Today we had the pleasure of visiting with our best friend from high-school and his two oldest daughters. This is his sister and this is his mom. We LOVE them. We don't get to see Chris and his family very often, so we are always glad for some face time. Ella was thrilled that Maddie and Breanna joined the fun. The daddies commented as I was snapping photos that they would be on the blog in twenty minutes. Chris, this is just for you :). Unfortunately, Breanna was playing on the other side of the room and I didn't get any pictures of her. She is equally adorable. These two, however, were peas in a pod. They were into everything and talking over each other. When I went in to check on them they were dressing up and having a blast. I couldn't resist a mini photo shoot. ...
Person-able
Ella loves to draw and follows directions really well for someone her age. Although she is very outgoing and loves to be loud and talk, she also does really well with tasks that require concentration. As you've seen in previous posts, she can write her name really well. Luckily, the letters in her name make it easy for her, but she practices on her magna doodle A LOT. Yesterday morning we were drawing together and she was talking about some things she wanted to draw. I decided to show her a few easy things and see if she could imitate them. We drew a flower on a stem, a person and a tree. As you can see, she's a quick learner. She drew this person from memory today for Garan and Poppy. ...
It’s a Fashion Show
I just wanted to share some bargains I got recently {most of these, today} for Ella. She LOVES clothes {just like her mommy} and is very agreeable when you ask her to try them on. She tried each of these outfits on {including bow changes}, posed for pictures and modeled for her SD. Notice in a few the change of location - she is very particular. The outfit on the left is from Remember Nguyen and I ordered it a few weeks ago on major sale. I think with shipping and monogramming and everything it was about $32. It's a little big now, but will be great for Christmas and Valentines. The outfit on the right I got at Little Blessings in Mt. Laurel. Today was the first day of their going out of business sale and everything was 40 to 60% off. This is a 4T, so it will fit much better next year. ...
Two Mores
Let me tell you the two things that absolutely melt my heart. Ella loves to sing and has really started to pick up the music we sing during praise and worship at church. She's been doing so good in big church and I can tell that she is listening. On Wednesday nights she goes to adult choir practice with my parents and sometimes she even runs up on stage with them during the Sunday worship service when she recognizes a song. I love to hear her singing about Jesus. One of her favorite songs to sing is Mighty to Save by Hillsong, which she calls "Garan's song" because she first heard it in adult choir practice. A few weeks ago, I bought and downloaded that song along with a few others she would recognize from church and from the radio. She knows every word to the chorus and even ...
Credit Where Credit Is Due
I know you'd rather see pictures where Ella is actually facing the camera, so you'll have to forgive the fact that while I attempted to photograph the cuteness, she was spinning "like a princess." What I really wish you could see is how stinking adorable she looks in this getup. It's a cute red ticking dress that my mom made and it barely covers her tushy. The best part, though, is that there are red lady bug buttons on the front. The first time I saw it I asked my mom what she was thinking when she sewed those buttons on and she informed me that Ella decided where they should go. Just know that that are nowhere close to a straight line... they're amoeba-shaped at best. SD asked when I snapped this picture, that I please tell you all who taught Ella this masterful skill. And by skill, ...
She’s Gonna Be Three
When I received a birthday invitation this week from my Ryan for her son's birthday, I realized I was far behind. Grey is exactly a month older than Ella and I haven't even thought about the invitations. I have the party all worked out in my head, but the day is really starting to sneak up on me. This year we're having two parties - a family party with cake and ice cream and a tea party for a handful of her fanciest friends. These are the invitations I've designed for the tea party. At the very top of the invitation, I'm going to double-hole punch and tie bows with hot pink sheer organza. I'm having them printed on linen-finish paper, but I'm not sure about the envelopes. Suggestions? I'm still working on a second invitation design, thank you notes, return address stickers and party ...
80 Kinds of Fabulous
Before you ask, no I do not know why there are five tiny pair of sunglasses on this sweet face. The more pressing question is why there are EIGHT tiny pair of sunglasses in my car altogether! There was a pink pair of Dora sunglasses and two other pair of silver sunglasses in the floor that I couldn't begin to reach. Anyway, I just wanted to say that snuggling with this girl on the couch last night, eating Extreme Moosetracks was about 80 kinds of fabulous. In case you didn't know. ...
Cookie
Did you know that my father-in-law's name is Cookie? Josh and I dated for almost six years before we got married. For approximately 2 of those years, I had no idea what his father's name was. I remember a conversation about looking up their number in the phone book and I laughed because I wouldn't even know where to begin. It's Frank, by the way... I finally got enough courage to ask. It dawns on me now that we've been together over twelve years at this point and I don't know why we call him Cookie. Maybe in a few more months I'll admit that, too. Cookie's fiftieth birthday was yesterday and we spent the afternoon hanging out in the yard, eating barbecued hamburgers and hot dogs, dancing to sing-a-long birthday cards and stuffing ourselves silly with ice cream cake from DQ. It was a ...