Remember on Ella's birthday when we had a photoshoot with K? Our Nana has been wanting pictures of all of her girls for months and after a few rain checks we finally got it together. These were my two favorites. How adorable are Ella & Bella laughing at one another? I cannot get enough! Click here to see the rest. ...
Silly Girl
Can we talk about how much fun this little bit is? She has so much personality! Josh and I have been talking about what Ella was like at this age and how similar or different they are from one another. I don't remember Ella being so energetic and expressive at this age. I've heard other mommies say that the second one learns these things so much earlier because they have someone to watch and learn from. I absolutely agree. She laughs and giggles and squeals all the time. She pumps her arms and legs incessantly. Her new favorite things to do are to look at herself in the mirror and love on Beemer. It's like she's only just discovered we even have a dog and thinks it's so funny when they are nose to nose. We got the Boppy pillow out a few nights ago to practice with our balance and it is ...
Let’s Party!
This is my sweet birthday girl. Four years old. I have been waiting with bated breath for these pretty photographs and they did not disappoint. I simply cannot wait to frame the cupcake one for her bedroom. I want to forever remember her as she was this moment. She is the sweetest, most precocious child I have ever met. Her smile lights up the room and she puts on quite the show. As most of you already know, she requested an Olivia birthday party this year. For those of you unfamiliar, Olivia is one of our favorite storybook characters who just happens to have a new show on Nick Jr. She's a pretty cute little pig with a mind of her own and we read about her and watch her on a daily basis. While I'm not really a fan of "character" parties or themed anything, I knew Olivia's red and white ...
Sew Sweet
One of Ella's favorite birthday gifts was a tiny Singer sewing machine from K & Cory. We have all been excited just thinking about it and we knew that Ella would love it. She let out a loud squeal and couldn't wait to show Garan. It's been busy around here since the party and our lack of batteries didn't help. Finally, this past Sunday afternoon, we unboxed the singer and learned to sew. Don't laugh when I tell you this machine was harder to figure out that mine was! With a little direction, she was sewing in now time and actually proved to be quite good. She carefully lifted and lowered the presser foot, gently pressed the pedal and learned how to relieve the tension on the thread before removing her fabric. I have a pretty little blue square full of white stitches sitting in a ...
The Dollhouse
I think you all know by now that my dad is a genius when it comes to woodwork. He is a carpenter by trade and makes beautiful things, both professionally and when his daughters have a request. There have been doll cradles, book shelves, rocking elephants, tables, chairs, built-ins, closets, window treatments and now this. My dad knows I'm kind of notorious for last minute ideas. I've been thinking all summer about what to buy Ella for her birthday when out of the blue she told me she wanted a dollhouse. I talked to my dad in early August to see if that was even possible and we formulated a plan. I drew him a sketch of what I wanted... four rooms and an attic, shingles and shutters. I originally planned for it to be on casters and to be open on both the front and back so that she and her ...
Party People
I'm guessing you won't be surprised when I tell you I took only one picture at the birthday party. One. I've had countless people ask to see the fruits of my labor, but I have absolutely nothing to show you. There is nothing better than having an event photographer in the family. K does such a great job and it is so nice to pass that task off to someone else so that I can enjoy the day and watch Ella have a blast with all of her friends. These four partying pigs had a fabulous day. We rented a bouncer for the weekend and Ella seriously got my money's worth out of the deal. We hired a new baker for the cake and it was phenomenal. There were pretty striped tablecloths and paper straws, tons of red balloons, pretty pig noses and red gummy candies. There were tons of squealing children ...
Shhhhh…
it's a secret. ...
Love Letters: Five Months
Dear Sophie, I know I say this every month, but I am amazed at how quickly you've grown! These months are speeding by like sand running through my fingers and all I want to do is clench my fist to keep you from getting any bigger. I think this is my favorite age so far - you are such a happy baby and are so much fun and more independent these days.You love to lay on your belly in the floor with your lamby and lovey and whatever other toys Ella piles up around you. Your back is strong and you crane your neck to look around and see what we're doing. You have been getting up on all fours and rocking back and forth a lot. Your daddy and I think you are on the verge of crawling... at five months old! You haven't shown any interest in sitting up and you're already scooting all over the place. ...