One of the predominant traits of Eliza right now is her love for creating. She's constantly making little things for friends, changing up things in her room to make it more functional, planning things, or crafting. She has been learning to make sourdough bread and has nailed the recipe. Her bread is SO yummy!
Eliza also started a little business - Caboodle Crocheting. She makes chapstick holders and little animals and has started selling them. I'm amazing by her work ethic when she lands on something that's important to her.
Eliza has designed and made her own birthday cake for several years now. This year she saw an idea for a campfire cake. She baked her favorite chocolate cake then topped it with Life Saver candies melted to look like fire, pretzel logs, cereal "coals," and a marshmellow ready to roast. Isn't it incredible?!?
Eliza also continues to be a fast and loyal friend. Other adults frequently come up and tell me how sweet she is with the girls around her. She has a way of making others feel comfortable and included (a talent she inherited from Daddy for sure).
Eliza's love for animals continues to grow. This spring she helped care for a duckling from our friends' farm. Something had invaded the coop and killed all but one duckling. Eliza offered to bring it home and raise it until it was large enough to return to the farm. She named him Splatter. The poor little guy was so lonely we ended up adopting two more ducks so he could have a friend.
In addition to Splatter and this cute alpaca Eliza met in Colorado and named Mrs. Mustacheio, there is no shortage of Eliza-with-chicken selfies on my phone.
Eliza's loving care extends beyond friends and animals to include Walter as well. She is such a good big sister to him. More than any of the other kids, she's happy to step up and change him, rock him, and just love on him. Eliza-with-Walter selfies also abound on my phone, but each one is precious.
Did I mention how much Eliza likes to be cozy? Eliza LIVES to be cozy and warm. Her ideal weather is 90 degrees and sunny. I'm thinking she might enjoy living in Arizona or somewhere in the south.
This summer Eliza was old enough to attend Girl's camp. And, she got to go not once, but twice. She joined our "hearing" ward for a few nights of cabin Girl's camp, then camped for a week for our Stake's Girl's Camp. She had a blast both times!
Before Girl's camp with our ward, Eliza decided to let me braid her hair in tiny braids. It turned out amazing. She loved it so much she left it in for a few weeks. It was epic once she took all the braids out! And of course she had to take full advantage of the moment and have an impromptu 80's style photo shoot.
Gymnastics is still life for Little E. She moved up to Gold for this fall. It's a BIG jump in requirements from Silver to Gold, so she's been working hard this summer to get ready. But, she did have a minor setback when she badly sprained her finger. It kept her from being able to grip and tumble for the last half of summer gym. Thankfully it's now bending well again and nearly healed up.
To celebrate their birthdays, Michael took the girls on a date before he had to leave for Colorado. He took Eliza to pick out her very own set of nice scriptures. She was so excited! She diligently reads the Book of Mormon every night before bed and is growing to love the scriptures.
She and I also got to enjoy a great date to a delicious ice cream shop and the bookstore to pick out new books. During our date we had some great conversations. I even learned something new about Eliza - that she'd like to be an ASL interpreter when she grows up.
On her birthday, Eliza invited Brenna to do the ropes course at Thanksgiving Point, enjoyed her chosen meal of stroganoff, and served up her amazing fire cake.
Eliza, we love your spunk, your hard work, your ability to create beauty around you, and your loyalty. Here's a salute to another great year! Keep shining little one!
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