We had a fabulous Easter holiday – quiet with just our family. Elayna had a GREAT time and asked us to rehide the eggs over and over so she could win her 1-person egg-hunt.
First swim in the pool for the season. Yes, Elayna is naked. Yes, she LOVED it – even t..hough the water is still a little cool.
For the last 2 years, we’ve taken Elayna to the Wildlife World Zoo over Easter weekend. Last year, my mom and brother were in town and that made for an extremely special trip. This year it was just the 3 of us – but we still had a great time.
Elayna in particular loved the lemurs (‘I like to Move-it, Move it!’), giraffes, and feeding the ducks. We could not convince her to touch the sting-rays although she had a really good time in the rest of the aquarium. The weather was fabulous yesterday morning and we all really enjoyed spending the day together.
A quick snapshot of Kellum news – maybe I’ll think up a full ten things later:
1) We’ve bought a new car!!! The Xterra was given a sad bill of health at its last checkup and diagnosis was not good for this summer. So out it went and in comes the new Audi A3.
I find this an unusual choice for Aaron’s commuter car – its rather small and doesn’t have a lot of power. However, it has been heavily endorsed by his biking buddies, my brother, and is super fun to drive. And it’s a clean diesel – emissions are very low and it gets great gas milage. So welcome to the family, little Audi!
2) On the other hand, I do miss the Xterra – more for sentimental reasons. We bought the Xterra in Montana in November 2000 – right before we started the new adventure in Arizona. It was our first new car, our first major purchase together, our first post-graduate decision. I can’t believe our time in Phoenix has outlived our time with that car.
3) Elayna had her first ‘official’ horse ride on Sunday at a Western party for her school. While she’s sat on a horse with Uncle Nate before, she was petrified! However, her fear has evaporated and she loves being around horses now. She delighted in petting them, letting them smell her, and her exciting 30-second horseride. Pretty adorable.
4) Also adorable: her best friend Kira. Here they are examining the ponies and later holding hands. [There was some discussion between the girls as to whether Kira’s hat had Minnie Mouse or Barbie on it. I don’t know whether I should be thrilled that she’s having conversations with other kids or creeped out at the cartoon-marketing-machine.]
5) At this same party, Elayna fell off a concrete table and scratched up her back. This was fairly traumatic on Sunday but is not bothering her now.
Happy Birthday, sweet baby girl Elayna!!
Elayna turned 3 on Wednesday and had a fabulous day by all accounts. She knew the day was special and sang ‘Happy Birthday’ from the moment she woke up.
In the morning, I was able to take mini-cupcakes into her class and celebrate with her there! They all sang Happy Birthday and loved the treats and Elayna felt very important.
In the evening, we hosted a small party with E’s best friends. We made princess crowns, we ate Chik-fil-a nuggets, and I made 3 kinds of cupcakes. Elayna was a perfect hostess – sharing her toys, giving hugs, and joyfully enjoying the attention.
The highlight of the night was painting her castle in the backyard. Aaron constructed a cardboard castle and the kids were able to cover it with paint. All of the kids loved it and it was a perfect party activity.
Elayna is growing into a beautiful, cheerful young lady and I’m very proud of her. I can’t wait to see what her 4th year has in store for her. I LOVE YOU, ELAYNA!
