Eliana is Three Years Old!

Eliana is three! She will proudly show you how old she now is by bending down her errant fingers until there are only three stuck in the air. She is a self-proclaimed "big girl" and there are only a few things left for her to learn how to do, which she tells me she will learn when she's a grown up. Things like jumping rope, riding a bike to Disneyland, and snapping her fingers--which Adessa just learned how to do, (on one hand, only, and not loud enough to be "snappy", yet). Maybe Eliana considers Adessa a grown up?

Eliana is making strides of her own, though. She helps out so much with baby Annea: she loves to refill my water glass, throw things away or into the hamper for me, and is in charge of washing Annea's hands with a washcloth when we bathe her. And just a few days ago as she was hopping around, she learned how to skip, even!! Step, hop, step hop!

Calvin decided we must get into gear with outdoor games and bike riding, (our girls might be behind!) so we loaded up on soccer and base-balls and a bat and other catching and throwing games and prepared to be sporty. Next up are helmets so we can get the girls on bikes! And we both realized this emphasis on athletics is coming none-too-soon when Eliana and Adessa were trying to play baseball and Eliana kept shouting for her turn with the "hitting thing". Yes, we are finally on our way!

You know how people are most loveable when they are vulnerable? Eliana has been so loveable lately! She loves to dance and play dress up, and as people dropped off dinner for us the other night(THANK YOU, THANK YOU!) she came out to do a little number for them (I believe it was "Waltz of the Flowers" because its always "Waltz of the Flowers".) She had her fancy, frilly tutu on backwards! Her little nipples were showing through the criss-crossed back straps. Oh my goodness I just loved her then, her little embarrassed face when she realized why we were trying not to laugh. Painful, loving them this much, being embarrassed for them, feeling it when they're vulnerable. Eliana is a bit accident prone, she walks into walls and doors, doesn't look where she's going, falls and trips. Oh dear. She's also having a little bit of trouble finding her place in our new family, I think, being told to wait over and over again. Crying easily about so many little things. Asking to be held at the most terrible, inconvenient times when she knows my hands are full with the baby. Ach. It just really does break my heart. I want to be so careful with her, with all of them.

Eliana asked for and received a "Princess and the Frog" cake for the actual day of her birthday. We'll celebrate with a party for both girls (and Jayden, too!) later on, but for her special day, she got a big fluffy cake and a (used, don't tell her) Mermaid barbie doll-thingy and was completely happy. Adessa was another story, not at all okay with Eliana getting something she didn't get.

This picture is blurry, but it shows Eliana's magnificent cake and how she uses both hands to show how old she is.

It was, as you can see, delicious birthday cake!

She posed! When asked! With Eema in the loft at church.

Happily holding Annea.