Once upon a time, I wrote birthday letters on (or very near) the girls' actual birthdays. Fortunately, Sophie is my most forgiving child, because we are a grand nine days late. Dear Sophie, I hope you'll look back on these photos and remember exactly what being eight was like. These capture your spirit and personality so perfectly and I will be forever thankful for this snapshot in time. There were days when I wrangled you into matching outfits, glittery sandals and oversized bows. You were always eager to please and never one to complain, but I'm so glad I've learned not to micro-manage your style and to let you be in charge a little more often. You are a big fan of mismatched outfits, stripes on stripes (much to your older sister's chagrin), quirky graphic tees, and wild ...
birthdays
Birthday Flashback: Ella’s First Birthday
A version of this post appeared on the blog several years ago. I thought we would resurrect it in honor of Ella's upcoming tenth birthday. I wasn't yet blogging when we celebrated Ella's first birthday and I thought it might be fun to share the photos with you here! We're creeping up on double-digits (one month from today!) and I thought it might be fun to share a few flashback posts over the next few weeks. I'll be recapping a few of my favorite parties leading up to the big day! Her first birthday invitations read "Our Little Cupcake is Turning One," so we decorated with everything sweet and pink. I started planning this party so far in advance and I couldn't imagine anything better than sweet, pink princesses. Even as an infant, she was a girly girl through and through. We had the ...
BIG girl and BIG school
photo from Sophie's birthday celebration at the big BK This girl. I feel like she's getting the spotlight on the blog a little bit right now, but I have to remind myself it's seasonal. Ella gets in a mood where she doesn't want her picture made or she's too embarrassed by something to share it publicly so we go through a dry spell. Then all of a sudden it's dance season and she's posing all over the place. Since this little nugget had a birthday party last month and is crossing off milestones left and right, she's sort of taken over for a bit. I wish I could bottle her up and share this slice of her life with you all. I feel like part of her spark and spunk is lost in translation and I want you all to know just how sweet and funny she is in real life. Videos don't do her justice -- her ...
Princess Party!
A few weekends ago, we went to a perfect princess party for our friend Ava Reese! Her mommy really outdid herself (again) and these girls had such a great time bouncing, showing off their prissy walks and enjoying afternoon tea. No need for words, how adorable are these pretty princesses?! {of course Ella is WAY too big for dressing up. this was the best I could do!} ...
a Birthday for Bells
My Bells. Ella Bella. Ellsy. Bellsy. Ellie. Ellie Belly. Ella answers to them all. Seven years ago today, at this moment, I was laying in a hospital room about to get an epidural. I had been there for almost 24 hours and I was OVER labor. We checked in at 4 o'clock on Sunday afternoon and were scheduled for an induction the following morning. I wasn't thrilled about being induced on the fifth anniversary of a national tragedy, but I was already five days overdue and couldn't wait one more minute to see her face. We were restless in the hospital that night, not knowing how the day would play out or how our lives were about to change forever. The on-call doctor convinced me she would be born before morning, so I panicked and my parents and sister came to see us late that evening. I remember ...
Giving Her Birthday Away
32 photographs. That's how many images it takes to tell the story of Bells' birthday. Of the 60 images my sister took, there were thirty-two that I couldn't NOT share. I know. I know I say this same thing every year and I'll probably say it at every birthday party, every year until my sweet girls grow up and move out. And after that, I'll probably say it about my grandbabies' birthdays. But this year, it might actually be true. This was the best birthday ever. I know I talked a little about it when I shared weekend links last week, but Ella came up with the idea of a "charity birthday" all on her own. It was back in the spring, long before we'd even talked about what to do for her party this year. I picked her up from Gran's house like any other Tuesday afternoon and she had a sparkle in ...
A Very Merry UnBirthday!
Now that I've had a chance to recover from the unpredictability of the day, looking back on Sophie's birthday is such a treasure. She is the happiest child and there wasn't anything that could have ruined the celebration for her. She was so excited for all of her friends to be in one place and she was truly enthralled by every little detail of the day. I know you won't be surprised when I tell you I didn't take any photographs that day. Having a talented sister is a dream come true. You haven't enjoyed a birthday party until you weren't forced to lug around your camera all day and stress over whether you missed any precious moments. Fortunately for me, I was able to enjoy the day with my family, knowing that she didn't miss a thing. The party invitations were sort of a last minute ...
Perfectly unexpected
Josh & I used to talk about how we wanted a house full of children. Five, maybe. I just knew we'd have them all by the time we were thirty. What were we thinking?! After Ella was born, we negotiated and decided three sounded better. Then Taz arrived. I know that every child is different and that your life changes drastically with each one. Ella was a learning experience because we had never done it before. Sophie was a learning experience in a completely different way. She is challenging and causes you to question even the best parenting advice. She is the kind of child that inspires birth control and helps you decide that two children feels just right! She is a whirlwind. She came in quiet, but she is anything but. She's energetic and fiesty, her laugh is infectious and she is ...