Happy birthday, Princess Ella!!

Our sweet, little girl turned 3 on Saturday. We had such a fun day celebrating her and all she means to us and our family.
I told her when she woke up that she looked so much bigger and asked her if she grew overnight. She said, "Yeah, I'm a lot bigger. I grew from 2 to 3 last night." :)
Ella, there's a surprise for you at the door! Birthday balloons!!

She couldn't wait to put her "special party dress" on. She looked adorable!

Playing a game with Papaw and Payton...
Ready to open gifts...
A new Dora doll!!

New dress-up clothes! Thanks, Uncle Chad and Aunt April!

A new bike! Thanks, Papaw and Mamaw!

Giving it a test drive...

She received so many other nice gifts... a water sprinkler from Uncle Kyle, a backyard water park from Grammy and Pappaw, another doll from Chad and April, lots of clothes, a new doll stroller, make-up, money, and more. She is definitely one spoiled, little girl!

Time for the pinata!! It was so much fun watching these kids take turns trying to whack this thing! We laughed and laughed.

Go, Ella!

Payton gave it all he had...

And finally got it!! Everyone raced to get the candy...
On to the birthday cake!
Make a wish, Princess!
Each time she blew out the candles, she said, "Let's do it again!!" So we did!
We finally couldn't take it anymore! We had to dig in!! Yum!

Happy 3rd birthday, Ella! We love you so much and thank God everyday that He saw fit to make us your mommy and daddy. We can't imagine our life without you!

A Niece!

Great news!! We just found out Chad and April are having a girl!! Another niece for us! We are so excited and can't wait to meet her! We love you all so much!

To our blog readers- It's been a long and difficult journey for them the past few years. Please pour out the prayers that God will bless them with a strong and healthy baby!

Cute kiddos

A few pics of our super cute kiddos. Ella is still the ever-attentive big sister and loves to hold her baby brother.
If Cade is on the floor, you better believe she is right there next to him...I just can't believe how quickly this little boy is changing! He looks so different every single day.

So, so sweet...
I wanted to post this video of Ella singing to Cade. I just love these special moments between the two of them!

Funny Ella

Last night, Ella and I were standing outside talking to a neighbor. She asked Ella what kind of toys she was asking for for her birthday on Saturday. She eyed Ella's Dora crocs and said, "Do you like Dora? Are you asking for Dora toys?" Ella looked at me, completely surprised that this lady would know she likes Dora. I said, "How in the world does she know you like Dora?!", thinking she would say because of her shoes. Ella thought for a moment, pulled down her pants, and said, "Because I'm wearing Dora panties!!" Hahahaha!!

Posting this also makes me think of Saturday night at church. Ella had done a great job keeping herself entertained with her magna-doodle for most of the service. Near the end of the sermon, Ella gasped, grabbed my arm, and said, "Mommy, I not believe it! They're talking about Jesus!!" Hahaha! Funny thought, that we might talk about Jesus at church! :)

Mommy's Day

My sweet husband and kiddos actually turned Mother's Day into a whole Mommy's weekend and they spent the time doing nice things for me. It was extra special! Saturday we spent most of the day outside, going for a long walk, and playing together. Then we went to church and out to dinner. Yesterday, we went out to breakfast and then packed a picnic to take to the park. It was so nice to just enjoy our time together, just being, and not have to look at the clock or worry about housework or what to have for dinner. Thanks, Honey, for such a wonderful, peaceful weekend!
Some fun photos from the park...
Chris took this picture with his phone. I think it is so neat!

Cade was absolutely wiped out from all the fun!

A quick picnic lunch...
Back to playing...

We only managed to get one picture of me and my babies the whole weekend. We were too busy having fun!!
I know Mother's Day is supposed to be for celebrating moms, but I couldn't help but celebrate my children, too. I celebrate the fact that God, in His infinite goodness, handpicked Ella and Cade to be my children, just as He handpicked ME to be their mommy. I love them more than life, and it doesn't matter if I'm worn out or less-than-perfect, they love me right back. That in itself is a miracle and, for that reason and so many others, I am a very thankful mommy.

"Most Special Day"

Friday was a big day for Ella. She had her first gymnastics class followed by her first big girl haircut at the salon. She had been looking forward to this day for quite a while.

She was a little timid when we first got to the gym, but she warmed up pretty quickly and had so much fun. I was so proud of her! You could just see her confidence growing every time she mastered something new, and that is one of the main reasons I'm excited for her to be in this class. Now all she can talk about is going back!

Doing some stretches... The balance beam...

At the end of the class, all the kids got a turn to run and tackle this big mat. Most of the other kids just kind of jumped into it and then ran back to their place in line. Ella, on the other hand, ran as hard as she could, knocked the mat over, did two forward rolls down the ramp, ran to the other side of the gym, crashed on another mat, and turned around and said, "Ta-Da!!" Hahaha! It was pretty funny! After a quick nap, we headed off to the salon. Here's the big girl before her haircut...
She wasn't too crazy about all the clips in her hair and actually started crying! I think she was just scared and not sure what was going on.

She started to get excited once she saw her curls in the mirror...
Then she got to sit at the make-up counter for some "butterfly kisses" on her cheeks and a little lip gloss (yes, she got Daddy's permission before the make-up started! :)...Wow! What a big, pretty girl!

She was VERY proud of herself, and decided, "This is my most special day forever!" :)

Happy birthday!

Happy birthday, Chad!! We hope you have a terrific day and that Cassius and Ami get you something amazing! :) Love ya, Bro!!

Bathtime!

Cade loves bathtime! I was able to indulge him a little longer today since big sis is not home. I think he could have laid in that warm water all day.
Seriously, have you ever seen anything cuter?! I just can't get enough of him!
Clean, warm, and happy! He was giving me all kinds of adorable smiles, but I couldn't get any of them on camera. He is just so sweet. I love this little boy so much!

Weekend travel

Cade made his first trip to his grandparents' houses this weekend. He was a pretty good traveler, especially after getting some travel tips from big sis, who is a seasoned pro at this long ride in the car thing. :) Anyways, it was a short visit, but we enjoyed every minute! First stop was Grammy and Pappaw's house...

Cade listening as Pappaw tells him all about how things work around here... :)

Did you get all that, Buddy?
Grammy and her sidekick...

Photo op with both my wonderful kiddos...

and our little family...

Then on to Papaw and Mamaw's house to meet some of the Davidson family. We were so excited to introduce Cade to Great-Grandma Martin (and Great-Grandpa, too!).

Saying hello to sweet Aunt Susan...
and a long-awaited introduction to Aunt Pam... who couldn't wait to get her hands on Cade! :)
Ella kept us all entertained...

Then after dinner, it was back to Grammy's to drop off Ella. She gets to stay a few days and hopefully get some good time in with the family. We love the fact that she gets these opportunities to hang out, and we love the quiet time at home, but, man, it is so hard to leave her! We try to give her hugs and kisses and she just says, "Okay, bye!" Little stinker! See ya soon! Have fun, Ella!

Hanging out at home

Just some pictures from our days here at home. We pulled out the baby gym for Cade to see if he would enjoy it as much as Ella used to. He was pretty entertained for about 10 minutes...

Ella, on the other hand, was entertained all afternoon. :) She kept saying, "Mommy, I reallly, really like this new baby toy!"

Another pic of Ella, my sweet sleeping princess, in her new favorite napping place... her doggy sleeping bag.
And check out Cade's hair!! He's a wild man!