life as we know it...

is definitely about to change.

i will most assuredly have to relay all of the fabulous fun that we had on our whirlwind beach vacation...because we had LOTS OF FUN...but tonight, life as we have known it for the last five and a half years is changing...

our first baby daughter, who came into this world at a tiny 6 pounds 4 ounces, is upstairs sleeping in preparation for her first day of...

kindergarten.

how can that be? it feels like just yesterday that i was toting her around in her infant carrier. it feels like just yesterday that our days were filled with swinging, eating snacks, and taking naps. it feels like just yesterday that i walked her into her first day of mother's day out...thinking about how hard it would be to drop her off on her first day of kindergarten...

and yet, here we are. life as we know it is moving forward...and while i certainly wouldn't want it any other way...there is a part of my heart that hurts. i am truly going to miss her being around every day. she is such a light in our lives...and it's strange to think that she won't be padding around here in her pj's on a daily basis. miss madeline is going to miss her, probably more than i will...and it will be an adjustment for her to get used to her best friend being at school. they are bound like no other.

life as we know it is changing.

jeffrey and i kept telling her independently today that we loved her so much and were so proud of her. she looked at me and said "you and daddy keep telling me that". i told her that we were just so excited for her but that i was going to miss her and she said to me "mommy, but i'm just going to school..." - she'll understand one day when she has her own babies.

she and i went grocery shopping together today...just the two of us. i just felt like i wanted to spend some quality time with her before her big day. i just love that little girl so much it sometimes feels like it hurts. i know that everybody goes through this when their child reaches such a milestone...but it just gives a quick snapshot of how fast her whole childhood is going to go...and i just want to hold on to each and every frame.

life as we know it is changing...that's for sure...but one thing that won't ever change is the infinite amount of love i have for her, her sister, her unborn baby brother or sister, and her daddy.

i am abundantly blessed...and i don't see that changing any time soon.

my sweet ella,

how in the world have 5 1/2 years passed by so quickly? you are an absolute joy...such an amazing little person at such a tender age...and i could not be more proud of you. i am so excited to watch all that you become as you enter into the big world of kindergarten. i have no doubt that you are going to be an amazing friend to your peers and an amazing student. i don't know what i did to deserve to be your mommy, but God definitely showered me with an unbelievable blessing when he gave you to me.

every moment that i have spent with you for the last 5 1/2 years has been engraved on my heart...and while i always knew i wanted to be a mommy...i could never have imagined how much i would love you. may you flourish this year as you gain your independence...may you always know that perfection does not make you perfect in my eyes...may you always know that you are loved more than all the stars in the sky. you are my ella...and i love you to the moon and back.

you are destined for great things, sweet pea...and i am so thankful that i get to watch from the front row.

i love you angel...

your proud mommy

girls just wanna have fun...

and that's just what we're doing! our social schedule has definitely been turned up a notch and let me just say...WE LOVE IT...we are certainly not letting any grass grow under our feet!!! we have done everything from visiting a gator farm, swimming, almost pulling an all nighter with our wonderful neighbors (two nights in a row!!!!!!), jumping jupiter, kidcity, and LOTS of dressing up with pretending!!!!

i think the girls heads are spinning with all that we have been doing...but the squeals of delight and big smiles lead me to believe that they are adjusting just fine!!!

i know the dust will settle and things will slow down, especially once school starts, but for now we are enjoying life in the fast lane...

when life gives you lemonade...

sell it!!!

that's just what we did on sunday afternoon! ella, madeline, and their precious new friend leslie elizabeth decided to test out their entrepreneurial skills and set up a lemonade stand for the neighborhood to enjoy! i am happy to report that they racked up about $12 dollars...mostly due to the fabulous neighbors and family members that supported their business! i wish that we had thought it through a little bit more and decided where we might donate the money...but apparently ella told one customer that we were raising money to buy toys at "toys r us" - we need to work on our philanthropic spirit just a bit more i do believe!!!!!


i love the fact that my girls get to enjoy these wonderful moments that come along with living on such an amazing street...i wish i could just bottle up the feeling and sell it...but the fact is, it's just priceless. it's frankly what i have waited my whole life to experience!

we look forward to setting up many more lemonade stands in the future...and finding special ways to share our profits...

it only seems fitting to give back...because the abundance of blessings that we are receiving these days is endless!!!

29 weeks and counting...

i have been feeling incredibly guilty that i haven't posted more pics of my ever growing belly...mostly because i know i will want to remember this time once it has come and gone (because i certainly haven't slowed down in "real time" to really savor this experience)...anyway, yes, i have a head - but i feel extremely silly posing for the camera by myself - and let's face it...the belly pic is what we are really after isn't it?!?!?!

we are anxiously awaiting the moment we get to meet our next addition...jeffrey and i must ask ourselves at least once a day "are we having a boy or a girl?"!!!!!! only time will tell...and i have a feeling it will be here before we know it!

i will post more...but i have two little girls who are still hungry despite the fact that breakfast was just served!!!

there's no place like home...

wow, does it feel good to be back home! it has been an e.X.h.A.u.S.t.I.N.g couple of weeks - combined with both of my girls being sicker than they have ever been in their whole lives...at the same time...but we are here, we are mostly settled, and somehow i am still comfortably pregnant!!!!

our street is truly wonderful...and the reception that we have received from our friends and neighbors has been nothing short of amazing. we have had everything from warm cakes straight from the oven, fresh baked cookies, casseroles, 4 course meals, help with fence building, and visits on porch swings! i absolutely LOVE it!!!!!

as most of you know, we moved in right next door to one of my very best friends' parents (aka gran and poppy)...and they are just about every great adjective you could imagine! gran helped us unpack boxes, brought us lunch and snacks, washed countless numbers of sheets and towels, and even made our bed for us! i told her that everybody needs a "gran" in their lives and i mean that from the bottom of my heart! poppy is just as wonderful...helping jeffrey rip out chain link fence and then build the new one!!!!! we feel so blessed to have them so close...and i will have to show you the "secret garden" door that my girls LOVE to use to get to them!!!!!

mom and dayne have been absolutely W.o.n.D.e.R.f.u.L. they never tire of helping us out whether it be in the heat of the day or the dark of night. ella and maddie are in heaven being able to see them so often...and quite frankly, so am i!!!! i'm still walking on air!

"aunt cookie" (aka brooke) has been so great as well! she, along with suzie & carmen, helped us out with "kid camp" during those first few days of the move and i will always be grateful to them. i knew that my kiddos were well taken care of and i could rest my mind...while unable to rest my body!!!!! the girls were royally spoiled...i don't think they missed us very much at all!!!!!

the tucker family came to our rescue as well the very first weekend...enduring some "not so convenient" accommodations...and they did it all with a smile on their face! we love to visit with these guys but the weekend left little time to visit...we W.O.r.K.e.D...and hard! amy helped me on the inside while jeffrey, dave, and nate melted on the outside...what a hard working crew! we can't wait to have them back for a little r&r!!!!!!

as you can see...i am just filled with so much gratitude. i feel so blessed to have been given this opportunity...and i don't plan on taking any of it for granted! i have to brag on my hubby...he has been nothing short of amazing! he has proven once again that he can fix, build, load and unload a.N.y.T.H.i.N.g! he has worked so hard...on top of working! his girls (all three of us) sure do love him a lot!!!!!

and last but not least...it didn't take long for my little family to fit right back into the south...here is what the trio looked like when they returned from wal-mart last week...
man i love these three!!!!!

it's MOVING day...

and except for the fact that our stuff might not arrive today...we're geared up and ready!!!! HA! yes, that's correct! after calling our driver yesterday to casually check in, it was discovered that after an issue with the "big rig" - he wasn't able to leave until yesterday (one day later than planned)...SOOOOOOOO...there is a possibility that all of our earthly possessions won't arrive as planned either!!!!!!

somehow, i am remaining relatively calm and not so relatively pregnant...seriously people...let me just state in writing that I WILL NOT MOVE WHILE PREGNANT EVER AGAIN!!!!!!!! twice is enough in one lifetime i do believe!!!

it is fabulous to be in shreveport though and i know that this week will come and go and we will survive. the drive was not bad at all...we spent some fun time in savannah on our way down...

and now we sit. and wait. to unpack.

i promise to post some pics of our new pad once we get settled...which by my calculations with my mom on the job...should be in 24 hours or less!!!! ha, ha,ha!!!! i don't know if this is true or not...but i'm sure we'll try!

"swing batter batter..."

on tuesday night, we planned to take the kids to the washington nationals baseball game. what we didn't plan on was that they were playing the red sox and the game was sold out! after my husband charmed a few of the employees, we were able to score some cheap "standing room only" tickets...but hey, it's all about the food right - who needs to sit down!!!!!!



nate, ella, and maddie had so much fun eating (or inhaling rather) all of the ballpark food and playing on the playground! we didn't see one play of the game...but it didn't matter...it was just fun to be there and soak in the sights and sounds! it seems that these "three musketeers" always attract a crowd...and to see the three of them dancing was quite a sight!


as you can see...maddie wasn't going to get within a country mile of these people

i think that the metro ride was as much fun for all of them as the baseball game...oh the simple things in life! it was such a fun night and one that we were grateful to spend with our company!