Elli's Graduation from Cedarville Learning Center

Never a picture without a pose!
Family picture in front of the Opera House.
So happy Kyle, Meg, and Seth could come.
Gonga and Papa also made it out. (Jenna and Justin had to leave right away because Justin's sister was having a baby!!!!)
How do you get 14 5 and 6 year olds to all smile in the same dirention at the same time!
Elli getting her "diploma" from Mrs. Liz. I missed the hug! (her diploma was a poem about sunflower seeds with a few to plant. She was so excited!!!!)
She was so lady-like up there. She got a little embarrassed with all of the staring at her and taking pictures.
Getting ready to go back up on stage for her graduation, after her preschool program.
The program was called, "The Diary of a Preschooler." The kids sang some songs, recited some poems, and read some stories. This was Elli putting letter "R" on the coconut tree for the book "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom." Fun graduation at the Opera House.

Storms!

Some hail next to a golf ball. We found some bigger than this even! Our screens were torn, siding broken, grill cover ripped, and many dents in our downspouts and Elli's swing set. Other than that, we were all safe.
Hail on our deck.

We lost power for a couple hours so we played UNO by candle light, ate ice cream by candle light, and then made a sleeping bag in out room for Elli using our flashlights:) The power came back on just as we were going to bed, so Elli slept in her room.
The storm blew our grill and furniture across the deck. We thought it may have been destroyed, (because of the noise) but not so. Thankful for that!
Elli was a little nervous, so I told her how great God was to make these storms. She then noticed some lightening and asked Brent if he had seen the amazing lightening. She slept through the rest of the storms that night and even during her nap today. I love that she is learning to turn some of her fear into awe of her Creator.

Bad Situation Room

Elli will be going into a new ballet class next year. She asked what room she would be in. I told I wasn't sure but maybe the middle room or the one at the end of the hall. She replied, "Oh no mommy. That room at the end is the bad situation room. There are big girls in there that wag their hair, get on the floor, kick their legs high and wag their hair some more. It is totally a bad situation." I am glad she is learning what is appropriate and not appropriate for dancing:)

Lucia Hope Raymond, May 23, 2011

Elli got to hold her Monday night.
Brent's turn.
Lucy only about an hour old here. I was so excited to be part of her entrance into the world. Paula made it look so easy to have a baby! I LOVED being there. Cannot believe I didn't pass out!!!!!
How very sweet is she?
Proud brother and sister Andrew and Lily. The other two girls came later to meet their newest sister. So fun.

Dragons game

We walked by at the right time to get this picture! She was going to get her picture with just Gem, then Heater walked up, she got scared, and I had to hold her:)
The man in the red shirt in front of us, snagged this shirt and handed it to Elli. She was so very happy!!!!
Posing before the game in her own Dragons shirt that Heather and Gary got her for her birthday.
And we may have our own little dragon! She is pretty good at hitting the ball. Look at her determination. She can hit it far too!
She took a break to hit her shoes with her bat. She said she learned it from watching the dragons:)

Brandi's baby shower

Elli helped Brandi open the gift from Heather, Leah and I. We got her a convertible swing and bouncy seat. She got lots of fun things for her little boy, coming in a month.
Elli wanted to sit on Grandma's lap so she could see better.
Mom, her sister Tanya, Brandi, and Grandma. This little boy will be Brandi's 4th baby and second boy. His name will be Logan!

Ballet pictures

For two years now, these girls have enjoyed ballet at Bellbrook Dance Academy. They are so cute in their little outfits this year. They are dancing to "Feed the Birds" from Mary Poppins.
Love their little friendship.
So sweet!

AWANA awards and time with Seth

Elli got a t-shirt at the dragon's game. It is a little big, but fun to play in.

Seth's turn to try it on.
Such a cute little guy. We love our time with him.
AWANA awards night. Elli finished her second year of Cubbies. She did a great job memorizing all her verses. So proud of our little Cubbies!
We were in the Red Lambs group two years in a row. Deanna and I worked together both years. Such fun to build those memories. This year we also had Stephen Bruckart as well as 3 great LIT's. It was a good year.

My Mom, by Ellianna Ferguson

Elli dictated this poem to her preschool teacher abut me for Mother's Day:

My mom always says, "We're goin' to Kroger!" She cooks the best pancakes. We like to play with my doll house together. Her favorite thing to wear is her pants and a white shirt. My mom was beautiful when she had curly hair.

I laughed and cried. I hope she doesn't think I only want to go to Kroger. I think I say I love her more than that. Not sure what white shirt she is talking about, but if I find one in my closet I will wear it with pants:) I have very straight hair, but plan on curling it more often. I love this sweet little girl. Happy Mother's Day to me:)

Twins, Monday May 16

Look at these sweet little smiles. Just after I took this, they started holding hands. They love each other.
Oh so sweet.
Little Wesley! Love his sweet little face.
They are both into sticking their tongues out, a lot. Here is Luka showing off his:)

Tuesday at Epcot and Wednesday at the pool

The first thing we did when we got to Epcot was walk straight to Soarin. Elli was so excited to ride it again. Such a good ride.
After "Talk with Crush" Elli wanted a picture in the shark playland. She actually had to wait in line to get in there:)
Elli grew two inches from Oct to May so we were able to do a couple more rides. The wait was not long for Test Track, so we rode it. It was a blast!!!! Elli laughed and squealed the whole time. We rode it twice because it was so great. We were also able to ride Mission Space. Not so fun, but she was tall enough so we tried it.
More princesses. I don't think she has seen the movie of Mulan, but she likes her anyway:)
Snow White is a favorite.
We were there during the flower festival. It was beautiful!
Not sure who Marie is, but Elli wanted her picture with the white cat:) She also got her picture with Tigger and Pooh. She was afraid when they walked out but Tigger grabbed her hands and started bouncing and dancing. Elli wasn't afraid anymore. Such fun meeting new characters. She is not as nervous now.
Elli loves Mary Poppins.
So fun to meet the beast this time. She even gave him a hug even after telling me she was not going to talk to him. She started out only talking to Belle, then gave the beast a hug:)
Chip picked Elli up and spun her. She thought that was so cool!
We were sad Aladdin wasn't there. Elli was told he was chasing Abu in the marketplace. Jasmine is one of her favorite princesses along with Ariel, whom we didn't get to see.
What is a trip to Epcot without a picture in front of the ball?
Brent was ired, so we found a spot for him to sit and wait for fireworks to start while Elli and I went to meet the last few characters. Mickey again.
She was so happy to see Pluto. She even brought her stuffed Pluto purchased on our last trip here:)
Minnie again.
Donald. She even kissed him.
And the last character we mat was Goofy. He was being quite hilarious!
We stayed for the fireworks show at Epcot as well. It was another very fun and very long day, but we made more great memories!
Love this picture of the two of them playing:) We checked out at 11:00 and headed to the pool where we stayed until 6:00 pm. Long, but fun day of swimming.
Posing, again.
She lost her other characters on our last plane trip so she used some of her allowance to buy these princesses. She needed to rest a little after playing at the pool for 4 hours. She enjoyed this kind of rest time.