I Thought You Were A Paper Bag

My darling Nibblet, fieriest of Fiery Ones, turned the big TWO last Saturday! It was a week-long celebration full of cake and toys and singing, as any birthday week should be.

Her official party was on Saturday, featuring some so-so pizza (note to self ... never again buy pizza topped with eggplant!), a Thomas cake, and a few friends and their parents.


I was all geared up to try to make a giant Thomas face out of icing, but as the day approached, I felt more and more certain that it would end up ghoulish and terrifying. I envisioned a crowd of toddlers grinning in eager anticipation as the cake was brought out, only to moments later all burst into fearful shrieks and sobs and run away. So it was a relief when my friend Rachel gave me the idea of just using a toy. Whew! So much less counseling in the long run.

Here's big brother helping Mommy with the frosting.


And later helping Daddy put together Elsbeth's little playhouse, her gift from us.


Earlier in the week we hosted playgroup at our house - I think the final kid count was 15! - that included a vat of macaroni and cheese and cupcakes.

For some unknown but hilarious reason, Elsbeth calls cupcakes "buttcakes" and for days after the playgroup party she kept saying, "Happy birthday buttcakes turn candle off." It was funny every time.

Amazingly, even with 15 kids plus mommies, we had a few buttcakes left over, so we made them the grand finale to our Stone Mountain picnic the next day.


I can't believe how much this girl has changed in the last year. I found myself thinking of her as 2-years-old months ago with all her talking and independence. She's gone from demanding to be on my hip every moment to running and leaping and saying, "Do it self!" with fierce determination. She has gotten quite tall (we'll see just how tall in a couple weeks) and her few wisps have grown long and are slowly getting thicker. She has 12 teeth, soon to add the 4 canines currently pushing their way through. She loves music and can (I think) sing the whole alphabet song herself. She's also really into her books these days and often wants to hold one to read "by self" while I read her another one. She enjoys her little routines, often chanting about how we go to swim lessons on Thursdays or that we'll watch Thomas after bath time. She also really loves her brother, which is just the best, and she's getting better and better at apologizing to him and giving him kisses after whacking him with something.

I simply adore her personality (in the moments when I'm not using all my will power to keep from smothering her because she's screaming in hysterical rage and beating the side of my face with a credit card while I try to check out books for Andrew at the library.) She is amazingly loving and affectionate (when not enraged) and she makes me laugh all the time ... my favorite thing. Just looking at her little grin makes me want to snatch her up and squeeze her and cover her face with kisses. I am so deeply grateful for my girl.

We all love you wildly, Elsbeth Ashton Mobley! You light up our lives!