Singin' In The Rain

Recently, we all got to play outside in the rain and puddles. Ella, complete with her pajama top, diaper, and jewelry, had a blast!! Pacey too!

We're BAAAACK!!

We're HOME!!! We had the most WONDERFUL vacation, with the BEST weather!!! Can you believe it? In the midst of a hurricane, we had 1/2 day of rain the entire week- which is a rare thing ANY week at the beach! Probably the best weather we've ever had. The day the hurricane came in, the waves at Destin were 17 feet! Michael got some good boogie boarding in on the following days. Our friends Katie and John went as well - we had such a fun time with them. John and Michael avid jelly fish hunters. =)
Ella LOVED the beach! She wanted to stay in the water the whole time! She thought it was too funny when a big wave would come up and splash her! She DID NOT want to leave every day when it was time to go in. She got to play in the fountains at Destin Commons and we met our friends the Sketoes one night to let the girls play together. They had a big time!
Ella also got to ride a carousel for the first time, and a mini- train, which she loved. She is still too short for the bumper boats (Daddy was sad), but there's always next year! =)
Ella is TALKING ALL THE TIME these days!! She finally learned to use the word "please" in context this week, prompted by a Krispy Kreme doughnut- imagine that! It was hilarious- her Daddy opened the box and she saw what he was eating, and she looked up at him and said "pleeez?" (with the cutest, sweetest voice). Motivation at best. =)
We visited Rosemary Beach (gorgeous) one day and did lots of shopping throughout the week. We ate some really great food- tried some new restaurants that were awesome, and caught lots of rays!! Can't wait to go back. It's a struggle for me every year to keep Michael from moving down there. I'm not kidding. He LOVES that area.

I'll post new pics soon! Our little sweetie is tan and blonde from all that good sun!

Go Away Gustav!!

We leave tomorrow for vacation in Destin, FL. Every time we decide to go in September, we know there's a big hurricane risk- yuck. We are praying that this tropical storm Gustav decides to #1, not become a hurricane, and #2, does not hit ANY land!!! However, we will just be excited to get out of Conway!!! And, Ella has been so sick this week (lots of fever, etc.). Please pray for wellness! Can't wait to see our sweet baby's toes in the sand again- she's gonna love it this year! =)

First Day of School

Well, the first day of school is OVER!!! We made it!!! It went okay- there's going to be a lot of adjusting, to say the least. So many changes at once! Her teachers are sweet and there are THREE Ellas in her class!! She got to finger paint and her favorite time was recess!! (imagine that) Please continue to pray for all of us- it's been a hard week, for sure.
Ella's newest words are: AMEN, Bible, Mimi (finally), and she loves to say "no-way", and "Oooh-WOW", and "cheese"! She has new dance moves that I promise to share soon. She loves to play with her babies, and she has an obsession with stickers and the mail this week. She won't put the mail down (see below), and has to have ALL of it in her hand at one time. Also, the dreaded but inevitable Dora obsession has begun, but her favorite is still Jack's Big Music Show by far. She thought she was a big girl getting to carry her Bible purse into church this weekend! It's amazing how much she's learning every day!! She's certainly a little sponge these days!

Just Ella....

Em...

My niece Emily came to visit a couple of weeks ago! WOW!! She is growing up too fast!! She'll start HIGH SCHOOL this year- scary! While she was here, we suprised my sister and had some gorgeous portraits made of her. What a BEAUTIFUL girl she is! I can hardly believe she's 15. Thank you, Karin, for capturing this time for us!!

It's a good thing......

Well, the new job is going great!! I finished up my first week and am loving it so far! I get to work with a great group of people, and am learning so much! I'll have to post some pics of my new surroundings- it's a beautiful office!
My last day at Dr. Fox's was sad but wonderful. We celebrated all day, and I think I didn't actually cry until about 2:15 that day, which was pretty good for me! My friends had a special cake, and I received the most beautiful bouquet of flowers- very special! I will miss all of them so much, but I'm planning to squeeze in a work day there maybe once a month or something- I do still love it. Plus, they won't ever be TOTALLY rid of me!




Ella has been visiting my family in Nashville since THURSDAY!! My parents are bringing her home on Tuesday!! Michael has had a great birthday weekend. We ate out and went to see the new Batman movie with friends last night, and his parents came to take the birthday boy out for lunch today! We're ready to see our baby girl, though! =) She's having a blast, though, and has even stopped long enough to talk to us on the phone a few times (that is, until Mommy Tot coaxes her with some chocolate milk and a Twinkie).
Congrats to our friend, Shelley!! She completed her Masters Degree as of last week!! And, her baby girl Anna Kate is due in just a couple of months! It's awesome to see how God blesses your friends!