Jesus Cupcakes

Lilly is my niece. She is beautiful. She is smart. She, of course, is my new best friend. I'm going to miss her as Barb and I leave Missouri and head back to California. Barb, Lilly and I went to the play park and played hide-n-seek for about an hour. She's quite sly for a three year old. I'm sure she will get a scholarship to an Ivy League school. She might even have scouts now.

Family has become more and more important to me as I have been spending most of my twenties away from family in Mississippi and now my extra family in Missouri and Texas. I'm looking forward to starting a family of my own and laughing at my kids.

My other niece, Amy, who is now twenty gave birth to her son, Max about nine months ago. Michael, my other brother, and his wife, Amber, will be having a child in about three months. The Elder clan is expanding. I think that I've excelled at uncle and am getting the hang at being a great-uncle and now I think I might, just might be ready for a shot a being in the majors--fatherhood. I think that working at a hotel and Starbucks has prepared me a lot for that--yes, that was just a grande cup of sarcasm.

On Christmas day here we all made birthday cakes for Jesus--cupcakes with icing and sprinkles. And after that Barb, Liily and I gathered around the ole upright piano (or umpaphone as Lilly calls it--okay, she is meaning to call in a xylaphone, which in her mind is a piano) and sang songs. Lilly made up a few new songs: "Jesus loves the little man," set to the tune of "Mary had a little lamb." Let's see, ah, yes, the clincher, "Jesus Cupcakes." Sing along, now, "Jesus Cupcakes, Jesus Cupcakes, Jesus Cupcakes, Yeah!"

Well, I'm off to play with flying tractors.

J