Baby Showers

While Ella and I were in Maine my family and friends surprised me with a wonderful baby shower on Great Diamond Island in Casco Bay. We had dinner on the lawn of Diamond's Edge restaurant and enjoyed the ocean views.

A view of the bay from the ferry.

On the lawn of Diamond's Edge restaurant where we ate dinner.

My sisters and mother.

LOVE the lobster socks!

My mom knit this for baby boy!

My friends in Alabama also threw me a surprise baby shower! It feels so wonderful to have such caring friends after living here such a short time! I want to especially thank Ben and Crystal for arranging this. They are a true blessing to our family!

My friends and neighbors.

The invitation.

Casey came to say hello at the very end.

Riding a Horse

When we were in Maine we visited with many family members. While visiting with my Aunt Melanie and Uncle Galen, Elle had a chance to ride one of their horses. Although she didn't show much emotion at the time she did enjoy it. She keeps talking about the next time she will be able to ride one of the "horsies" again.

Me and my D.D. Dolls

For those of you who know Ella, you know she LOVES Dora (D.D. in our house). Today after nap I noticed she was collecting all of her Dora stuffed animals and dolls and putting them in a pile. I could not resist taking a picture of her with them. Look how happy she is!

I didn't realize it at the time but she even has a Dora band aid on her arm. :)

Gracie's Birthday Party

During our trip to Maine Ella went to her cousin's fourth birthday party at a dance studio. All the girls danced for a long time and enjoyed yummy cupcakes and ice cream. It was such a fun time and everyone was dressed beautifully!

Ella and her cousin Sydney say "Cheese" for the camera!

Cousin Grace the birthday girl. :)

All of the girls who went to Gracie's party!

Alabama Jubilee

Last weekend we went to the Alabama Jubilee with the Plummer family. Emma, Sophie and Ella got to ride a pony and then we all ate some yummy food. The highlight of the evening was seeing the beautiful hot air balloons. The balloons were not able to go up in the air because of winds but we still got a chance to see them inflate. It was an amazing sight! The girls ended the night by dancing around to the country music band that was playing. Everyone had a great time!

Here is a picture of the girls riding their pony and loving every minute of it!

The beautiful hot air balloons!

My New Sandbox

Ella has been asking for a sandbox for over a month now so last Friday we went out to buy supplies. We even finished the night with a stop to get ice cream. We all had a great time! The next morning she was so excited she got up at 5:30 and came downstairs to our bedroom to ask if it was time to build her sandbox! Later that morning she and Casey put it together. Here are the pictures highlighting the fun!

Ella helped Daddy push the wood around the store.

Ella helped Daddy measure some cuts!

Yeah - the frame is done!

Thank you Daddy!!!

I LOVE playing in my sandbox!!!!!

Playing Ball with Fenway

Ella loves to play ball with Fenway. She has been working very hard this spring trying to throw a tennis ball to him using a fetch stick. Today she perfected it without any help! In the video she calls Fenway "Buddy" - this is one of his nicknames. :) Here is a video I took showing her progress.

Excited for a Sandbox

This spring Ella has discovered her love of sandboxes. Whenever she finds one she is content to play there for a long time. She loves them so much she has asked us to buy one for her. She wants Daddy to build her one in the backyard! After dinner one night Ella was talking about how excited she was for a new sand box!

Cooking with Auntie C.C.

We were lucky to have Auntie C.C. visit us for a week. Ella enjoyed playing with her while Casey and I welcomed her help in painting baby boy's room. (I will post pictures of that in the near future.) On Auntie C.C.'s last night she and Ella were busy in the kitchen making pizza and monkey bread. Their cooking was delicious!

A visit from Aunties and Cousins!

In April Auntie Tammie, Auntie Heidi, Cousin Brandon and Cousin Maclain came to visit us for a week. We all had so much fun! We played in the backyard, explored the neighborhood and did some sightseeing together. Ella especially loved playing with Mac and Brandon or as she calls them "Mac n Branna." Here are some highlights from our week together.

Uncle Casey brought the boys to the Nasa Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville. They all wanted to wear matching shirts that day. :)

Maclain and Brandon in front of a Saturn V rocket.

We all met for lunch that day at Red Robin. The tower of onion rings was a hit with everyone!

We had dinner one night with the Plummers and enjoyed a fun game of kickball in the backyard.

One day it rained so we stayed home and made some whoopie pies. It was alot of fun!

Backyard Pool Fun

This spring we have spent alot of time in the backyard enjoying the beautiful weather. Ella and Fenway love playing in the kiddie pool on warm days.

Happy Easter

We enjoyed a beautiful Easter with my mother and father while they were visiting! We began the morning by watching Ella do an egg hunt and explore her Easter basket. Then we went to church and spent the afternoon with some wonderful friends.

Ella was mostly interested in eating her chocolate eggs on Easter morning!

Spending a wonderful Easter with Nina and Bonka!

A group photo after church!

Doing Dishes

Ella LOVES to do dishes for Mummy and Daddy!

Eating With Chopsticks

Last week while my parents were visiting we went out to dinner for sushi. Ella spent alot of time trying to figure out how to use chopsticks. We all had a wonderful time.