Keeping Up With the Kissingers: Ellie turns 4 :)

Monday, February 13, 2017

Ellie turns 4 :)

Ellie turning 4 meant 4 days of celebrating!

It wasn't quite planned that way, but when we realized we'd be heading to Vienna with all the students on her actual birthday we started the celebration a day early!

The day before her birthday, she opened her birthday presents and we had the homemade birthday cake that she helped make and decorate.

Yes, Francis' hair can be pulled into a 'boy bun' ;)

The gift in Christmas paper is from Aunty Shannon & family, it was a girl baby doll -
but I didn't want to send Ellie mixed messages on Christmas when we found out we were having a boy -
so, she had to wait til now to receive her girl baby doll :)

On February 10, her actual birthday, we left for a two-day trip to Vienna. The first stop was at the Abbey of Heiligenkreuz (Holy Cross) a 12th century Cistercian monastery in the middle of the Vienna woods for Mass. Here, we were able to kiss a large relic of Jesus' true cross. Not a bad way to start one's birthday....

But, of course, Ellie's highlight of the morning was riding on the charter bus and knowing we'd be staying in a hotel that night!

When asked, "How did you feel waking up 4 years old today?" She answered, "Kind of sleepy."
Q: "How does it feel to be 4?" A: "Like being 5."
Q: "Is that a new coat?' A: "No, I have a sweater on under it - I'm just really buffle today."
(Buffle is her word for fat; oddly enough, she uses that word a lot).

We had birthday lunch with 160 of her closest student, faculty, and staff friends! After wiener schnitzel (Wien = Vienna) they brought her apple strudel out with a huge (slightly scary) sparkler while everyone sang happy birthday!

Then the real fun happened - Ellie and I went to Zoom, the children's museum, with our neighbors. For 90 minutes, Ellie got to paint and create artwork without any restrictions! Very fun!!