mention that this is my second awesome outfit. This is my lame attempt to model it!  Since I’m calling my kid clothes Kid Couture it’s only fitting that this dress be called Mama Couture. My favorite thing about this mini dress is that it’s not form fitting!

We ate dinner at S&D’s oyster bar and Eli screamed most of the time until we got her some ice for her sore gums! Poor thingy!  I think the ride in the luggage cart made her forget her pain for a while!  Thanks for praying for our weekend!!!

Eli in Wonderland

Actually she was in Fable Fest but to a toddler every new place is a wonderland!  The Mad Hatter was her tour guide.

A wide piece of eyelet from Aunt Benna’s treasures saved our apron from being too short and too plain! Providence!  The cotton candy was flowing at Fable Fest! 

There was also face painters. Eliana knows make-up, or as she says “meh-meh'”.

Eli found the White Rabbit thanks to the Mad Hatter and I kept her safe from the wicked Queen of ♥♥♥!

Eliana embodied her character very well yesterday. She kept wandering around the park!  Maybe next year I will make myself a costume too!

Introducing…

Drum roll please….

The Sassy Sisters!

Thanks to Grace Violet and the thousands of peg dolls on etsy, I consumed my weekend with meticulously painting, decoupaging and gluing  a doll collection and house for Eli, spending quality time with family and friends.

Working on this craft project was a girlhood fantasy for me, a self-less endeavor to procure Eli with much needed dolls ;)

As with all of my craft projects, Eli pays a price! I worked on it during the TX/OU game so while Dada indulged his boyhood desires, Mama indulged hers and Eli toddled around complaining that no one was indulging her!

But now that I am finished Eli is enjoying my craftiness. She needs to learn to share! We were already fighting over the dolls this morning! I mean really, if there are 4 dollies there are dollies to spare! And so begins the training phase of the doll craft project…

The house is one of Eli’s shoeboxes Mod-Podged with scraps of fabric.  The bed and sofa are made out of old James Avery jewelry boxes. Note to self: Always paint the boxes before decoupaging with fabric…

The Sassy Sister are wondering where the kitchen is??? Sorry girls, if you don’t have a digestive system, I am not required to make you a kitchen!

In my world, the woman was created first! What sort of mayhem will ensue from creating not just one woman first but 4?!  And ethnically diverse ones at that??? I’m glad I’m not the real Creator…Here are the Sisters naked as can be before receiving their designer Sew Susy outfits. I hope they are not gossiping about the Ethiopian-American peg doll. Not to self: always leave extra skin color paint in case I mess up the mouth.

And here is the chaos behind the creativity.  Note to self: Do not underestimate the danger of the Exacto knife.  I need to make some peg men but men are boring to dress! Sew Susy does not make a lot of male outfits!  Now to switch gears back to sewing!  Not…ready…to…put…away…the….paints…..just….yet……!

Babysitting Buddies

Last week I got to babysit Cora for MK! My biggest concern was to prevent a slapping fight between the two little angels. I’ve never seen Cora slap but a little birdie swears she does. And I know Eli is quite fond of slapping my face for no apparent reason…

For the most part the girls enjoyed each other’s company.  They were equally hypnotized by Baby Signing Time:

I decided to take the girls out to the park because in this weather it feels wrong to not go outdoors.  The stroller you see here is not a double stroller! Eli didn’t think so either so when I tried sitting her in front of Cora she threw the ugliest fit to date! (That is until today at Kohl’s)  I was able to keep her slaps away from Cora but the meltdown scared poor Coco!  I’m not sure how but after I explained to Eli what we were doing she miraculously calmed down and sat down!  Once en route, both were glad to be outside.

I love tunnel pics!

Coco is quite the expert at the playground!  She probably slid down 30 times to Eli’s 2 times!!