Ella Kate is 5!

What is your name?  Ella Kate Nelson
How old are you? 5
What makes you happy?  when I am with my family
What is your favorite thing to do?  painting and dancing
What is something you like to eat? yogurt smoothies
What is something you don't like to eat? pepperoni pizza
What is your favorite animal?  unicorns
What is your favorite Bible story?  when Jesus was born
What is your favorite TV show?  My Little Pony
What are you really good at? painting and reading
What is your favorite movie? Frozen
What is your favorite color? purple and pink
What is your favorite song?  Your Love Never Fails (One Thing Remains)
Who is your best friend?  Mary Reeves the real one, not my doll =)
What do you like to do with mommy?  snuggle
What do you like to do with daddy? play a family game
What do you like to do with Walker?  ride in the car on the buggy at Kroger
What is your favorite sport? jump rope
Where is your favorite place to go?  Newk's and the Dollar Tree
What is your favorite book? The Little Mermaid in my big princess story book
What do you want to be when you grow up?  a cheerleader doctor


Ella Kate, I can not believe you are 5!  There are so many things about you that seem so very grown up, but when I look at you, you are still my precious baby girl.  You have such a kind heart and are always looking out for others.  Your brother thinks you hung the moon and you are quite fond of him as well.  Poor little guy has 2 mamas!  You still love your lambies and can't sleep without them.  I guess they will probably move in to the dorm with you when we drop you off at State in a few years.  You love your dolls and barbies but Mary Reeves (named after Mary Reeves Gordon) your American Girl twin doll is your absolute favorite.  You love anything princess and the girlier the better.  You will only wear dresses and you are really loving to add a headband alongside your big bows.  You love to learn and one of the things I will never forget is watching you as you learned to read.  It is amazing to listen to you and see how proud you are of yourself.  I'm pretty proud too.  You are still the pickiest eater.  Maybe one day you will learn that there are other yummy foods out there beside grilled cheese sandwiches.  You love to sing and have been busy learning several songs in Mandarin to sing to Emma.  Dancing and art projects are a must for you as well. You say the funniest things and you are incredibly expressive when you speak.  Ella Kate, you are one loved little girl and the last 5 years have been amazing.  We love you dearly and pray that the Lord will use you in a mighty way for the Kingdom. We are excited to watch you grow and we are so grateful to have you in our family.  Happy Birthday Ella Kate!!!!! 

Down By The Bay--Part 2

We spent our morning on the beach.  This was Walker's first time and my oh my...he was a fan!!! We had a  fabulous time playing together and we left with some sandy, worn out little people!!!!

And just because I love some B&W pictures.....

We loved, loved, loved our little visit in Bay St. Louis!! Thank you Aunt Carolyn!!!

Down By The Bay--Part 1

Ella Kate has been begging to make a little road trip down to the coast to play with Aunt Carolyn.  So, Mom, Haley, the kids and I loaded up and headed south.  The weather turned out just perfect for all the activities that we had planned.  

This is my Papaw's swing that lives at Aunt Carolyn's house now.  It was at his house in Starkville and Brandon and I have MANY memories of swinging for hours on it with my cousin Katie.  It just makes my heart happy to see my littles on this special swing!

 Our first stop was the playground.  We have made several trips to this hidden gem in the past.  The bridge that connects Bay St. Louis and Pass Christian was wiped out during Katrina.  When they rebuilt it, they added this amazing playground under the bridge.  It is so nice to have the breeze blowing from the water and the much appreciated shade provided by the bridge.  Pretty smart thinking on their part for sure!!!

Walker has NO fear.  When he saw EK climb up the big ladder to the big slide, he had to do it too.  I'm sure this is absolutely safe.....

 Next up was the splash pad.

We had a fabulous time in Bay St. Louis and so appreciate Aunt Carolyn's hospitality and willingness to take in our wild bunch!!! Pictures from the beach are up next....

These Are The Days

Summer is treating us well!! As much as I love a good schedule and routine, the go with the flow attitude this summer is a welcomed change of pace.

We went for our weekly visit at my Papaw's and Aunt Carolyn was in town.  My kids always love going to play at Papaw's, but having Aunt Carolyn made it extra fun!

 Anchors away!!! We picked up mom before going to Papaw's and these 3 all had anchors in their eyes!

We are a host family for the International Ballet Competition that is in town.  Pretty amazing to me that this big deal event has Jackson as a host site every 4 years.  I'm sure the dancers from around the world are super impressed by "The City of Grace and Benevolence."  Anyway, our dancer competed on Wednesday, so EK and I went to show our support.  Dude was a BEAST!!!!  He made it on to the second round and is dancing again this weekend.

EK loves to craft and do art projects, so an art camp at the Children's Museum seemed like a perfect fit. EK and her bff Ruthie had a BLAST last week making lots of treasures.  Thank you Kay Kay for gifting my craft loving little girl with such a fun experience for her bday!!!!

EK has been begging for an Easy Bake Oven. So, with some bday gift cards from Nana, EK purchased her beloved oven the other night.  We all enjoyed some tasty cookies after our dinner.  Nothing like tiny little cookies cooked over a light bulb!!!!!

And finally, I leave you with these three....I can't even deal....they are my world!!!

Happy Monday!

Fire and Ice

Today was the much anticipated joint birthday party for the Nelson kids.  Walker wanted a fire truck theme and EK wanted Frozen, so with those 2 very similar themes in mind, "Fire and Ice" was born.  We decided to have the party at the church and take advantage of the gym!  I had fun with the decorations and getting everything together.  Here are a few snapshots...

 The Cookie Mama did not disappoint!!! The cookies were ADORABLE!!!!!

 We snagged some family photos before all our friends arrived.  Our families were HUGE helps today (and everyday!)  The party was only possible because of ALL of their help!!! Thanks guys!

 Aunt Carolyn is just so much fun!

 Thanks to Haley for documenting our day in pictures!!! You are awesome!

 My sweet big girl asked her friends to bring food items instead of gifts to be donated to a local food pantry.  It was completely her idea and I love how compassionate she is.  We have so much to be grateful for and it is just so special to see her heart for the less fortunate.

Walker had to check out the goods.  He of course picked a box of rice.  He eats rice for every meal!

 The kids played and played in the gym.  We had "pin the nose on Olaf."

 The girls made their own wands.

 The boys did a lot of running

 and jumping in the bouncy house.  They all actually LOVED the bouncy house!!!!

 We did a little ball toss game

 and threw the hula hoop on the fire extinguisher.

 Well, in theory the hula hoop was for the fire extinguisher game....

 Walker chased around the love of his life for a while as well.

 After playing so hard, it was time to eat! EK requested ice cream for her "Frozen" food.  So, we had all the fixings for ice cream sundaes.  So fun!!!  She loaded up on the gummy bears...shocker.

 Time to sing!!!

We are so thankful to all our sweet friends who came to the party.  Here are just a few more pictures of some of the party guests.

These two have my heart! It was so fun getting to celebrate them!