Dan's blog puzzle

You should all go to Dan's blog, Unravel Every Riddle, to see if you can solve the puzzle he posted recently. You need several eclectic bits of knowledge and a flexible mind. Plus the prize is, well, unique.

Eli's Primary Talk

Here is the talk Eli just wrote to give in Primary today:

"Today's talk is about how temple blessings unite families. Now this is minute 20 that I've been sitting here with no clue how to do this talk, so now I'm finally starting. The most recent temple experience was when my uncle Andrew got married to a girl named Katie. I was amazed at how many new cousins I had! The one downside. Standing in the boiling hot sun taking pictures. Luckily, the Provo temple has [a] place inside it where visitors can go. (With an A.C.)

"Another thing that comes to mind is when my grandpa Joe died. I was very little so I don't remember much. Adam [is] really mad because he died right before he was born. The only thing I remember about him was him feeding me ground carrot.

"I know that temples really work and that I'm relay [sic] sealed to my family, and I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ amen."

Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette

Thanks to the editor's of Cook's Illustrated for this yummy taco salad dressing, which almost caused Dan and me to die of yumminess when we tasted it this weekend:

5 T fresh lime juice
1 shallot, peeled (I omitted this)
1 jalepeno chile, stemmed and seeded (I also omitted this)
1 small garlic clove, peeled
1 t sugar
1/2 t ground cumin
salt
1/2 c fresh cilantro
3/4 c extra-virgin olive oil

Process lime juice, shallot, jalapeno, garlic, sugar, cumin, and 1/2 t salt in blender until shallot and garlic are finely chopped, about 15 seconds. With blender running, add cilantro, then oil, and continue to process until smooth and emulsified, about 15 seconds.

Middle Names

In the past week Esther has discovered middle names. I had tried to talk to her about them in the past, but the concept upset her. When I told her that her name is "Esther Louisa" she would get angry and insist that her name is "Esther." A neuron must have connected recently, however, and now she is all about middle names. Before her nap and at bedtime I am now required to review with her the middle names of each family member, including Blue Bear. When I asked her what Blue Bear's middle name is she looked over at her play kitchen, noticed her cup of water, and said "Little Drink of Water." Welcome to the family, Blue Bear Little Drink of Water--you now have your own middle name.

Esther's Reflections on Divinity

Dan: Do you know who Heavenly Father is?
Esther: He Jesus' papa.
Dan: That's right.
Esther: He the biggest, biggest, biggest, biggest, biggest, biggest, biggest papa.

4 Months Old

Our little Naomi turned four months old on the 19th. Here are a few of the pictures we took of her that day:

Gwace's House

The last stop on our trip to Mexico was in St. Louis, Missouri, with Dan's cousin Kevin, Kevin's wife Emily, and their two daughters, Grace & Anne. In honor of our first visit to St. Louis, Emily prepared us an authentic dinner of St. Louis-style pizza from Imo's (a thin crust, slightly sweet pizza sauce, canadian bacon), deep-fried ravioli, and a local root beer. It was all very yummy. It was a bit embarrassing, however, when we looked over and realized that Adam had eaten 7 pieces of watermelon, leaving none for anyone else. After dinner it was time for the girls to have their bath. Esther fell in love with her cousin Grace, and with Grace's pink bathtub:


After baths came story time. Esther was delighted to discover that Grace's mommy had checked out Pinkalicious from the library. Esther first saw this book in Austin and she liked it so much that our friends gave her their copy of it. As it turns out, Grace's mommy had just thrown a Pinkalicious Party for Grace and her friends, so they had a lot of books about the color pink in the library basket. Pink, if you didn't know this already, is Esther's favorite color. Grace's daddy, Kevin, read a few of these books to Esther and Grace, and then it was time for bed. After the little ones were tucked away, Kevin agreed to juggle for the boys. He is amazing, and I don't think we'll ever forget seeing him juggle knives for the grande finale.

In the morning we did a big photo shoot before saying goodbye and making our way back to Michigan. Here is Esther with Grace and the white and pink ice cream cones:


Here are the babies, Naomi & Anne, with their mommies, PG and Emily:


And here is Dan with Kevin (by the way, Dan's mom and Kevin's mom are sisters):


On our way out of town we got to see the Arch from the window of the car. It was much bigger than I had imagined, and that was from the freeway:


This is the last picture from our trip. Next stop: Home Sweet Home!