wordless wednesday...

five years of blessings...

on september 11, 2003, i found out for sure that i was indeed going to be a mommy! words cannot even adequately describe how i felt and how i still feel about the fact that my biggest dream has come true...twice...almost three times!!!! as ella and i were playing in the backyard today while madeline took a nap, i just watched her and thought about her last five years. she radiates happiness and she has since the moment she came into this world.

ella smiles constantly...and i think this is just the way she outwardly expresses her inwardly happy heart.

she is compassionate, a very loyal friend and quite frankly - never meets a stranger, is always concerned about others, is the BEST big sister i know, is obedient...and generally makes me really proud!!!!! people, everyone from her teachers to cashiers, are always commenting on how sweet she is...and i think it's because she is just so happy!!!! you can tell that she lives each day to the fullest...and i know that great things are in store for this little girl!

i found this letter that i wrote to ella when she was 18 months old...not much has changed:

as i watched you work so hard to place that spoon inside the bowl you ate your dinner with tonight, i realized how much of a baby you are NOT and i became so filled with love at that moment. i am so proud of you. i am amazed every day at how much you learn even when i am not trying to teach you or when i am not even with you. everyone talks about how bright you are, but even more than that - i marvel at how much you soak up every minute of life. your humor at 18 months is outstanding...we can cue you to laugh, cry, cough, or burp...and we think you are so funny! you are such a loving little girl...you can give the greatest wet kisses and the best hugs ever! i don't want a minute to go by that you don't know how much you mean to me or how deep my love for you runs. my existence is better because of you and i look forward to every new, wondrous day with you. you are everything good and pure. i love you...your mommy.

ella - 2 days old

ella at her 1st birthday party!

ella at 2 years old

ella at 3 years old

ella at 4 years old

ella...you are growing up so very fast, but you are not missing a minute of it! you have the most amazing ability to drink in every ounce of life and i learn from you every day. the twinkle in your eyes and your precious dimples have melted my heart an infinite amount of times...and i thank God for blessing me with the privilege of being your mommy. your ability to find the best in everyone, your willingness to forgive, your patience, your zest for this thing called "life"...leave me many days in awe. how could someone that has lived such a short amount of time be so wise? you have so many special gifts and i look forward to watching you continue your amazing journey. i pray that you never lose your "glass is overflowing" outlook on life...i know that you won't...because that is just simply who you are. simply extraordinary. happy birthday angel...i love you to the moon and back...and then some.

ella on her 5th birthday

she'll always be my baby...

a "hole" lotta fun...

to say that i can't believe my first born is five would be an understatement...and i fully intend to put those thoughts on "paper"...but her party was the main event this weekend and we had so much fun! i knew that it was going to be chaos...you know - feeding 15 children lots of sugar in public...but for the most part, the party was a huge success!!!!

ella was most excited that all of her classmates were there to celebrate with her...and everybody wore their pajamas!!!!! most of the little girls wanted the "pink" donuts and the chocolates were also a huge hit...of course, we had to cut maddie off after two...she probably would have eaten a dozen had we allowed it!!!

i don't think the dunkin donuts employees had ever witnessed a birthday party there before...at one point, they were all gathered around taking in the hysteria...and one was even taking pictures (kinda freaked me out a little!!!)!!

i think it was the perfect place to celebrate one special little girl's birthday...the smiles were more plentiful than the donuts...and that makes this mommy happy!

cookie bouquet...

when asked what she would like to take to school for her birthday treat, ella promptly replied "i would like to take chocolate chip cookies!"...easy enough for mom...but not exactly festive! after some brainstorming with a friend, it was decided that the cookies could be "gussied" up by becoming cookie pops!!!!! since presentation can make anything look tastier...i decided to stick them in this pink bowl, add some ribbon, and voila...a bouquet of cookies!!!!!

now if we can just transport them without any major mishap, we'll be in good shape! i am so proud of my big girl...but i'll get to that soon enough...

for now, i'm going to go sneak a cookie...just to make sure they're good enough to eat!!!!!!

wordless wednesday...

i love my family...more than words can say...

heard & overheard volume 3

there are SOOO many things that i hear from both of my children on a daily basis that i wish i would write down...or at least remember...but these are the ones that i actually did commit to memory.


it would be better if my mind was actually a video camera...but nonetheless, here goes:


ella to her "baby sister "- fairly certain "baby sister" was pestering - her favorite pastime:
"madeline meredith...you're bugging the wart off a dog"


ella: "mom? when you eat, does the baby chew the food too"
me: "no sweetheart...the baby just gets nutrients from mommy...from my blood"
ella: "what? the baby drinks your blood?!?!?!"

upon jeffrey eating beef jerky in ella's face...."oohh, that's smells like grilled chicken on gross beef" - priceless!!!!! i couldn't agree more!!!!!

ella: "mommy, today when hannah took a deep breath on the playground...her breastfeeders hurt"...people, i have to tell you, this one nearly made me wet my pants!!!!!

what a girl!!!!!


**maddie has definitely picked up on the english language and quite frankly, talks non-stop...her new favorite phrase to say is "oh my gosh"...which jeffrey and i neither one want to perpetuate...but it's pretty darn cute when she says it!!!!**

"donut" you know...

i am fairly certain that april 26th is on the calendar every year, at the same time...but somehow, this year - ella's birthday really snuck up on me! i really wasn't sure when we would be moving, even contemplated waiting to have her party until the summer, but then decided that it just wouldn't be right...i mean turning FIVE is a big deal! i can still remember my fifth birthday party - it was raining, we had it at johnny's pizza, and someone gave me a HUGE chocolate bar - but that's for a different post...anyway, i just didn't want ella to be disappointed that we weren't having a party where she could invite all her little classmates...thus began the "full throttle, plan this simple party in two days" type shindig!!!!!

thanks to some brainstorming with my good friend megan...it was decided that the party should most definitely not be held at our home...ewh...that leaves little option!!!!! chuck e. cheese was ABSOLUTELY not an option either...so we had to get creative...

which is how this idea was born!!!!!

that's right folks - we will be "partying" it up at dunkin donuts!!!! i actually think it will be quite cute and chaotic...and easy on me...which if anyone were to take a peek inside my life right now would realize that's a must!!!!!!! i'm not even going to have a traditional cake - we'll construct something with donuts!!!!!!!

anyway, ella will be distributing these invitations tomorrow...

yes, there is a fresh donut inside!!!! just thought we would give an appetizer!

she is precious and very excited about her "dunkin donuts party"...i just love the way she says "dunkin donuts" actually...makes it all worth it with just that...and she is pumped that she is going to be wearing her pajamas...hands down her favorite clothing of all time!

now don't you want to go eat a donut after looking at these pics...i know i sure do!!!!!

why can't they stay this little forever...

wordless wednesday...

take a little trip...

that's just what we decided to do on friday and saturday! the girls have been on spring break this week, so we wanted to do something special with them...and daddy decided to take friday off so that we could get away!

we headed down to williamsburg to take in a little bit of history -it has been one of the spots that we wanted to visit before we move back to the south. we ate lunch in colonial williamsburg at a cute little cafe that had outdoor seating...it was THE MOST BEAUTIFUL DAY to date this year...so we couldn't have picked a better day to be outside!!!!! the weather was absolutely gorgeous! since williamsburg is not geared as much for children, we decided to head to jamestown to visit the site of the first english settlement and powhaten indian village. the girls had so much fun running in and out of the indian huts, touching the animal pelts, and "grinding" corn. they have life size replicas of the ships that the settlers sailed over on from england and once again, the girls were able to "sleep" in one of the tiny bunks and see the captain's quarters...i think daddy really liked this part too! the last exhibit to see was the englishmen's fort. we got to see a musket demonstration and view their living quarters, school house, and church. ella really seems to love history and seems fascinated by the way people lived...she asks SO many questions...which is so cute to jeffrey and me!!!! miss madeline was just excited to be carrying her dora purse, playing with the dirt, and eating snacks!!!!!! it was a wonderful day to just be outside enjoying the amazing weather!!!!

once we finished at jamestown, we drove around the campus of william and mary which was really beautiful and then we headed to our next destination...virginia beach! the beach is only about an hour away, so we thought the girls would have fun playing in the sand for a little bit...and to their amazement - there was even a playground on the beach!!!! we enjoyed the scenery for a while, grabbed a bite to eat, and then headed to any child's favorite part...the HOTEL!!!!

we had promised them a swim in the indoor pool...which i was really excited about...until i put my big toe in...that water was FREEZING!!!!!! they had a ball and jeffrey was a trooper as usual!!! he only tortured the girls momentarily as he forced each one into the deep end!!!!! once we all got bathed and clean, we snuggled into our "heavenly beds"and enjoyed a "midnight snack" of oranges and pita chips!!!!!! it was a bit difficult to get everyone settled down so that we could get some sleep...but finally everyone drifted off to dreamland!!!!!

i love these times with my family...making memories with the girls! even if i am hormonal and sent us on a wild goose chase to find a plain bagel on saturday morning...sounds simple enough - it wasn't!!!!!!!! we won't get these opportunities forever - so for now - jeffrey and i are going to enjoy every second!