wahoo!

yesterday was a good day.  a very good day.  after months of studying and preparing, my hubby passed his series 7 exam.  he is now officially a licensed and certified smarty pants.  wahoo!  and what a load off!  no more study sessions.  no more stress.  he did it.  he is in the club now. 

and may i just say how proud i am of him?  i would like to mention that i am married to a very smart and capable person.  there is a lot of brainpower there.  and he is sickeningly good at test taking.  you know those people who can cram and ace the test?  that's him.  but instead of just stuffing info into his brain and regurgitating it, he took this very seriously.  he learned.  he practiced.  he tested himself and taught himself.  he actually comprehends it and can carry on a conversation about the intricacies instead of just listing words and copying definitions.  what a great example.  and you know what?  he aced it.  like, 90% aced it.  and he did it half the time alloted.  now that's just showing off.  yup, he is one of those.  i hated those guys in college.  the ones that seemed to effortlessly breeze through the exam while i was still over-thinking the third question.  it is so funny how different we are.  i take it slow and dissect.  and ben has such confidence and can just pick an answer.  and his gut answer is the right one.  he earned this.  big time.  he should have been confident - he knew his stuff.  and now, he can bask in the glow of a well-deserved victory.

what am i getting at here?  my man gave us a super excuse to celebrate with brats and duck fat fries and some gelato.  thanks hubby!  i knew all the weird finance facts in that phonebook you studied would pay off...

elinor had her own little party in her bugaboo.  she propped her feet up and sucked her thumb.  even mozart the monkey got into the fun.  he did backbends and everything!

and would you please look at these two?  just too cool.

and oh my heart-melting cuteness. this might be my new favorite picture.  look at that handsome man and his little girl.  also, how deliciously nibble-licious are elinor's cheeks?  and look how fixated she is on the gelato bowl...  soon, little one.