1 1/2

Ella Kate is 1 1/2!!! Time is flying by and we will be celebrating birthday number 2 in no time (I am a bit obsessive and have already been searching for birthday themes/invites for June...I know, I am crazy!) Anyway, Ella Kate has had a great month and has spent more days away from her own bed then in it. We are so lucky that she will sleep wherever we drag her and just roll with the flow. She and I have been staying in Madison this week while J has been at the Breakthru youth retreat outside Jackson. I have been going back and forth to camp and EK went out there one day too. She is LOVING staying at Kay Kay and G's house and will probably pitch a large fit when she has to go back to Hattiesburg!!!

Ella Kate has had a bit of a cold this month and had a double ear infection. Please pray for her ears to clear up and stay clear because her doctor has mentioned tubes and I just would rather avoid it if we can right now. As far as new words/tricks...one is that due to her runny nose situation, she has learned to point to her snot and say "bubbles" (thank you Haley for that one!) She is still loving her books. Goodnight Moon is one of her favorites and she can identify every detail in the book. She also loves the Heroes of the Bible soft book that was Haley's. It has all these little stuffed characters and she takes them all out and then puts them all back over and over again. She is obsessed with watching the fire place. She does not get close to it, but insists that the "hot" be on at all times. She still loves the Christmas tree and she is going to not be a happy camper when we take it down. She is eating about the same things, but has discovered that she really enjoys Jello. EK has also started telling me when she goes to the bathroom. She will point to her diaper and say "poop"...I know that is probably TMI, but I am proud that she tells me!!! It gives me hope that maybe we will only be buying diapers for several more months.
Today, we had lunch with our sweet friends Amanda Blair, Sally and Vera Kate Ray and Sally's mom Vera Ann (Annie). It was so fun to get to visit and Ella Kate LOVED Vera Kate. Sweet VK started to cry because she was hungry and EK just watched her with such a concerned look. Once VK stopped crying, EK went on about her business. She was just taking care of her "baby" as she calls her.

J and I are heading to Jacksonville tomorrow!!! Let's go State!!!

Christmas in Madison

We spent Christmas day with my family in Madison. We even had a few snow flakes!!! It was a great day!!! My grandparents and one of my aunts came over and we had a yummy lunch and some good laughs.Merry Christmas from our little family!!!



Four generations
Ella Kate with Papaw and Mamaw
Ella Kate loves these two girls. Thank you Jo and Hey for playing with EK and spoiling her rotten!!

Aunt Haley gave Ella Kate some Super Why gear. We LOVE Super Why!!! Since we don't have TV at our house, my sweet Aunt Carolyn has made multiple DVDs of the show for EK to watch!
Haley also gave EK the Good Night Moon soft sided, interactive book. EK loves the book and loves this one that has removable parts even more. Thanks Hey!!!
Jordan gave Ella Kate a wooden puzzle with her name on it. She is really good at finding the E when we ask her where it is! LOVE IT!!!
What a fun gift!!! Kay Kay recorded herself reading "The First Christmas" for EK. It is so special and Ella Kate will treasure it forever..even if Kay Kay thinks she sounds silly on the recording =)

I think this little girl may need a tricycle!!! She found this toy one under the tree and had fun playing it.

Ho Ho Ho

Ella Kate must have been a sweet girl this year because Santa (or Ho Ho, as she calls him) came to see her.EK made these cookies in Columbus to leave for "Ho Ho."
She was so excited to see her new things for the first time!!!
Forget the big stuff, EK went straight for the "WOO WOO!"
I hope that she will love her kitchen as much as my sisters and I did growing up!
I am obsessed with her Baby Be Blessed doll!!! J picked out the scripture patch on the little doll's tummy and I just think she is so special!
EK was a big fan of the pot holder that came with some of her kitchen food. She kept in on her hand even when playing with other things. I think she thinks it is a mitten...oh well.
Playing in her tent.
EK thought that this little book was the funniest thing ever. She was laughing like crazy every time she turned the page. I am so thankful I have a little girl who LOVES her books!!!

Now, on to Christmas in Jackson...

Christmas Eve

We had a special treat in that J's parents and Meemaw came to Hattiesburg for Christmas Eve. We ate a tasty lunch (sandwiches and chips and dips...let's be honest...it was at our house and I am not much of a cook) and just had a laid back day. Some friends that the Nelsons have known for a long time live in Hburg, so they came over for a little visit as well. We had a nice time and Ella Kate was entertaining as always. We then went to the Christmas Eve service at Heritage. J and I were able to light the Christ candle of the advent wreath and read the scripture. Our sweet pastor wanted Ella Kate to be a part too...this made me nervous. (I don't want to be that pastor's family that everyone talks about with the terrible children, so I wanted her to be on her best behavior. At 18 months old though, you never know what you are going to get) Anyway, Ella Kate was a little angel!!! She even added a little "Amen" at the end of the prayer and said "Light, Light, Light" as J was lighting the candles. Everyone thought she was just precious! It was a beautiful service and a perfect way to celebrate the birth of the King! Thanks Nana, Pop, and Meemaw for making the drive down to celebrate with us!

Lewis Lights

Last night, we went to see the "Lewis Lights" right outside of Hattiesburg with our friends Mason, Kristen, Will and Warren Faggert. These lights were quite impressive...some strands of lights were actually white lights that were colored by hand with a sharpie to achieve the desired color...over the top...I think so! It is just a house with a ridiculous amount of lights, wooden cutouts, and decorations, but it is a must see in our area. This family creates all of the wooden characters themselves. They have everything from the first Christmas to the Rugrat characters to see as you weave through the pathways they have around their house. Ella Kate was especially fond of the Thomas the Tank Engine display. She LOVES a "Woo Woo."


Ella Kate has two boyfriends...who happen to be brothers. Will (in the above picture) and Warren (pictured below) are her best friends. Will and Warren fight over Ella Kate and she just eats up all their attention and affection. They never leave church with out sharing a big, juicy kiss...I know, I know...we should put a stop to this, but it is really sweet!

The Amazing Kelly Hayes

While we were in Columbus, we were able to visit with some sweet friends. Our precious friend Kelly snapped some pictures of Ella Kate while we were hanging out. I LOVE how they turned out and here are some of my favorite. She is an INCREDIBLE photographer in Columbus if you ever need one. She does portraits in the studio and she also does outdoor portraits. Check her out on facebook!!! Thank you Aunt Kel and Auntie Em for playing with us and for capturing these sweet pictures of my sweet girl!





Sweet love for Auntie Em...Emily was in my D-group from 8th grade-11th grade. She is a precious friend and EK thinks she hung the moon!!!!

Christmas in Columbus

We had a great time hanging out in Columbus for a few days. Ella Kate, John David, and Gregory had a great time playing together and it is always good to get together with the Nelson family.It is nearly impossible to get these three to cooperate for a picture. They all have such funny personalities and are always entertaining!!!
The weather was nice so we did some playing outside. Ella Kate loves to be outside and drove the car up and down the driveway for a long time. Gregory was not too crazy about her riding in "his" car. We are all learning how to share!!!


Aunt Lee Lee, me and EK getting ready for our Christmas dinner
EK saying her prayers....the funniest thing that she does now during prayers is that she squints her eyes...I guess she sees us peaking at her so she does it too.
Pop and his munckins


Sweet love!!!
Ella Kate really liked her little reindeer outside the Nelson's house. It even had a bow like hers!!
J's Aunt Betty invited us over to make Christmas cookies. It was so fun and I am already excited about doing it again next year!
Ella Kate made tree cookies to leave for Santa.
Getting some love from Aunt Betty...thanks Aunt Betty for the cute Christmas apron you made for EK!!
And getting some more love from Aunt Lee Lee