Ely's Shem

The word shem in Hebrew has several meanings. One meaning is ''name''. Another is ''fame''.  But more commonly it means ''the essential reality of who someone is''. So technically, according to Glen Penton, God's names (in the traditional sense) are not: Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace, etc.

But rather, these titles are the very essence of God. God is Wonderful. God is the Counselor. God is the Mighty God. God is the Eternal Father. God is the Prince of Peace.

Cool, right?  That got me thinking about Eliana and what her essential reality or essence is. And I have determined that her shem is EXUBERANT.

What is your shem?

Let the Cake Begin!

Last night's deafening rainstorm created a very unusual day for Ely and me. We actually stayed home!

And what is the most dangerous thing about staying home on a cold rainy day? Baking!

I decided to make the same cupcake recipe that I made for Ely's 1st birthday. It's out of a baby cookbook and is pretty good, as far as healthy cupcakes go. It's basically a mild spice cake with cream cheese icing, purple in our case.

Eliana is getting to be a very good sous pastry chef. She is definitely in the 'I want to help you!!!' phase of her childhood.

She is learning how to wield the squishy pastry bag. She definitely did not stick it in her mouth this time. Improvement!

Here is her proud accomplishment!

Yay! Almost ready for Dub's birthday!

Yoooooo Gabba Gabbaaaaaa!!!!

We took Eli to see DJ Lance Rock & the gang last Sunday and had a great time! This was the beginning of the act:

And this was Eli’s reaction:

Toodee, Foofa, DJ Lance, Muno, Plex & Brobee!  For those in the dark, this is a TV show on Nick Jr.

The entire concert, Eliana kept saying, “I want to hug them!” But when we finally made it ‘backstage"’ Eli insisted I hold her!  I guess stranger phobia is a good thing after all!

See how tightly she’s got me around my neck! It was great to meet Foofa!

Brobee cracks me up!

JW loves Brobee too!

Plex & Muno!

Eli finally warmed up to the monsters after some snacks!

We waited for DJ Lance to come out and it was totally worth it. He was the sweetest celebrity ever!  So nice! After our picture he swung Eliana around like an airplane! He made sure all of his fans felt special.

And here is Eliana’s newest ‘princess’ dress that she will surely wear for the next several days in a row:

Her very own Foofa rainbow dress! It was supposed to be ready for the concert, but life is not fair. The important thing is that it’s DONE now! Yay!