Annual Mother's Day dinner at Heather's

Elli wanted to bring two bears since Heather and Gary have this little table. They were having tea.

We walked all over the yard to find the best spot. We got lots of pictures:)

Mommy and my baby!

Gonga and her grand daughter:)

Great Grandma with her little Ellianna.

Heather worked very hard and prepared a delicious dinner for us. It was fun to celebrate together though we missed having Grammy here this year. Good news is that Leah is a mom-to-be with two little babies growing inside of her. Next year there will be three grand babies, at least! (all of us hope for more:)

Mother's Day, May 9, 2010 Breakfast in Bed

Waffle, syrup, eggs, fresh fruit, bacon, orange juice and chocolate milk along with a flower came up to my room. We decided though after a small attempt that it would be much easier to eat this at the kitchen table:)

Elli "helping" Brent make breakfast.

Brent was not all that excited about me taking this picture, but I wanted these memories:) Thank you for serving me on this day.

I heard Elli at 7:20 saying, "Mommy can you wake me up now?" As I went into her room to get her though she told me , "No, No, No. You go back to bed," and she began pushing me back into my room. She started giggling right then and for the next 20 minutes I heard lots of giggling and cooking going on in the kitchen as Brent and Elli made breakast for me. Elli ran up the stairs though and hopped in bed to "have some too." So sweet.

Princess Tea, May 8, 2010

My Little Princess and I read a prayer about having "Princess Words" that are sweet and kind. Elli got a little shy when it was actually time to talk in the microphone, but she held onto my leg and said her part anyway. Good job Elli!

We used Lily's coach for the pictures. It made a great backdrop.

Elli decided it was going to be her job to hand out the sashes and the rings to the girls as they came up for their pictures. It was also her idea to move this cross up on stage where people could see it better. She is so cute.

Our table consisted on Elli and I, Paula, her mom Frances, and girls Lily and Caroline and Sherry Harry with her grand daughters Emma and Hannah.

Our church did a Princess Tea this year as a Mother Daughter event for Mother's Day. It was so much fun. The little girls all dressed up, some in their princess dress-up dresses. We had prayers read from the book, "His Little Princess" to remind us how a princess should act and to remind us that as daughters of the King of Kings, we are princesses. The food was delicious and everyone seemed to have a great time.

Preschool Praise, May 2, 2010

Right before the performance.

"His Banner over me is Love."

Okay, so these pictures are not so good, but the memories are:)

Elli really enjoys singing and dnacing, so preschool praise is a perfect activity for her. On May 2nd, the kids performed four songs in front of the church. Elli takes it seriously and tries to sing her very best. As you can see, she enjoys it too:)

In Memory of Michael

These are our azalea bushes that have decided to bloom this year after taking last year off.

Brent's family and friends from Michigan wanted to give us a gift when Michael died that would help us remember him. This is what we chose and what a beautiful reminder of his sweet little life. They were gorgeous as you can see. Full of blossoms and bright color.

First Dragon's Game of the Season for us (aka 80's night)

Family picture. Yes, it is April and we are in our winter coats. I even wore my long johns:)

Heather and Elli. Elli loves to go to the games and Heather loves to have her there. Good plan I think! We got popcorn and then Heather got her some cotton candy. If you are not fast, she eats it all. Heather found that out the hard way.

I thought this was hilarious. Heather looked like a girl from the 80's with her head band pushing her hair up. We teased her about it, but it was fun just to laugh and be together.

Elli had some paperwork at her preschool about t-ball. I read it and asked her if she wanted to play. She said, "Me? Be on the Dragons? I am too little!" She loves the Dragons and we are thankful that Heather and Gary have extra tickets so we get to enjoy them sometimes too:)

Smiles with the Birthday Girl

Kyle, Megan, and Seth.(new room for doll house)

Heather and Gary.(Two princess dresses, Belle and Cinderella)

Leah and Matt.(build a bunny, Lillianna, and two outfits; one dress that she wore to church the next day and a shorts and shirt that she cried and threw when she opened it)

Mommy and daddy with the birthday girl. We got her a new swing set which we put together over a week and a half, just in time for the party. It rained but the kids got a little time on it. We also got her a scooter. Can't wait to see her ride it.

Gonga and Papa with Auntie Cheryl in the background. Gonga and Papa got Elli the skirt she is wearing, a bat and ball, tic-tac-toe, a craft picture frame, new princess ball, and a cheerleader doll. Auntie Cheryl got her a jump rope and a wonderful book. She got lots of other presents too which actually overwhelmed her a bit. She is loved by many. She is also very thankful for her gifts. She has played with and worn most of them:)

Elli's 4th Birthday

Belle cake, number 4 cupcakes and princess dress cookies for dessert. French toast, peanut butter cinnamon bagels, fruit bowl, banana bread, casserole, hased browns, juice, and milk for brunch. Lots of presents, a video about Elli, and a book for entertainment. What a great party!

Lots of presents opened with the help of lots of little girls:)

Story time with Mrs. Lori. I wrote a story about King Brentisk, Queen Lorianna, Princess Ells-a-Bells, Fergville, and the beast. The kids colored a character from the story and then held the character up when they heard the name in the story. Fun times.

The little girls eating their food. These girls are close in age and it has been fun seeing them grow together on our care group. Life long friends? We hope!

Elli told her daddy she wanted flowers that go in a vase for her birthday. How pretty! She is wearing her princess Belle dress embroidered(sp?) by Jeni. It says "Happy birthday Elli" on the back as well.

Happy Birthday my baby girl. You are so enjoyable. You love to play games, pretend play with babies and mommies, and play with dolls and all your stuffed animals. You like lots of different foods and do not seem to be too picky of an eater. However, if you could eat sweets all day, you would:) You are learning to put letters together to make words, you write your name and lots of other letters as well. You memorize Bible verses very easily and remember them all! You are learning to be more patient and are sharing better with friends. You tend to like one-on-one attention and thrive when it is given. However, you are doing well in school too both home nd preschool. I could go on and on about how much I love you, but that is a given:) You are a fun little girl and I thank God for you everyday. I also pray that you will grow in your love and fear of the Lord, which you are. You have an insight into God that makes me realize new things about him as well. Happy birthday my little one.

Sit on a can?

Brent and I have really been working with Elli on staying in her seat during meals. She tends to want to run around, pick up toys, etc. So, Elli was up and Brent was telling her he was done warning her about staying in her seat. So, he said, "Get back over there and sit on your can." Elli replied very seriously, "Sit on a can? I want to sit on my seat!" I began laughing, silently, but violently:) I started crying I was laughing so hard. Eventually we all ended up laughing, but I think Brent still got his point across. I asked Elli a couple nights ago to please throw away her sticky napkin and she said, "Remember, daddy wants me to stay in my seat?" Goodness!

Happy Birthday ,Dad

Mom and dad at home for dad's birthday party:)

Mom trying out dad's gift. Not all of us are good at operating machinery:)

Us girls went together to get dad an elliptical machine for his birthday. He had been wanting some sort of exercise equipment so we thought this would work out great. It is supposed to be easy on the knees. I guess he will let us know as he begins his workout regime:)

The guys getting it out of the truck. So fun to see dad's expression as they pulled up with the truck and his present.

It was a fun party and dad really was surprised which is what we wanted!

Elli asked dad how old he was to cwhich he replied 59. Then Elli said, "That's a lot!"

Love you, dad.

Brent's Birthday

Brent opening a present. Elli is secretly opening another one of his gifts over on the side:)

Blowing out the candles on his Lamby cake with a little help.

We had a nice time celebrating Brent's birthday at the Springfield Country Club. The dinner was a pasta bar where we got to tell the chef exactly what we wanted. We enjoyed seafood pasta as well as many other kinds and three types of sauces. Delicious! It was a beautiful evening as well and we got to watch the sun set over the course while we ate. Happy 33rd Brent!

The Finished Product

After many hours and a week and a half time, we have Elli's birthday present finished. She loves it!!!

Easter Morning April 4th

Elli loves her great grandma. She also had fun looking for her basket with us.

Elli's basket minus the hamster:)

Easter morning in her pretty dress. She chose this one by the fact that it spun better than the rest she tried on:)

We had the "bunny" hide eggs and her basket. She loved looking for them but actually woke up twice during the night. I think it was because she thought the bunny was coming in and she was scared.

The bunny went to my parents as well. He hid eggs and a basket there too. Elli loved getting her Zhu Zhu pet hamsters in each basket. Sadly though, she got one stuck in her hair within about 5 minutes.

Elli is still asking questions about Jesus dying on the cross. She wants to know if he will be able to walk, if he will have hair and if his blood is gone. It must be a hard concept for little ones to wrap their minds around. She has no trouble believing he is alive and in heaven, but she is confused on what he will look like after what they did to him on the cross. I love this tender heart and pray God helps keep it tender!

Easter Egg Hunt at Springfield Country Club April 3rd

What is a trip to the club without driving range practice?

Here's hoping...

Elli was terrified of the bunny. After getting a look at him, I would have been afraid as well.

Aunt Leah with her little Elli. They had a great time together.

One of my favorite pictures of Elli looking for eggs. She was the oldest in her age group so Brent told her to look "over there," even though there were no eggs over there. Sad, but at least the babies who couldn't even walk got a chance to get some eggs:)

Thank you Mom and Leah for going with Elli and Brent to make this day special. I missed out, but she had a great time as well as each of you:)