Yesterday was Elizabeth's 7th birthday. What a shot of life she adds to our family! I have always felt that one of her purposes in coming to Earth was to bring happiness and joy to our family. She certainly has always done that. She joined our family at such a sad time. She was born exactly two weeks after my brother, Joel, died. I feel like she was sent to us at that precise time to help our hearts heal.She is also special in that she has a "twin cousin." Edward's twin sister and I had baby girls 9 hours apart. She gets to share her birthday with her very special cousin, Julia. Elizabeth and Julia have a bond that is different than the rest of their beloved cousins. It has been neat to see that relationship.
Elizabeth is a funny, happy girl and is always very willing to share with others. Several times a weeks she saves special treats such as candy or drawings to share with Mom or Dad or her
brothers. She tries hard to please others.
We were laughing yesterday about some of the funny things she has done over the years. One of our favorite home videos is of Elizabeth at 22 months old. I asked her, "What's your name?" With a straight face she answered, "Stephie Felker." I asked, "How old are you?" She replied, "Sive (five)."
One evening when she was 3 she was in charge of Family Home Evening. She wanted to play "School," and of course she was the teacher. As she was at the head of the class giving us our lesson, she tooted. She didn't crack a smile or even mention the slip-up, as is often done. Ross, the student, made some comment about it, and as seriously as could be she replied, "Well, sometimes things happen in America."
And of course the most famous "Elizabeth Story" - the one that has literally traveled the country is the "Aldi's Incident." Drew had just been born, so she had just turned 3. What possessed me to take two rowdy toddlers and a newborn shopping escapes my brain to this day. Nonetheless, we were in the GIGANTIC check-out line. We were the only group with children; the rest of the shoppers were senior citizens. Of course all eyes were on us as we were the most exciting thing in line. On the other side of the metal railing separating the grocery store and the bagging area was an inflatable child-size jumping pit. On the pit were plastered 894 signs that read, "DO NOT TOUCH!" We were waiting patiently in line when all of a sudden Elizabeth broke free from me and ran at full speed for the jumping pit. I didn't want to run after her and leave 1 month old Drew in his car seat at the top of the shopping cart - that always has made me nervous. So from line I was yelling every threat I could think of to get her to stop, but nothing was working. Finally, something worked and she stopped before entering the Inflatable Wonderland. All eyes were still on us. As she made her way back to me, I picked her up and whispered, "Who do you think you are making happy - Heavenly Father or Satan?" She raised her arms above her head and yelled, "SATAN!!!!" I could do nothing but laugh.
Happy birthday, Lizzy!
