This morning we made biscuits. My job was flouring the cookie cutters, Elia's job was pressing them into the dough and Eric's job was shaping and flattening the dough. Elia tried a few times to take over our jobs, but we'd tell her, "That's my job, or that's Papa's job," etc. The one time I tried to fix one of her cutouts she said to me, "Hey, that's my job."
She also read Nana a story today called "color zoo" It has pictures of different animals made out of different shapes and in different colors. She would point to a picture and say, "What's that" or "What color is that". When Nana would reply correctly, she would repeat what Nana said and say, "That's right" or "Good Job". Nancy pointed out that you can hear what you say when your children play. It is funny to see her say things like that. She has also picked up, "Oh, my gosh," though that is one of those sayings that we don't say, so we're not sure who she learned that from.
Elia never stops talking and Ethan is really jabbering too. Whenever you talk to him, he talks back with these high pitched squeaks and tones. It is fun. He especially loves Elia and always smiles when she is near.
On the swimming front, she discovered somersaults in the water. She just said, "Watch me" one day and did it. So, they aren't perfect somersaults, but she has the idea. She also can swim from one edge of the pool to the other with a couple of breaths in between.On Friday we went to a church party. The theme was "back to school". I taught a geography class about state capitals and state nicknames. I pulled out my fake glasses to look more "teacherly" and Elia decided she would try them on too.
In other news, I once again proved my failure at plant raising. We have been plant sitting three plants for our friends Dave and Tiffany Price while they are on their internship. We'd been doing really well and even succeeded in improving the condition of one of the plants they weren't sure would make it. Another plant, that was in no danger when they left it, gave up yesterday and literally in two days shed all its leaves. I felt so bad (though I had warned them before they left). They are coming back in one week! Couldn't it have waited?!
Tonight we made luscious lemon cookies. Are you ready for the recipe? One box of lemon cake mix, one stick margarine or butter, one egg. Mix together, form in balls, bake at 350 for 8-10 min. We take ours out of the oven before they look done and let them cool on the pan. They are really chewy and good. This works with any cake mix. Eric likes chocolate cake mix and puts cream cheese frosting in between two cookies for homemade oreos. Yum!
Our date itself was not the most exciting. We didn’t want to spend a lot of money on something like eating out and the movies we wanted to see were all over two hours long so what did we do? We went looking for Elia’s birthday present. She sees me taking pictures all the time and always wants to take pictures. She takes pictures of Watson, Ethan, her shoes, Elmo, or whatever else she can so that she can hold the camera.
It was fun to be with other people, but it was so hot and unimpressive. Let’s just say, we won’t be returning! 
On Sunday morning, Elia got a taste of making cookies Lowry style" with her Grandma. 
We dump all the ingredients in the bowl and mix with our hands. Even though he admits that can’t tell a difference, Eric still insists on creaming the sugar and butter and vanilla and eggs together then adding the dry ingredients. For all you out there who do this let it be written: IT DOESN’T MAKE A DIFFERENCE! Just try it! Elia wasn’t too sure about this whole mixing with hands thing at first, but then when we told her about licking her hands after she was done, she got a lot more involved.
She hardly ever stopped moving and seemed to make a game of me trying to get her picture. In most of the pictures (not the ones here) she has this super great smile that is all blurred because she is running so fast! 
