Elias’ birthday was June 25th. He turned 27! That much closer to 30. I can’t believe were “growing-up” so fast! J The one who is really growing up fast though is Fiona. She’ll already be 6 months on July 9th. That is absolutely crazy to me.

I made cheesecake for Elias’ birthday on Thursday just for us and it turned out so good for my very first cheesecake. Cheesecake is his favorite. Then on Saturday I had a birthday party for him and invited all his family and friends. Which turned into feeding about 50 people. His sister and mother helped me make a Mexican dish called Molé. It’s a thick dark brown sauce made mostly from Ancho and Guajillo chiles but also has a million other ingredients like chocolate, nuts, sesame seed, and toasted bread just to name a few. Anyway you pour it over chicken and serve with Mexican rice. I happen to absolutely love it. I’ve had some really terrible Molé before though so it really depends on who makes it. Ours thankfully turned out delicious. Sorry I didn’t get any pictures of it but it was a crazy busy day.

The pictures of Elias with cake all over his face are from his party. My very least favorite Mexican tradition is that whenever there is a cake for a special event (including your wedding) they make the person take a bite of the cake and then shove your whole face in it. I refuse to participate in this tradition anymore. Anyway, we had a fun but very tiring day.

The cakes with the strawberries on top I made for the church potluck for Father’s Day. The pretty white design I made from a stencil my brother gave me for my Birthday. I decorated over the design with the chocolate and strawberries but I wanted to see how it would look. Thanks Thomas for the cool stencils!

Not much else is new here. Just preparing for Elias’ appointment and praying hard that he will get his visa. We could also use prayer for all the arrangements we’ll have to make for moving back to Idaho once he does get his visa. Like with training someone for his job, selling our furniture and other things we can’t take back with us, and the actual travel to Idaho whether by car or plane.

We miss all of you so much and are once again so thankful for all of your prayers and support. Please keep in touch with just a short comment or email when you can.

God Bless,

Elias, Katie and Fiona