Addie's first steps!

Over the weekend we got to spend some time in our neighborhood with great friends...the Brown's and the Cox's.

The highlight of the evening was going back to our house for bathtime and getting to see Addie take her very first steps!!  I got so excited I threw my camera down after this quick picture and started clapping with Megan!

New Videos!

Another one of Ella's favorite birthday gifts was a baby stroller. My sister knows how much Ella loves her babies, and the stroller was the perfect gift! It's much lighter than Ella's walkers, so she had to learn how to push it gently without toppling over! And now, she pushes it gently all over the house and loves to put her babies and anything else in it!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNe1jGVvBFk


For Memorial Day, we got to spend some time at Aunt Kim's pool and Ella had a great time! The pool has the perfect "beach entrance" with 3 water spouts that Ella absolutely loved playing with. She would stick her face in and get soaked! We can't wait to go back!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipvFfrvyudA&feature=channel_page


And while you're checking out the links, be sure to check out the Brown Family blog to see our girls in their matching outfits!
http://brownfamily08.blogspot.com/2009/05/addies-first-steps.html

My new RED WAGON

One of Ella's favorite birthday gifts was a WAGON! She loves it and gets so excited every time she sees it sitting in the garage. She just wants to jump in and start riding! We've only had it for 1 week and have already gotten so much use out of it!

This was her first ride in the neighborhood, also wearing one of her adorable new birthday dresses!

...having fun with friends and neighbors....

Having fun with Addie!

...and her cousin, Preston....

the wagon has great cupholders that can also be used as foot rests!

even Jake gets to join in on the wagon fun! :)

Party Time!

Last Saturday, May 16, we had a fun birthday party for Ella! It was scheduled to be a backyard party, but after it rained most of the day, we had to move it inside. It was still a lot of fun and the weather cleared up enough that the kids were able to run around and play outside afterall.

the invitation...

the decorations....

hanging the pictures and clothes was my most favorite part of the party. My mom and I had so much fun the night before going through each picture and cute outfit and talking about memories for each and every picture and clothing. Then at the party we got so many compliments...everyone loved it!

13 months of pictures...from day 1 to 1 month to 12 months....

our family of three...waiting for the party to start....

the birthday girl....waiting for her guests....

Yay!! My best friend is here...now the party can really begin!

time to sing!

From Ella's perspective (one half of the room)....

dig in!

Presents!

By this time of the party, Ella was pretty much done, so we just opened a few presents before heading up to bathtime...

This stroller is one of her favorites for sure! I have a cute video that i will post soon. She puts her baby in and pushes her around the house.

All clean and saying goodbye....

After filling up with sugar from the cake and icing, Ella had SO much energy after her party was over. She was running and playing all over the living room and stayed up until almost 10pm playing and burning off the energy!! You can see it in her eyes that she had a "sugar-high".

What a great party!

Happy Birthday to my best friend, Addie Brown!

To my forever friend, Addie Brown. There is no doubt that we were destined to be best friends. When I first met you, you were 3 days old and I was 9 days old. I knew then that we had a special bond.

6 months later, our bond was even tighter as we celebrated our 6-month birthdays.

I'll always be there if you need a shoulder to lean on....

And now, another 6 months later, here we are celebrating our 1-year birthdays!
Finally, we are big enough to get up and play together!

I love you like a sister! Thanks for being there as we continue growing up together. We'll always have each other! I hope you have a WONDERFUL day today!! I can't wait to see you at school!

happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear ella pearl, happy birthday to you!

Rise and shine birthday girl!

The morning of your birthday was SO much fun! Daddy and I both took the day off work so that we could spend the ENTIRE day with you, just the three of us! The day started with us singing happy birthday and bringing you some balloons to tie to your crib! You were in a GREAT mood and had a huge smile on your face from the moment you saw us. I think you knew it was your special day! ;)

After coming downstairs, it was time for a few presents that came in the mail and just a couple of small things from mommy and daddy. You got some great stuff, including an adorable little party hat that was perfect for the day (thanks Cat!!)

After presents, Daddy made some delicious pancakes, and we got to sing happy birthday again! You liked the special touch of whip cream just for your birthday! That was probably your first taste of sugar...ever! :)

After breakfast, you played outside in your "birthday suit", and loved roaming around the deck. Daddy had it all cleared off to powerwash, and you loved having a clean slate to explore!

After naptime, it was time to head downtown to play at the park and take a few family pictures! Once again, you just loved roaming around. Now that you are walking 100% of the time, it's a whole new world for you!

After a yummy dinner downtown at Rosarios, we made another stop for a special birthday treat!

Amy's Ice Cream!! You got your very first taste of ice cream and it was a hit!

You tasted both vanilla and chocolate, and we decided to get vanilla with strawberries that we all shared. Here you are waiting patiently after your first taste of chocolate.

Daddy had SO much fun! Ice cream is his favorite, and he absolutely loved sharing with you!

That was the end of a wonderful day!

(more to come with party pics soon...)