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I live in a madhouse ruled by a tiny army that I made myself.
Ryan here.
So the kids have been really into musicals lately. Beth's favorite is Annie. Every time Eric suggests turning on a Thomas the Tank Engine show, she vehemently counters with: "No, Annie!"
At night it's the same thing. We usually sing a song before we tuck the tykes in and Eric invariably wants "Thomas and His Friends" and Beth always asks for "Tomorrow". So we switch off every night, or we sing two songs.
Although I must admit Eric likes joining in when we sing "Tomorrow":
Beth isn't too bad either:
(In case you can't tell, she's singing, "Tomorrow, I love you, today").
Needless to say, it's fun to see the kids pursuing their interests, and particularly to watch Beth develop her own favorites.
Speaking of tucking in, one night we were putting Eric to bed and he told us repeatedly that he was scared of Diesel Ten, a villainous engine from the Thomas movie. Eric begged us to do something to keep Diesel Ten from "getting him."
Cassie suggested using her "mommy voice" on the naughty engine, and proceeded to shout at Diesel Ten, telling him to beat it (I can't imagine what the neighbors thought). When she turned back to Eric and asked, "Is that good?" He replied, "No, I think you need to use a bat and beat him up."Another favorite was a beautiful Easter dress from Grandma and Grandpa. (Grandma's got great taste!) Beth is getting to be quite the twirler.
And what would a two-year-old's party be without the obligatory baby doll? We were sitting in the family room just letting the kids enjoy the new toys and I offhandedly asked if anyone was ready for cake. Beth immediately dropped everything and ran. We found her waiting on us at the table.
We did cup cakes this year instead of cake. When it came time to decorate them I wasn't sure what to do. Ryan suggested we write out "happy birthday" and this is what resulted.
When Ryan pulled out the matches to light the candles Beth was speechless (for once in her life). Yes she held the opened-mouth pose the whole time he was lighting them.
It was all Eric could do not to blow out the candles himself.
Beth liked the cupcakes and was thrilled with the ice cream.
She didn't get too messy but was proud of what she did spread on herself.
It was a great day, and it made Ryan and me so much more aware of how thankful we are for Beth. She is tenacious and full of life and fun. She always has a smile for everyone. What a wonder she is.
Because I'm in Primary, I got to attend the Blue and Gold Banquet this year. For the centerpiece, we had people from the ward bake cakes. In keeping with the banquet's color scheme, I did a blue and gold cake. Ta-daa!
Just as I was finished and taking a picture, Eric walked into the kitchen and saw the cake. His expression is priceless. I couldn't have planned it any better.