Activity Day Recognition Night

I am so, so fortunate to work with Activity Days in Primary!

This year,

our recognition night

was a father and daughter affair

featuring pizza,

a quilting service project,

and cake decorating!

The girls had a BLAST! 

And it was wonderful to see them

spending some one-on-one time

with their dads. 

The sugar-buzzed evening ended

with a raging game of something or other in the gym!

All I know is,

they kept running back and forth

screaming!

Congrats girls!

You have accomplished so much!



Silly...And Disturbing...Sunday Fun

Silly, yes?

I told you.

Disturbing...

Yuck!

Father-Daughter & Mother-Son Dates: Spaghetti vs. Thai

Our elementary school hosts an

Annual Father & Daughter Dance,

and this year was the first year that all our daughters could attend!

Unfortunately,

we couldn't make it.

{sad}

So to make up for missing out,

we created special invites for both the girls AND boys

inviting them to spend an evening with mom & dad.

The girls were delighted to receive THIS invitation

which instructed them to dress in semi-formal attire for this

"grand occasion"

which included dinner & the theater.

Look at all my pretty faces! 

That's more like it!

Owen was convinced his invite would be better,

and of course,

when we opened the front door,

there it was waiting for him!

{truth be told}

With all the excitement of getting the girls ready for their date.

I had forgotten to create the boys invite!

When Owen started peeking out the window,

I quickly realized he was waiting for his "special delivery".

Luckily,

he's easily distracted,

giving me a few minutes to steal some time

on the computer to print one out!

Whew!

Gabriel,

definitely less inclined to be impressed

with something as non-edible as a formal invite.

 

Popcorn!

Now I'm speaking his language!

My sweet, sweet boy.

Just like on real dates,

things can start out so well...



...and then take a nose dive!

Bummer!

My date landed himself on time-out!

If I didn't already know him,

this would have made a horrible first impression!

Lucky for me,

he straightened up,

and a good thing too!

It's time to eat!

While Samuel opted for the menu-friendly Spaghetti Factory,

we went for a noodle of a different sort:

Pad Thai!

Noodles.

An absolute favorite with these two.

Granted,

we need to work on our date-worthy dining skills...



Thank goodness we've got time to practice.

The question is:

How did Samuel fare with his noodles?

{smile}

One of the Happiest Moments of My Life

My dad is a funny man.

When I close my eyes and picture his face now,
it's composed,
thoughtful,
very serious,
or,
he's dozing!

Getting any type of alternate expression out of him
is nearly impossible,
and this was proven when on my families
last trip to Disneyland
he rode down Splash Mountain
like he was waiting in line at the DMV!

No scream-face,
no eye-brows raised,
just dead serious-
and my mom has the picture to prove it!

Which is what makes what happened,
all the more joyful!
...

In the midst of all the holiday preparations,
I realized something pretty incredible.

I don't recall ever
-and I mean never-ever-
singing "Happy Birthday" to my dad!

Granted,
his birthday falls on Christmas Eve
and is always overshadowed by Christmas festivities,
but still...

Never?!?

This couldn't be!

So after a family dinner,
with everyone still settled around the table,
Samuel dimmed the lights,
we brought out the cake,
and sang him his very own rousing
 birthday song!

I'm telling you,
never have you seen a grown man
disintegrate before your very eyes,
only to be replaced by
a twinkly-eyed,
grinning-like-crazy
little boy!

It was a moment I'll never forget!

And I realized with perfect clarity how
grateful I am to be
this man's daughter.

He has always wanted so much for us,
always wanted to be more for us,
but in the end,
I know that he
always, always
loved us.

I love you too, Dad!

H A P P Y  B I R T H D A Y !



Slides, Pouts, & Wet Pants

We're super fortunate to have the Fountains to explore.

You'd think after several visits it would get old,

but we love the fountains themselves,

the shops,

and of course,

all the fun play equipment!

Gabriel absolutely loves slides.

He won't go down on his own though,

but once you give him the old heave-ho

he has the time of his life!

Ava & Iris

Slide Pros

Owen

Camera-shy!

How dare you son! 

I made you!

Give me a smile, sugar-bun!

I think we'll have pictures like this until the girls are

fully grown with families all their own!

Samuel loves to play with them,

and they love to play right back!

I'm so glad he enjoys

rough-housing,

tickleing,

wrestling,

reading stories,

helping with homework,

giving hugs & kisses...

It makes for a wonderful, dad.

...

A wonderful dad with wet pants, that is!

{smile}

Reading Rewards & Stomach Cramps!

Each of my beautiful daughters was awarded a dinner certificate for reading at a local restaurant.  They were super-proud of their accomplishment, and it was fun to take them out for a night on the town!

The upside:

We always have a great time together. 

Tonight was no different.

Also, the signature monster chocolate cake was a hit with the kids. 

Who wouldn't love 7-layers of incredible yummy goodness?

The downsides:

Owen decided that now was the time to

 launch crayons way high up in the sky during dinner.

Hello!

He never does that!

I was APPALLED!

And then, an hour after leaving, Samuel became super, super sick.

He vowed never to order fish from a restaurant again!

All in all, it was a typical night for the Samuel Elmers:

There's the good, the bad, and the UGLY!

And I wouldn't have it any other way.

Samuel might though.

{Smile}

A Boy and His Dad...

This is something I cherish.

A First.

A Rite of Passage.

Tradition.

April Fools!

It's a Dodger Thing...

I don't know how long ago it was, but I believe with Bella we scored this Dodger T.

I love that it's been in the family for years, and it's one of those pieces I don't think I'll ever be able to get rid of.

I'm surprised it still looks brand new...

...but if Gabriel's any indication, the reason it looks so great is because by the time I realize they're finally big enough to wear it...

...their actually too big!

It's fun to come across small articles that remind you of your history, and most importantly, of your family.

Catwalk Models & Slicked Back Eyebrows

Yes, it's that special time of year
where fathers escort their daughters to Junction's
most anticipated event of the year...

The Annual Father & Daughter Dance!

 For me, it means an opportunity to 

dive into the kitchen to create something extra special

for the dessert table.

It also means that the mommy-salon is open for business!

  

The girls are all a twitter with the "Night at the Oscars" theme...

  

 ...and unfortunately, they aren't the only ones!

  

 Samuel, 

a.k.a. Catwalk Model/Top Hollywood Actor, 

really hammed it up!

 Nice!

The slicking back of the eyebrows

is always a must on the red carpet...

The girls ate it up though, and love that their dad is silly!

They are so beautiful!  

How is it that they are growing right before my eyes, 

and still I can't keep up with all the changes that are taking place?

Samuel, ever the proud father.

  

 Iris, our 4-year old, was such a good sport.  She knows full well that she can't attend until next year, but she dressed up just the same, and was delighted to see her sisters off for their special evening.

  

 In addition to my motherly duties as baker, salon stylist, and photographer...

  

...I also chauffeured!

  

 Sadly, moms are NOT allowed inside, so Samuel was kind enough to take photos for me. 

  

 I am so grateful they have this time together.

 

It truly is a magical, magical night!