1st grade

 I can't believe our baby girl is starting first grade!! She is getting too big too fast! This will be her first year of all day school and with that comes a whole new set of emotions for this momma. Her first day outfit was a big deal and we spent quite a while last night figuring it all out, right down to her purple shrug and what necklace and bracelet she would wear. =) She was up and ready so early this morning. One excited, little girl!

Backpack as big as her!

 Another one from this angle

 And another just because she's cute!

 Cade wanted one with his big sis. He missed her so much today! He started asking before lunch if it was time to go pick her up and then asked over and over throughout the afternoon. He is not going to know what to do without her all day!

Ella had a good first day and I'm soooo grateful for that! I was a little nervous for her. This is my and Chris' first experience with a huge school system and we're not so sure about it yet. Not only does Ella have a new teacher and new principal this year, but she's not in class with a single kid from last year. It's pretty much like starting at a brand new school. Plus, her teacher that she loved so much last year and was looking forward to "hugging in the hallway" is not returning this year. All of those things combined were making her a bit apprehensive about the start of school. When I picked her up at the end of the day, I was so happy to see a big smile on her face. When I asked her about her day, she said, "It's fun! I really, really liked it." Sweet relief! Thank you, God, for hearing a momma's prayers!!

Some other things she said about her first day:

• She had two recesses!
• She saw Fiana (a friend from last year) on the playground. She also saw Graham and Natalie (more friends from last year) in the hallway and Payton in the restroom.
• Lunch was really fun, but she only had time to eat three and a half crackers and then the teachers told them to throw everything away. She didn't even get to drink all of her milk and felt like that was wasteful. =) When they got back to the room, they had to draw a picture of what they ate for lunch, so she just drew three crackers.
• They did math in the afternoon and it was so easy.
• Everyone sat in a circle and Mrs. Seal (her teacher) passed a stuffed animal seal around the circle. Everyone got to say their favorite memory from the summer. Ella said her favorite memory was being in Florida and swimming in the pool at night.

So thankful for a good first day! Here's to hoping for many more happy first grade memories (and some healthier lunches, too!)!!

Summer finale

 Summer's coming to an end and we've been trying to soak up the sun as much as possible. I can't say I love the idea of Ella being back in school and being gone from me all day everyday! Boo! I also don't love the idea of classes starting back up and the return of chaos. Boo! Anyways, I've been trying not to think of any of that and instead fill up our last week off with fun, fun, fun! We got to visit with Mamaw and Papaw and show them one of our favorite playgrounds.

My girl loves the slide- can you tell?!

 We've had lots of ice cream treats this week. Ice cream = happy kids!

 Harper knows just what to do with her cone!

 We had dinner out with friends. Ella and Kylie even got to have their very first sleepover this week! Kylie brought Ella a princess cowboy hat back from Arizona and they wore them all night. So fun!

 We've enjoyed the beautiful weather and big blue skies.

 We even got to meet Daddy for lunch one day!

 Chris was able to take an afternoon off and we headed to Sharon Woods to explore.

 Ella and Cade loved jumping the rocks in the dam.

 Ella said this afternoon was "one of my best summer days!"

We will miss the carefree days of summer!

Toddling

We have a toddler on our hands! A couple more weeks and she'll be off and walking on her own. It is so stinkin' cute the way she pushes her toys around, just like a little lady with a shopping cart. Cracks me up! And not to mention how proud she is- she will turn around to make sure we're watching and smile so big, like Do you see what I can do?! 

Ella's goals for the summer

 As soon as school was out in May, we asked Ella to make a list of what she most wanted to do this summer. Her top five requests:
 1. Go swimming at Uncle Jason and Aunt Carla's house. Check!

2. Go to the beach. Check!

3. Go to Kings Island. Check!

 4. Spend some days at Grammy and Papaw's house. Check!

 5. Go to a Reds' game. Check!

 It's been a busy summer, and we've had sooo much fun together! We have one more week before first grade starts, and I'm looking forward to trying to pack as much fun as we can into it!
Love my big girl!

Harper turns 1!!

 Our sweet Harper Noelle turned one on July 6. I can't believe it has already been a year since that late night when my water broke and we were freaking out because her room wasn't painted and we didn't have anyone to take care of Ella and Cade. haha! What a chaotic, fun, blessed year it has been! Harper is such a sweet soul and brings out the best in all of us. Ella and Cade were so excited to celebrate her birthday. Ella kept saying, "Harper, you're going to be one. Do you know what that means? You're growing up!" ha! They couldn't wait to let her open her cards and gifts. Harper acted like she knew just what to do her presents. So cute!

 Harper loves lights, music, buttons, and any toy she can pull around with a string. Ella and Cade picked out a phone for her that had all four. Score!

Another of her favorite things is the TV remote, so Ella and Cade thought a remote of her very own was a great idea.

 Harper is crazy over puppies. She does this little "Uh-Uh!" like she's barking every time she sees a dog. Ella wanted to give her a little puppy that barks. Harper thought it was pretty fun. We also gave her her very own swing for the swing set, which she LOVES.

 We had a little party at Mamaw and Papaw's house to celebrate Harper's birthday with family. It was a fun day.

 I know the whole first birthday cake and theme is usually a big deal, but we just wanted something sunshine-y and bright for Harper. She just makes us feel happy. We decided to go with orange, yellow, and flowers- perfect!

 Her little cake (and my first attempt at fondant decorations!)

Flower cupcakes

  Flower cookies

 Harper loved her balloons.

 I just love her!

 With my birthday girl

 Harper and Ty had some serious discussion about being the babies of the fam. These two are precious together!

 Our best attempt at one of Harper with her brother and sister

 And our best attempt at one of all the cousins. Payton is still hiding behind the balloon and Ella is the only one looking at the camera, but it's still cute!

 Harper cracked us up when it came to her cake. She scrunched her nose the whole time! She looked like she was thinking, What am I supposed to do with this?!

 Getting Laila's opinion on it (nose still scrunched)...

 Daddy tried to get her to taste it, but she would have none of it!

You all are crazy if  you think I'm going to get icing all over my new outfit just for a few cute pictures!

And then... my camera died! Major bummer! She did end up taking a few little bites, but wanted nothing to do with it getting all over her. Such a little priss! =)

Happy 1st birthday, Harper! You are so very special and mean the world to all of us!