Abe's Feast...

This is Abe. He's four. He's been called a lot of things...snickerdoodle, buggerhead, snugglebug, and sugarplum...just to name a few. Abe has a very sunny disposition. He is the youngest of our eight children. He is adorable and it would be very easy to baby him...if he didn't have 5 older brothers. His brothers have pretty much made a stand that he isn't to be babyfied- just 'cause he's the youngest. They treat him like a man, and usually he lives up to their expectations. He does get a whole lot of attention, but what ya gonna do with 10 people living in the house? He ran errands with me a couple days before his feast and we were gone for 9 hours- not a whine or a wiggle. As good as gold. One and a half hours was spent with the dietician- he ate breakfast there and drew on the paper napkins. I spent an hour in the quilt shop- he sat and played with his one puzzle. The rest of the day was spent in and out of the car and he just kept hopping... in and out, commenting, ever so politely, about the weather and the state of the roads- they were "slick as snot." OK, that was my observation, and he spent the rest of the day amazed by the quantity of snot on the roads. "It's really gross, Mom." I finally explained what a "metaphor" is and he seemed quite relieved.

Abe planned his own feast. He's been plotting for quite some time, because when I asked what he would like to serve his guests, he immediately listed off his appetizer, entree and dessert. If it didn't sound so much like him, I might have thought he had been coached. The older boys like to use him like a ventriliquits does his doll. "Abe say, What's up with the dealio?" And he's a brilliant mimic. He had apples with dip- that caramel stuff. When we were shopping, he saw the mini marshmallows- the rainbow variety, and says, "This would work, Mom." And they "worked" very nicely. He served fetticini with bread sticks- which he twisted himself and dipped into garlic butter. His dessert was jello. What 4 year old doesn't love jello? With fruit in it, of course. And whipped cream on top. He picked the brightest of my tableclothes for the table. (A vintage one with red morning glories on it.) We found some chandelier parts from the thrift shop and paired them up with a couple candlesticks from the dollar store- sweet! Added two red tapers and Abe had his feast. I almost forgot about his gift. He found these glow sticks that are attatched to these funky mouthpeices... anyway, when you are all standing in a dark room it's a riot!