The Ellis Family

Connor had a great 2nd birthday celebration; we are so blessed to have such wonderful family and friends! Until just about a week ago, Connor associated birthdays with his friend Addison, cupcakes, birthday crowns, and mice (Addison celebrated her birthday at Chuck E Cheese's a few weeks ago). He wasn't really understanding that we all have a birthday. Last week we finally convinced him that his birthday was to be celebrated too. He was still stuck on birthday crowns and a mouse. Matt to the rescue - one of his students actually owns a mouse costume and agreed to surprise Connor at our picnic this weekend. It was definitely an afternoon to remember. First, the poor mouse fell flat on his face as he came out of our house and into the backyard. Then Connor was scared of the mouse and poor Jake was absolutely tail-between-his-legs-barking-his-fool-head-off terrified! Thank goodness for Addison who had just returned from Disney and knew what mice were all about. She gave the mouse a hug and Connor agreed to hold her hand if she held the mouse's hand. I don't think any of us have laughed that hard in a long time!

We also had a visit to the Urgent Care doctor last Monday evening. Connor tripped and fell while I was holding his hand. As he fell, he immediately started screaming. His right arm was limp and he refused to use it. The doctor immediately diagnosed "nursemaid's elbow" - something relatively common in toddlers - and Matt and the nurse wrestled it back in place as they were trying to keep him still for an xray. As soon as the elbow was reset, Connor was flirting with the nurses and asking for stickers. After a sticker and some ice cream, life was good again. Here are some pictures from Connor's birthday picnic...