Guess who gets to dance today? ...
ella
Vera & Ella
All summer long Ella and Garan have been visiting my aunt Vera. They go to lunch, to the pharmacy, to the market. Ella pushes a tiny metal buggy full of her groceries. Vera has loved spending time with Ella and... well, the feeling is mutual. On Saturday, we had a family reunion to celebrate Vera's 94th birthday. Ella was so excited about "Vera's party". We talked about it for days and she worked hard on a birthday card for her. These are my favorite pictures from the day. ...
A Little Fancy Practice
I ordered Ella the CUTEST fancy outfit for her birthday party today. Then I set off in search of accessories. Dress up shoes were $12, so instead I bought pink glitter flats from Target for $9. She can actually wear these in public and won't kill herself trying to walk. I bought little colored clips to assist with her requisite "up-do" for the soiree. Mommy even got hot pink tights to sport! Ella was so excited about the whole thing that we wore the shoes all afternoon and we did a practice run on her hair. She looked adorable. Seeing herself in the mirror was shortly followed by, "Get me fancier, momma!" We threw on what we could find and had a little photo shoot. Her party dress is a surprise, she'll be opening that on her birthday before the party. Until then, enjoy this ...
Sweet Daddy
Today when I picked Ella up from Garan's she asked if SD was at home. She's so used to him being gone during the week that she was very surprised when I said yes. She said, "Oh! Is he spending the night with us tonight?" ...
Friends
Today Beth called to see if it was a good night for a play date. For the adults! With the daddies traveling we get lonely sometimes and tonight was as good a night as any. We had yummy chicken salad for dinner and the kiddos played hard. Alston tuckered out and they headed home. Ella is finally down for the count and I'm soon to follow. It was a good night playing with friends, big and little alike! ...
Let’s Make a Deal
I'm sure I'm gonna get a little criticism for this, but Ella is very particular about her baths. She really wants time to herself, but I want her to be safe. So, we struck a deal. I let her spend about 10-15 minutes in the bathroom by herself. Primping, playing, singing, whatever. In exchange, she answers "yes, ma'am" every time I call her name (usually about every 30 seconds!). If she fails to answer, private time is over. Generally, I'm in the next room working on projects or cooking dinner and tonight was no exception. I was dusting and straightening up, getting ready to vacuum. When I went in to tell her playtime was up and I needed to bathe her so we could eat dinner, she groaned. Her response was, "Can I have a few more minutes to finish scrubbing my legs?" Scrubbing her legs? I got ...
Weekend Trifecta
What is better than the trampoline, swing set and swimming pool... all in thirty minutes? ...
Pumped Up
Yesterday we had a birthday party to attend. My oldest and dearest friend, Ryan, has a little boy just a month older than Ella. We celebrated at "the bouncy place" with cake, ice cream and sand pails full of goodies. We really needed a nap! ...