Ellie's Baptism

 

In our church, turning 8 is a special birthday because it means you are old enough to make the decision to be baptized. Ellie chose to have her dad baptize her, and it was a wonderful day.

Part of what made it so perfect is we had so much of my family here to be a part of it! Do you like how Kyler was obviously done holding still at this point?

Ellie shared her baptism day with her old Joy School buddy, Reece. It made for a huge crowd and extra memories!

We love seeing Ellie so happy! She doesn't love being the center of attention, but she sure loved her day.

The day was filled with family happiness.

The rest of the weekend was filled with lots of fun cousin activities!

 

Some of our favorite memories included a huge ice cream sundae party...

 

 

A fairy tale play that included a cute Little Red Riding Hood.

 

Thank you Grandma for being so giving and making such great efforts to be a part of these special events!

Making Lemonade out of Lemons

 

Rochester has been our second home this spring as we have had more than our share of appointments at Mayo Clinic, searching for clues to Ellie's medical mysteries. Ironically, these getaways have turned into some of the best "vacation memories" for our kids. It's a reminder that kids are sometimes just as happy to spend their Spring Break dancing with Chuck-E-Cheese, than going on elaborate trips.

And when else can you hang out at the children's museum with no particular agenda or schedule? 

When else can you paint your face to your hearts content?

Oh my goodness! There are no words for this picture!

Sampson loses his strength

 

For the past couple years, Kyler has sported the surfer locks -- by Daddy's choice. But after a minor hair-cutting mishap, I convinced Dave to let me go short.

I gave Kyler my phone to help him hold still while I did the chopping, and he conveniently snapped this self-portrait of the cut in action.

It's a new look! I have been having fun giving him faux-hawks, spikey do's, and the slicked back old-fashioned do. With Kyler's fun personality, he can pull off any look!

Ellie's 8!

Eight years old is a big birthday in our family. So, we had to have a big celebration! Ellie opted to have a friend party -- which she hasn't had in a couple years.

 

Ellie chose an American Girl craft party. This mom wanted to make it extra special for the big birthday and also since she hasn't had a 'real' party in a couple years. However, this ended up being the most work a birthday party has ever been! In the end, I realized, I got a bit too carried away with this one.

  

We had star-shaped sugar cookies, star shaped Jigglers and fruit skewers in sizes appropriate for the girls and their dolls, along with crepes!

This is the miniature table set for their dolls.

The girls ate it up -- literally and figuratively!

We also made tutu skirts for the dolls, pipe-cleaner crowns, wands and gave the dolls and girls sticker earrings. They looked lovely.

 

 And, I made my first rainbow cake. Making it dairy and fructose free, and all the layers was SO. MUCH. WORK. I do not recommend doing this! It was pretty, but for how much work it was, it wasn't even that good. Oh, and did I mention that just after spending um like six hours or something ridiculous on this cake, Kyler dug into it with his hands right before the party started! I don't mean to post all the drama behind the fun, but sometimes it's good to record what life is truly like!

 

But, I think Ellie, and the girls enjoyed it -- and in the end that's all that matters!

Happy Birthday little Ellie!! We sure love you!

About Ellie...
•Ellie is a quick learner
•She is reliable, focused, efficient and driven
•She started piano last summer and has flown through her books. Between her dedication, natural music talent, and ability to learn quickly she has picked up piano at an extremely accelerated pace.
•Ellie does not seem to be growing much. She is just under the 5th percentile in height, which has mom and the doctors a bit concerned. She has her fair share of doctor's tests and appointments and we still have no real answers for her chronic mouth sores.
•With Ellie, you ask her to do something just once and it's done before you even turn around. She is amazing!
•Ellie started competitive soccer this year. The coaches love her work ethic, skills and tenacity! She participated in an indoor winter camp where the coach said she is one of the best players he's ever seen at her age! He thinks she will go far! And with a work ethic like she has, we agree!
•She is intense, but has the best smile! A smile that will light up any room!
•Ellie has the best sense of fashion. She has started to do her hair (and it looks good!) and her outfits are often original but always contemporary.


Ellie is such a special part of our family!