alien pinata, all sparkly and happily waiting to eat us all
Mike playing with the camera remote	Nana giving Lorelei her own "Dianne" (my childhood name for my Raggedy Ann)	remote control dragon from the Wellmans
Elliott approving of Grandma's alien cupcakes
		blowing out the candles - Elliott and his able assistants
		Elliott hugging his Squishable rabbit, which would later be named Universe T. Nibbles
	isn't this a weird aura around the bunny? Looks like some kind of digital processing, but honestly, it isn't..
virutally indestructible alien, ready for some action
	finally Mike gives it a whack..	and even Rachel gives a few good swings.. at this point, the crackers and little plastic toys are probably toast
	Mike conducts a few surgical procedures..
	Finally!
Elliott's most important party priority - candy watches. Go figure.
Next step, sandbox treasure hunt
Mike, A.K.A. "The Instigator", throws the first water balloon - direct hit under Wendy's feet (omitted is the shot of Mike high-tailing it in the other direction)
water was a frigid 68 F, but that didn't stop them!
Stef shared one last night with us, finishing off a great day by reading an entire chapter book to Elliott	These are from the next day.. presents from Grandma Nancy
Lorelei's very first day at preschool	carefully plucking the eyeballs off of the penguins we made (I was the lucky parent helper on the first day - helps when your kid's name starts with "A")
punching balloons filled with water are way fun		enjoying one last day of summer vacation..