J, Wesley and Ella Kate Nelson

A Rainy Day

2012-02-04T14:00:00.000-08:00

It has been quite the soggy day today! So, Mom, Dad and I took Ella Kate to the Children's Museum for a little fun.

This little girl LOVES her letter. She can spot it anywhere and everywhere. I love hearing her spell her name and watching her as she writes "Ella." It is so sweet!!! We are working on the "Kate" part now...baby steps!!!
G and EK were entertained by a little puppet show presented by Kay Kay. It involved an armadillo, and a lady bug. It was interesting!!
EK challenged her G to a horse race...
EK won!

You have to love the spin art! Ella Kate was very proud of her creation and carried it all over the place once it dried.
Working hard!!!!

We had a great time at the museum. I love that Mississippi has such a fun place for kids to play and explore!

Beauty and the Beast

2012-01-16T16:26:00.001-08:00

Today we took Ella Kate to her first movie. She is loving all the Disney movies she got for Christmas, so I knew she would love getting to see Belle on the big screen. EK did great and really seemed to enjoy it. I love getting to see all the expressions she makes and all the emotions she feels. She would say "I not like the beast. He not act nice." And then after the beast starts to come around, she was like, "aww look. He is being sweet now." It was really a fun way to spend the day and I can't wait to take her to more movies!!!

Our Saturday

2012-01-15T16:04:00.000-08:00

We had a special treat yesterday at our house. My aunts, uncles, and Papaw were all visiting on the coast, so they drove up to Hattiesburg to have lunch with us. Mom and Dad came down too and we had a great time catching up and just being together. I can't wait until June when we will all be together again to celebrate my cousin Katie's wedding!!!! It was a GORGEOUS day yesterday and EK loved playing outside. She wanted to play hide and seek, so G helped her find a good hiding spot.
"1,2,3,4....."
"Ready or not, here I come!!!!!"
"Oh no! Daddy caught me!!!!"

What will it be?

2012-01-03T07:01:00.001-08:00

We're having a boy!!

Christmas in Madison

2011-12-26T12:09:00.000-08:00

We headed out of the Burg towards Madison in a downpour, but we made it! Ella Kate was so very excited to see everyone and to open more presents.Papaw and Aunt Carolyn found this owl to put in the yard. Everyone thought Ella Kate might be creeped out by it...not the case. She took a nap with it yesterday. She loves an owl!
We have loved having Jordan home from Virginia! While J and I were away, EK got some seriously play time with her Auntie Jo.
Big G has been spoiling EK too. Anything that she asks him to do, he does. She has him wrapped around that little finger for sure.

Reindeer ears for the sisters picture...check!
Papaw always plays with EK (and all of us when we were little) to find the "gitchy-gitchy-goo." EK decided to find Papaw's too.
Aunt Carolyn got a surprise gift from her sisters and nieces and nephew...an iPad!
And this was her reaction...
And J's reaction...
Now a sweet picture of EK, Papaw, and the owls
Present time!!!!
It's a pillow. It's a pet. It's a pillow pet!

Hail State!!!

This little diva loves to sing in the microphones at church. Haley got her a microphone of her own. She LOVES it and has put on a few performances.

We had a great day yesterday! We ate and ate and ate, played apples to apples, laughed, and just enjoyed being together. We are blessed indeed to have such a wonderful family!

Someone was a Good Girl!

2011-12-26T09:39:00.000-08:00

Ella Kate was super excited when she went to sleep on Christmas Eve to see her presents the next morning. She WAS NOT super excited at the thought of the guy in the big red suit coming into her house while she was asleep. We told her not to worry because we would have Santa just leave her gifts outside and we would move them in later for her. That seemed to ease her mind!

Catching the first glimpse of her new loot
Ella Kate asked for three things this year. This list never changed over the span of several months. The list included a baby, a purple owl, and paper clips. Yep, paper clips. When we went to visit Santa, he said that it was the first time in all of his many years to have such a request. Go figure!
Santa did leave her a few other new goodies as well including Cinderella's castle complete with all the Disney princesses and their Prince Charmings. Who's excited? This mama!!! I love Disney!!!! Kay Kay and G even got EK a ton of Disney movies too like The Little Mermaid, Sleeping Beauty, Mulan, and more!!! I can't wait!!!!!! We did have to hide the Beast. EK said he was mean and he could not be in the castle.

Everyone needs new panties in their stocking, right?
Ella Kate climbed in her daddy's lap after playing for a bit and said, "I want to tell Santa thank you." How sweet is that! We told her we would write him a thank you note and mail it to him.
The little mama rocking her baby...affectionately named America like all her other babies.
Merry Christmas my little monkey!
You think this little girl loves her daddy? Lately, she has become the BIGGEST daddy's girl! I don't think he minds!!!
I was even able to snag a quick picture before church. We had a super fun morning and it was so special to get to go to church on Christmas morning. We had a great service with our incredible church family and then hit to road for Madison. More pictures to come!

Christmas Eve

2011-12-26T09:32:00.001-08:00

Ella Kate and I spent Christmas Eve baking treats. It was quite MESSY but oh so very fun. We made a birthday cake for Jesus and cookies for Santa. EK sang "happy birthday to Jesus" the whole time we were working on the cake. She even went to get her baby Jesus from her nativity to show him what she had made...then she put him right in the middle of the cake. I am sure he was pleased!

The City of Lights

2011-12-22T08:40:00.001-08:00

Ella Kate has been living it up in Madison! Last night, Kay Kay, G, Jordan and Haley took her to the lights in Canton. To say that Ella Kate LOVES Christmas lights is an understatement! I am so very thankful to my family for allowing us to get away for a few days and for treating EK like a queen...she may be slightly depressed to be at home with us now!!

While Mom and Dad Are Away, Ella Kate Will Play

2011-12-21T12:16:00.000-08:00

Hi Mommy and Daddy,

I hope you guys have had fun at the beach! I can't wait to see you both tomorrow!!! While you have been gone, I have been keeping very busy at G and Kay Kay's house. I love all of the Christmas decorations, especially the nativities. I have been spending a lot of time on the stairs playing with Mary, Joseph, the wise kings and, of course, BABY JESUS!!!

Brantley has been a good sport about sharing the house with me. He even came out of his room to visit today.

My aunts have been doing their very best to entertain me. Haley even painted my nails this morning! Get ready mom, they are really pink!

We have been doing a lot of fun things outside the house, too. The other day, we went to the cool new park in Flowood. It is huge!!! I had fun driving the fire truck and spinning the merry-go-round.

We also visited Papaw and the ducks at St. Catherine's. I heard that an owl has been hanging around there, but I haven't seen it yet. I'll have to keep looking.

St. Catherine's has lots of great Christmas decorations. My favorite is the big train! I could watch it for hours!

I guess that's all for now. I have to get ready for tonight. We are going to Canton to look at the Christmas lights. I wish you were here! See you soon!

Love,

Ella Kate

Nelson Family Christmas--Part 2

2011-12-11T16:22:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, we celebrated with Mr. David's brothers and sisters. He is the youngest of 10 and so they have quite a LARGE family!!! It was a great time to be together!!!Our little part of the Nelson family.
Everyone NEEDED to sit in Nana's lap. I don't think she minded!
Why not put on some sporting equipment and play with the boys!! She was very outnumbered but she thought she could hang with the boys.
I love my little elf!
She LOVES her Pop too!
Little Missy was pooped from all the festivities so she decided to just lay down with her "family" as she calls all of her dolls and stuffed things, and just rest for a bit while the adults opened presents.
It is such a blessing to be able to spend time with extended family that we do not see very often and we look forward to many more gatherings with everyone!

Nelson Family Christmas--Part 1

2011-12-11T15:36:00.000-08:00

This weekend, we had a blast hanging out with the Nelson family. Ella Kate absolutely LOVES having her cousins to play with!!!
Gregory and Ella Kate were so anxious to open gifts. They rushed through dinner to get down to the business of the presents.
Daddy had to give a little assistance with the new scooter. I fear that she will be taking off on this cute little thing before too long. Notice the Dorothy red sparkle TOMS. The new obsession of Miss Priss. She thinks they look great with every outfit.
EK asked for three things for Christmas this year. The first was a baby. This one that Nana got is precious and quite realistic. It cries, laughs, breathes, you get the picture. EK named her baby America....which is also the name she is suggesting for her baby brother or sister....don't think that will happen!
Nana gave EK some tips for keeping her little one happy.
We got some good loving from Meemaw too.
After presents, we went to Aunt Betty's house to make Christmas cookies. A super huge thank you to Aunt Betty for doing this with EK. She LOVES to cook...and do the chicken dance, apparently!

And just for kicks, a bath time photo that will come back to embarrass these two when they are grown!

It is Beginning to Look Like Christmas

2011-12-11T04:54:00.001-08:00

A super huge thank you to my mom and aunt Carolyn for helping get our house festive this year! We had a great time!!! Thank you so very much!!!!

Turkey Day with The Joneses

2011-11-25T06:50:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Thanksgiving the very traditional way with the Jones family....by celebrating Christmas! This has been the Jones way of doing things for as long as I can remember. We had great food, great fellowship, and just a great time all being together. Here is Mammaw Jones with all her grands, and great grands.
Ella Kate was super excited to open presents this year. She opened all of mine as well!
This little girl loves her aunts so very much...I think they like her too!
Getting some snuggle time with Mammaw Jones
"Peek a Boo!" Every time our friend Kelly Hayes takes EK's pictures, she always gets her to do the "Peek a Boo" picture. Now, EK does it every time she sees a tree. Funny stuff!

Silly Daddy =)
Ok, seriously!!!! How cute are these two???? I could just eat that Archer Jones up!!!!

We had fun celebrating!!! Now...on to the decorating!!! Usually by the second week in November, I am all decorated....not so much this year. Oh well! We will get it done eventually!!! Have a great Black Friday and #HailState!!!!

Mickey Mouse on Ice!!!!

2011-11-21T05:58:00.000-08:00

We took Ella Kate to see Mickey Mouse and Friends on Ice this weekend. She has been so very excited about getting to see her friends, as she calls them.
Here are just a couple of the faces Ella Kate made while watching the performance. The first...shock and awe.
And the..."Oh My."
We loaded up quite the posse for our little venture. It was super fun and EK gave all the adults a chance to see something we would have wanted to go see anyway...even without a child. We love Disney!!!
Jordan and Haley are both home for Thanksgiving, and EK is a loving all the attention.
Aunt Carolyn was in town too so she joined us. Aunt Carolyn and Ella Kate share a love for the big mouse!!!!
My favorite performance that we saw was The Little Mermaid. I say "that we saw" because midway through the third little performance, the power in the coliseum went out. What? Seriously? Yes, no power in that big old joint. The emergency lights came on luckily because it would have been quite terrible had it stayed pitch black. After the unscheduled intermission, they finally just cancelled the show. That was a bummer. Now, we get to take our tickets back and get tickets to another Disney show when it comes back to town. I was sad that we missed the rest of the show, but Ella Kate didn't seems to mind. She was good with seeing Mickey and friends, Simba, and Ariel. So all in all, it was a successful little adventure.
Thank you G and Kay Kay for taking us to the show!!!!

Little Indian

2011-11-20T19:23:00.001-08:00

Ella Kate had her Thanksgiving feast at preschool on Friday. She LOVED her Indian shirt that Kay Kay made and was super excited to get to wear another "Halloween costume" as she called it. I guess anytime she gets to wear something other than smocked or monogrammed, it is Halloween. :)Ella Kate loves her teacher Ms Brenda. She has already done so much for Ella Kate this year. You should sees these little two year olds walking down the hall with their little hands behind their backs in their little line. Absolutely precious!!! EK has also learned the importance of sharing thanks to the efforts of Ms Brenda. We are so thankful for such a sweet, loving, woman of Christ helping to shape our little monkey girl.

Pumpkins

2011-11-15T17:10:00.000-08:00

We are excited to announce that we are expecting the newest Nelson pumpkin in May!!!

Football Fun

2011-11-15T16:50:00.000-08:00

I am a little behind with the blogging, so I will start with Homecoming. We were beyond thrilled and proud of our sweet Emily Hayes!!!! Emily was in our youth group in Columbus, my d group of jr high girls, our wedding, and has just been such a special person in our lives. I cried like crazy when I found out she was going to be one of the senior homecoming maids this year. She is such an amazing woman of God and has the sweetest heart in the world. She was so deserving of the honor and looked beautiful as always!!!! Ella Kate loves the DG house. She keeps telling people that she went on a trip to the DG house and she wants to live there. Hilarious! She and Haley both seem to love Bully! :)
On to the Alabama game...
We got to visit with Sally and Vera Kate. Ella Kate and Vera Kate were so funny together. They just kept giggling and running around. It makes you wonder what it going through their brains!!
Meaghan stopped by Sally's tent after dropping off her kiddos. I just LOVE getting to see these girls and I am so thankful for their friendship over the last 11 years...WOW...how can we be that old?
All suited up in our cold weather gear for the game. The wind was brutal!!
EK was pretty upset that there were no fireworks, but all was better when the huge flag was spread out on the field. It gets me every time! I love getting to see all the veterans stand up. It is so special!
J took off work on Sunday so we could spend some time with his parents, and his brother's family for his birthday.
There was swinging, gator riding, and many, many, many trips around the house on the golf cart. Fun times for sure!!!

Trunk or Treat

2011-11-01T17:04:00.000-07:00

Sunday afternoon was HUMC's Trunk or Treat. It is super fun and a great community outreach project that our church does. There was a huge crowd and we had an awesome time.

We were glad to have Kay Kay and G with us for the festivities.
My little owl took home the prize for the best costume in the 0-4 year old division. Mommy is pretty excited about that Sonic card!!!!

Mitchell Farms

2011-11-01T16:34:00.000-07:00

Mitchell Farms was on the agenda for Saturday morning. We went last year and LOVED it, so we knew it was a must for our family this year.Ella Kate worked hard to find the perfect pumpkin. She didn't seem to mind that every pumpkin she chose was either bruised, or lumpy. Oh well! To each his own!!!
She also insisted on pulling the wagon full of pumpkins. It proved a bit difficult and she finally gave in and let her daddy pull it....with her inside as well!
Haley came to meet us and Ella Kate was thrilled to get to spend the day with her!
The wagon ride around the farm was a big hit.
As well as the precious wooden rocking horses. Ella Kate tried out all 15 of the horses to finally come to a decision as to which one was her favorite.

Ella Kate was not so sure about the big corn pool (or whatever it is called) so J tried to help convince her to give it a shot...no such luck. Mom and I decided that school playgrounds should be filled with corn instead of sand. It would make our lives SOOOOOO much easier!!!!!
Playing Indian with Haley...if only Haley would have had on her Halloween costume...it would have been perfection!
We took a little ride through the cotton field on the "train." Nothing like riding in a barrel!!!! Oh, the things we do for our kids!
Silly girls!
Thank you Kay Kay and G for joining us for a fun day at the farm!!! We had a blast!!!!

Trick or Treat on Greek Street

2011-11-01T16:23:00.000-07:00

On Friday night, we bundled up and headed to USM to trick or treat on sorority row. Ella Kate had a blast and enjoyed all the attention from the college girls. (There were only about 10 kids that showed up because it was icky weather...EK thought it was awesome!)She's a pretty cute little owl!!!
Since there were so few kids, all the sweet girls let Ella Kate have as many goodies as she could fit in her basket. She kept saying, "I can have some more, please?" Too bad she doesn't even like chocolate!!!! J and I have been enjoying her bounty!!
Although my sweet girl was dressed as an owl....she knows where she belongs!!!!!! After saying "thank you" at each house, Ella Kate would immediately say, "I go to just one more house, please?" She had a blast and it was a fun way to kick of our very full weekend of Halloween festivities. More posts to come!

SMTTT

2011-10-23T14:38:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we ventured out to USM for our first game/tailgate experience. It was a bit different from tailgating in the Junction, but it was a great day and the Eagles got a big Homecoming win.We set up a HUMC tent and had a great turn out of students and adults. Ella Kate was super excited to have her buddy Patrick at the tent. They WILL be married one day!
EK's favorite babysitter Rachel was at the tent too. EK LOVED all the attention from the big kids!!

We went to the Eagle Walk. I really liked how they do things. Everyone lines up like at the Dawg Walk, but before the team walks through, motorcycle police officers, the Dixie Darlings, band, and cheerleaders come through on their way to the field. It was a super fun way to do things.
Ella Kate really enjoyed the pregame activities. We were super close to the field and the stadium has a really intimate feel. EK cheered and waved at the players and cheerleaders and just had a grand ole time. She LOVED the fact that the cheerleaders flags said "EAGLES." She kept saying "I see my letter!!!! There are 2 of my letters!!!"
Ek caught a ride back to the car on daddy. It was a great night in Hattiesburg for the Nelson family!

Starkville Fun

2011-10-20T14:34:00.000-07:00

I look so forward to our Saturdays in Starkville and I believe I have successfully passed on my love for all things Bulldogs to my child. Ella Kate asks EVERY SINGLE DAY if she can go to the football game and to "Missy State." It is pretty sweet, but she just can't seem to understand that we only get to do it every few weeks. We met G and Kay Kay downtown for the South Carolina game so Ella Kate could ride on to campus on the bus. She loves transportation vehicles, so we knew this would be a hit. We were right, she LOVED getting to see everything and entertained all the other passengers.
My sweet girl was cracking me up with her cowbell. If she saw that the people around us were screaming, cheering, or ringing, she would grab her bell and ring it like a crazy woman! I was a little nervous that she would be ringing it and accidentally let go and knock out the people in front of us...luckily, we made it through the game without that happening!
On our way out of town, we ran by the park so we could see Haley quickly. It was a beautiful day and EK and Haley seemed to enjoy playing on the equipment for a few minutes.

We are already excited for our next trip to Sville and our fingers are crossed that we will actually be able to win a game...maybe!

Playing Dress Up

2011-10-20T13:15:00.001-07:00

(yes, I know it has been forever since my last post. I will try and do better. I am trying to post from my phone so maybe it will work. Please excuse the poor quality of the iPhone pictures!)

The Bulldog Black Out

2011-09-25T10:37:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Ella Kate and I loaded up with Kay Kay,
and Big G to head to Starkville to see the Bulldogs.
We picked up Haley and had a yummy lunch at the Grill...MMMM cheese sticks!!!!!....and then topped off our tasty lunch with some yogurt from Local Culture. It was DELICIOUS!!!!!!

Next, it was on to the tailgates. We did not set up a tailgate, but roamed around and got to visit with tons of sweet friends. First stop, the Columbus tent.
Ella Kate played a little bean bag toss....more like stole the bean bag mid game from some boys and took off with it. =)
We got some good hugs from precious Pam Sykes. EK kept saying, "It's too bright. I can't see." Hence the closed eyes in pictures. Oh well.

We also got to visit with Mary Dade...
and Celia Ford. We love getting to see our special friends from Columbus!!!!

Next stop, The Bulldog Buddies Tent:
We always love getting to see the Gordon Fam!!
I think that Ella Kate thought that Murphy was her little doll to play with. She wanted to hug him the whole time we were there. He was a good sport.
There were hugs to share with Mary Reeves too. I can't wait to show these pictures one day when they are in college together!!!!
It's hard work to get little ones to cooperate for my little photo sessions with so much going on around them! They are pretty sweet girls though!!!!
On to the Grenada Dawgs:
We stopped by sweet Sally's tent to get some Vera Kate love and also got to see a few DG friends. Tollie and Wendy were there visiting too! One of my favorite parts of football season is getting to see so many precious friends that I don't get to see often! It is great!!!!

Finally, it was GAME TIME!!!! We were all dressed in our black for the black out and headed to the stadium. Ella Kate was very excited....

But crashed as soon as we sat down! I have no idea how she fell asleep with the music booming but nevertheless, she napped like a champ.

EK woke up not long after the game started and as always, was AMAZING the whole game. She especially LOVED the fireworks and has continued to ask to see more of them. I hope they keep doing those each game!!! We did decide that the black uniforms should be BURNED and we should just stick with the traditional maroon and white. We do not play well in the black jerseys. It was bad. I am glad we pulled out the W, but seriously....that was not good!!!!

Photo Shoot with a Friend

2011-09-23T19:15:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, we were lucky enough to spend the afternoon with our precious friend Kelly Hayes and her camera. I LOVE how the pictures turned out and we are so thankful to Kelly for capturing lots of shots of our little family. If you are anywhere around the Golden Triangle, you should definitely give her a call!!!! Let me know if you need her number!!!!

WHOOOOOOO'S a Big Girl?

2011-09-10T11:37:00.000-07:00

Ella Kate is!!!! A couple of weeks ago, we transitioned Ella Kate in to her big girl bed. To say that she LOVES it is an understatement. She has done better than I could have dreamed and knock on wood, she has not tried to get out a single time. She just waits until I go in and get her. If for some reason she thinks I am taking too long, she just sits up and reads her little Bible that she HAS to sleep with. My baby is a baby no more!

ABC 123

2011-08-26T13:20:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was a big day at our house! It was Ella Kate's first day of preschool. So far, it is going great and EK is having a blast!!!!All packed up and ready to go! Ella Kate woke up early yesterday and today and then got mad because it was too early to go to school.
A quick family photo before leaving our big girl....I only teared up a few times!
We are looking forward to a great year!!!!

Toga! Toga! Toga!

2011-08-22T08:05:00.000-07:00

Last night, we had our student ministry back to school party. The theme this year was "Greek Games." Of course this meant that everyone was to dress in their best toga gear! Ella Kate LOVED getting dressed up and kept saying it was Halloween since everyone was in costume. Here are a few of my favorite photos from the evening. Enjoy!

Black and Gold

2011-08-19T17:11:00.000-07:00

Hi there. It is Ella Kate. I wanted to tell you all about my first football game of the season. Last night, mommy and daddy took me to see Oak Grove play Sumrall. It wasn't much of a game seeing as OG won 52-0, but I really liked seeing the cheerleaders, dancers, and the band. Mommy said I acted great and she was proud because we only had to go to the restroom 4 times!!! I am such a big girl!!!I caught a ride on daddy's shoulders because we had to park so far away. I was so very excited to be going to football game. When it was over, I kept asking for "one more game, please?"
Brett Farve was at the game. I guess he is bored now that he retired, so he is acting as an honorary coach. I really liked his super bright yellow shoe laces!! Very festive Mr. Farve.
I got to see lots of my friends from church!! I even got to go on the field with the cheerleaders!!
The Golden Spirit dancers let me play with their pom poms too!!! They are very sparkly and I really like sparkly things!!
My favorite babysitter Rachel performed with the band. They did a good job and I loved hearing all the music!
Yep, these people are in our youth group. They don't normally look so silly, but it was redneck theme day. I was a little scared when I saw them though!!! She that boy next to me?? That is Walton and I LOVE him!!!

I was sad when the game ended, but mommy keeps telling me there will be more to see very soon. I sure am ready to get to Starkville!!!!!!!

Chef Ella Kate

2011-08-19T16:57:00.000-07:00

Ella Kate LOVES to watch me cook and help out as much as possible, so I decided we would take her love for cooking and her love for pizza and make a Chef Boyardee pizza. She had a BLAST!!!! (and yes, she is only wearing an apron....I didn't want to have to clean pizza sauce off of her clothes!!!)

She was so proud of her creation!!!

Almost That Time!!!

2011-08-12T16:03:00.000-07:00

In only 20 days, we will kick off the MSU football season!!!!
We are just a wee bit excited!!!! Can you tell????

Happy Maroon Friday and Hail State!!!!!

Oh The Places We'll Go--Part 2

2011-07-31T18:58:00.000-07:00

Our next adventure led us to New Orleans. I was DYING to take Ella Kate to the aquarium and this was a perfect opportunity to do it. I LOVED going as a child and I knew she would love it as well. I was right!!!!!

Ella Kate loved the huge turtle in the shark tank more than anything else in there. We had to move to several different windows just to get a better view of the thing!

EK even got to pet the sting rays. She giggled and got so tickled because literally every sting ray in the whole tank swam over to her when she stepped up to the tank. They loved her and she loved her "friends" as she called them. She kept saying "Where's my friend? Oh, there's my friend" over and over again.

After the aquarium, the little monkey was so pooped that she fell asleep and missed these...
Before leaving New Orleans, we knew that EK would not want to miss seeing the street cars. We wandered around the mall for a bit while she slept and then as soon as she woke up, we went to check out the street cars. She LOVED watching them!

We had a FABULOUS day in the city!!!!!

Oh The Places We'll Go--Part 1

2011-07-31T17:52:00.000-07:00

We have had a whirlwind couple of days! J was able to take a few days off from work and we had a blast just hanging out together. This summer has been quite busy for J, so we were super excited to get to have him to ourselves for a few jammed packed days!!! We started out on Thursday by heading to the coast for the day. We had hoped to spend the day playing at the beach since Ella Kate loves it and talks about it constantly, but the rain had other plans. We instead headed to the Lynn Meadows Discover Center. It is an awesome hands-on museum for children in Gulfport. Thank you sooooo much Aunt Carolyn for taking us!!!! Ella Kate (and the rest of us) had a super time!!!!

We played in the grocery store for a while. Ella Kate really enjoyed the bakery section of the store. Can't say that I blame her!!!!

J did a little entertaining.
We had a tea party...

and Ella Kate flew an airplane.
We played a little bball...let's hope she gets her bball skills from Jordan and Haley!!!
And did a little cooking...possibly a future Food Network Star ???
There was the operation of heavy machinery...
and some more flying...
as well as travel by railway.
Once we got back to Aunt Carolyn's house, EK did a little reading to Baby Dear. This was Aunt Carolyn's baby doll when she was little and she was so sweet to let EK love on her while we visited. She even ordered EK the collection of Golden Books with the Baby Dear story in it. So very sweet.

Aunt Carolyn let Ella Kate feed the neighborhood dogs some goodies. EK thought it was awesome and gave them each about a weeks worth of treats in a matter of seconds!!!
Thank you Aunt Carolyn for letting us play with you!!!! We can't wait until our next visit!!!!

Oh What Fun it is to Ride

2011-07-31T17:45:00.000-07:00

with Daddy on the jet ski!!!!!

(Please note, they stayed right by the shore and went REALLY slowly!!!!)

Cinderella Kate

2011-07-31T17:36:00.000-07:00

Playing in the Bay

2011-07-21T13:34:00.000-07:00

My mom and I ventured to Bay St. Louis earlier this week to visit my Aunt Carolyn and play at the beach. Ella Kate has talked incessantly about the big sandbox, the beach, and seeing Aunt Carolyn since we got back a while ago. We had a great day despite the flood gates opening up and drenching our little party...it hasn't rained on the coast in 6 months, but chose to pour out 5 inches in a mere 24 hours!!!

The birds were very entertaining for Ella Kate. She chased them all over the beach...poor birds.
Well, what do you do when it rains on your beach parade? You just move the party to the super nice playground under the big bridge. Yep, under a bridge where the trolls live! Bay St. Louis has an AWESOME playground and they were so smart to get free shade/weather protection by putting it under the huge bridge between Bay St. Louis and Pass Christian. We were the only people out there and EK had a blast!!!!!
She was a big fan of the see saw....and everyone had to participate!!!
As well as the slide....which once again, everyone had to do. Fun times!

We had a such a fabulous time!!! Thanks Aunt Carolyn for letting us play with you!!!

Stars and Stripes

2011-07-04T20:02:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th to you!!!!! We hope you have had a relaxing and fun day with your families.
We went to watch the fireworks in Madison tonight. We got to the parking lot a bit early to get a good spot. Notice the Lowe's sign in the background? Ella Kate said probably 50 times, "I see my letter. There's Ella Kate's letter. I can't reach it." She's a mess.
Still waiting...
When these started....
Ella Kate went from this....
to this! She LOVED the fireworks and giggled and talked about them for the entire 30 minute show.
It was a good thing she wore her pjs, because staying out so late and all the excitement caused this little firecracker to fall fast asleep in the car. Good night to all and God bless the USA!!!!

Pictures That Make Me Happy

2011-07-02T11:38:00.000-07:00

Isn't this how everyone dresses to play in their room???

Dancing with Daddy...melts my heart!

Ek's Waterslide Party

2011-07-02T11:01:00.000-07:00

A word comes to mind when thinking about Ella Kate these days....rotten! Not really, but she has had 4 birthday parties this year. I know, I know, it's a little bit ridiculous but oh well. It has sure been fun!!! We celebrated with the Nelson family in Columbus on Tuesday. J's cousins from Arizona were in Mississippi for a visit, so it was a perfect time to get everyone together. J's mom rented an ENORMOUS inflatable water slide for the kids to play with and it was a blast!!! Thank you to all the Nelsons and Harveys for coming to play with us!!!!!

Our nephews John David and Gregory played so hard that John David fell asleep at about 6 and slept until the next morning!
Here are some of Meemaw's grands and great grands.

The slide was great for the kids but every once and a while, someone would be going too fast and would hit the side of the pool at just the right spot for the flood gates to open and all the water would pour out into the carport where all the adults were watching. That brings us to the picture above. When the water would pour out, you better get your feet up quickly!!!

Ella Kate found out she could drive the gator by herself. Oh dear! It was hilarious!!! Uncle Buddy chased her all over the place since she went full speed ahead the whole time and didn't understand that you had to turn the steering wheel.
My little monkey
Ella Kate LOVES cousin Taylor!
J with his cousins Reagan, Jackson, and Taylor.

Thanks Nana and Pop for a great party!!!!!

Party at Lake Serene

2011-07-02T10:52:00.000-07:00

Ella Kate's "real" birthday was spent with the student ministry from our church. The youth have different activities each Wednesday, and this week happened to be lake day. Ella Kate LOVES all the big kids and they treat her like a princess. One sweet mama even brought cupcakes for everyone so they could celebrate EK's special day/month one more time.

Happy Birthday Monkey!!!!

2011-07-02T10:49:00.000-07:00

A Day at the Museum with Haley

2011-06-27T16:09:00.000-07:00

Ella Kate's Clubhouse--Part 2

2011-06-25T18:00:00.001-07:00

Hi people. It's Ella Kate. I haven't written on here in quite some time, so I thought today would be the perfect opportunity to get back on here. Today, I celebrated my 2nd birthday with my family. I loved getting to see everyone and of course, I loved being the center of attention.
I know what you are thinking. That's a cute family picture, right? Well, what you can't see is the fact that my G had to bribe me to smile with a dollar. I cooperated, and now I get to go to the Dollar Tree. Yeah me! I sure do know how to work my G!!!

I just love these two. Thank you to Aunt Haley for documenting my party in pictures. You are the best!!!!
My Papaw came today too. I adore him. I decided to show him all the goodies that I keep in my book bag. He confirmed that indeed, I am a hoarder.
There's my G.
My mommy keeps saying that she can't believe her baby is 2. She will get used to it though.
My Meemaw came from Columbus with my Nana and Pop.
I convinced Haley and Kay Kay to take me down to the water. It was hot, but we had a good time.
Aren't we cute?
My family is far too good to me. I got a lot of super nice gifts and an awesome card that sings the Mickey Mouse song. How cool is that?
I had to concentrate really hard to make sure to blow out my candles. It is a lot harder to blow out 2 candles, but I did it...with a little help from Mommy.
The whole Nelson fam was here today with me. I was pretty tired from all the partying at this point, so I didn't really cooperate with the picture taking. It is a nice picture of everyone else though!
I think my Meemaw really likes my daddy. I like him too.
My cousins John David and Gregory. I really liked getting to hang out with big kids.
This is my Lee Lee. She gave me some cute new clothes. I do love clothes!
And finally, here I am with my buddies Mickey and Minnie. We had a great day and now it is off to bed.

Ella Kate's Clubhouse--Part 1

2011-06-25T17:41:00.001-07:00

Today, we celebrated Ella Kate's birthday with our families in Hattiesburg. Here is a little look at the party decor.

A SUPER huge thank you to the Cookie Mama for the precious cookies and to Mrs. Mary Anna for bringing them from Columbus. Precious!!!!!

A Super-Dee-Duper Day

2011-06-13T06:32:00.001-07:00

Ella Kate's birthday month celebration is in full swing. We celebrated yesterday with a Barney party in Jackson with my family.
Ek got pretty teased while everyone sang to her, but blew out her candles like a champ. So grown up!

Aunt Jordan has been in Jackson for 6 weeks working for Supreme Court Justice Waller but will be leaving Saturday to work in Nashville for the rest of the summer. So, she won't be around for EK's Minnie party. We didn't want her to miss the bday festivities, so we threw another party!!!!
Thanks Kay Kay and G for the fun party!!!!
Aunt Carolyn got EK a rolling bookbag. Bless her. EK's hoarding has become extreme and the bags and buckets she would load up would get so heavy that she couldn't carry them. Not the case anymore!!!! Now she can load up her Minnie bag and just pull it behind her. She LOVES it!!!!
This little girl LOVES her papaw. She gave him tons of hugs and kisses as we sang the Barney theme song no less than 25 times.
A super big thank you to Aunt Carolyn and Aunt Ellen for being here to celebrate with us!!! We loved getting to visit and laugh with you!!!

After our cake and ice cream, EK wanted to swim...of course. She wakes up wanting to get in her swimming pool and she goes to sleep begging to get back in the pool. Here are a couple more pictures from outside last night.

A Little Summer Fun in the Sun

2011-06-11T18:59:00.001-07:00

More Museum Fun

2011-06-10T19:49:00.001-07:00

Last weekend, Aunt Jordan and Kay Kay took Ella Kate to the Children's Museum. EK had a blast and was worn out when they brought her home...I think they had fun too!!!!

Baby Chandler

2011-06-10T19:32:00.000-07:00

We were so excited to get to visit with the Harris family last weekend. Chandler is a doll and we had such a fun time getting to catch up with our sweet friends. We are so excited they are now closer to us in ATL and we can't wait to tailgate in the fall!!!! YEAH!!!!
Sweet friends!!!!
EK wanted to help Aunt Lauren cover Chandler up when it was time for them to leave. She covered the carseat completely up....she just didn't want him to get a chill at all, I guess!!!! Many more fun times for these two in the future!!!!!

The Big Sandbox

2011-06-03T17:35:00.000-07:00

Ella Kate and I took a little drive down to Bay St. Louis earlier this week to spend some time with at my Aunt Carolyn's house. My Aunt Diane and Papaw were there for the week, so it was a perfect opportunity to get to visit with the fam. Who knew that Aunt Carolyn had the biggest treat in the world for Ella Kate just down the street?!?!?! THE BIGGEST SANDBOX!!! WOO HOO!!! My child LOVES a sandbox, so what better way to spend a bit of our day than on the beach. She had a blast, and we had fun watching her.

Gotta love the "shade"!!!! It was H.O.T.
Thank you Aunt Carolyn for letting us play in your backyard! We can't wait to come back again!!!!!!

A Proverbs 31 Woman

2011-05-30T13:31:00.001-07:00

I have struggled over the last week to find the words to write this post. On May 20th, my precious Mamaw Porter went to be with Jesus. Words can truly not express the variety of emotions that I have been flooded with over the last month. I am beyond thankful and grateful that I was able to spend this past month in Jackson and get to visit with her so much. Ella Kate could bring a smile to Mamaw's face when nothing else seemed to do it. Mamaw told me in one of our ICU visits that she "never knew love until Ella Kate came along." While I take offense to this being her first born grandchild=), I know what she meant. She and Ella Kate had such love for each other. I feel so blessed to be able to be a stay at home mom for many reasons, but especially right now because EK and I have been able to spend so much time in Jackson with my grandparents.

At Mamaw's graveside service, a special friend of Mamaw's spoke of her sweet spirit and read from Proverbs 31. She was the definition of this type of woman. She and my dear Papaw celebrated their 66th wedding anniversary a couple of weeks ago in the hospital. Watching the way that they looked at each other really melted my heart. They set a wonderful example for our whole family of what marriage should look like. Mamaw had a servant's heart. She and my Papaw lived at St. Catherine's Village in Madison for 17 years. Every morning, Mamaw would go down to the assisted living wing and help pour coffee for the residents. She just loved being able to serve and visit with the people and I know she was a light in each of their lives. She also worked in the church nursery every single week. Now, having worked in the nursery a lot in my life, it takes a special person to actually WANT to do that each week. She was just that special. My Mamaw could do some sewing. I wish I was a talented as she was. She could smock beautifully. She tried to teach me last summer, but it was a waste. I was not a very good student because it requires a lot of time and patience....both of which I am usually running low on. But, she did smock some precious dresses for Ella Kate as well as make a lot of other things that I will cherish forever. The dress in the picture above is one of her creations. So special. She loved to make baby dolls. She had tons of them and would make outfit after outfit to give away. I could go on and on about Mamaw.

Mamaw loved Jesus with all her heart. So I know she is dancing with Him right now. It doesn't make me miss her any less, but what a comfort and peace to know that we did not have to say goodbye forever!!! What a glorious day when we will meet again!!!!!

One More Month

2011-05-20T19:39:00.000-07:00

One more month and my "baby" will be two years old. Unbelievable!!!! It has been a pretty crazy month for us, but I did want to say a few things about what Miss Ella Kate is up to these days. She is the most loving child...maybe credit that to her new found love of Barney and the "I Love You" song, but whatever. She will come up to me and say "Love me, Mommy!" Which means that I better immediately pick her up and let her hug and kiss me. I don't mind. She is obsessed with make up, her plastic high heels (which she calls "pretty shoes"), and purses. I thought I had an almost 2 year old, instead I think she thinks she is a teenager. I can't deal! In those purses that she has to have with her at all times go a variety of items. Books, trains, make up sponges, etc. She is a bit of a hoarder. Bless her. She LOVES to sing. My favorite is when she sings "Jesus Loves Me." She can rock it out!!!! It melts my heart to hear!!!! She is on the go all the time and loves to "run fast, Mommy." She also gives herself the "ready, set, go" before taking off. She has mastered her colors and can count up to 10 when she wants to do it. All in all, she is a precious little girl....who occasionally has decided to start throwing some little fits when she doesn't get her way. Not really sure how I feel about this!!!!

And here are a couple of pictures from the other night when we were out to dinner. Enjoy.

Haley is 20!!!!

2011-05-20T06:12:00.000-07:00

Happy 2-0 Aunt Haley!!!!! I hope you have a good day, and I am happy that we get to have cake to celebrate with you. You always make me laugh and I love getting to play with you. I love you!!!!!

Much love,

Ella Kate

The Gator, The Boys, and Painted Toes

2011-05-16T20:35:00.000-07:00

Hi there! It's Ella Kate. I was super excited when Mommy and Daddy said we were going to Columbus for the night because I love going to see Nana and Pop. And this visit had a bonus!!! John David and Gregory, my super cool cousins, hung around until I got into town so we could play together!!! How awesome!!! It is a bit difficult to get the three of us to cooperate for a picture, but we did our best to try and get a good one for Nana....sort of....

I may be a girly girl, but that doesn't stop me from getting my hands dirty and playing like a boy sometimes! Check me out in the gator!!!!
John David gave me a few driving pointers since he has a few years of experience on me.
And then, I was off!!!! Gregory was my brave passenger as we drove off into the sunset...
I also got to visit with my Meemaw while in Columbus. She had a special treat for me today. A Minnie Mouse bathing suit...2 of my favorite things wrapped up into 1!!!!!

And finally, please take notice of my little piggies. Yes, they are a lovely shade of hot pink. While visiting my Mamaw in the hospital, I noticed she had some really fancy toes. Well, it was then a necessity to get my toes in proper sandal wearing shape. I heart my painted toes!!!!
Much love,

Ella Kate

Recent Happenings

2011-05-12T08:55:00.000-07:00

Let me start off by bragging on my sweet and thoughtful husband. Please look at the AMAZING painting he had done for me for Mother's Day!!!! L.O.V.E. it!!!!!! J ALWAYS comes up with the most special and thoughtful gifts. He is so good!!! I am so anxious to get this framed and up on our wall. And a huge thank you to our amazingly talented friend Lissa Ortego for painting this precious picture for me.
Ella Kate and I went to Jackson last Monday to welcome home Haley and Jordan from school. EK was ecstatic to see her aunts and quickly forgot about her mother!!! There were lots of bubbles blown, Barney episodes watched, books read, and hours of playing done by these three.

Look closely, you can see EK's bubble....and look at that support from Jo!!! Cheering her on all the way!!!

Another reason that Ella Kate and I went to Jackson was to visit my Mamaw Porter. She was scheduled to have surgery last Tuesday, so we were there with her. EK LOVES her Mamaw, and Mamaw LOVES her EK!!! Well, there were some complications with the surgery and Mamaw ended up in ICU for a while but on Mother's Day, was moved to a regular room. She is a fighter!!!
My cousin Katie flew down from Virginia to visit Mamaw as well. Ella Kate and Katie instantly bonded....thanks to the fact that Katie let EK play with her make up!!! EK is all girl and LOVES some make up!!! It was so great to get to visit with Katie and we want to say a huge CONGRATS to her because she will graduate from Wake Forest on Saturday with her MBA!!!! Yeah Katie!!!!!

The Secret Garden

2011-04-29T15:33:00.000-07:00

Thank you so much to our pastor Tommy Artmann and his sweet wife Paula for letting us take Ella Kate's pictures in their amazing backyard!!!!

22 Months

2011-04-29T15:18:00.000-07:00

Happy 22 Months to Ella Kate!!!! As you can tell from the pictures, Ella Kate has become quite fond/obsessed with all things Mickey and Minnie Mouse. Thanks to Aunt Carolyn for the fun Minnie costume!!!! Let's see..what is EK up to these days??? She is loving all the spring time weather since it means she can spend so much time outside. She loves her soccer ball and is surprisingly good at kicking it while running....must have picked that up from her daddy. She also loves playing in the sand and the water. Inside, she is still very interested in all of her books and is really enjoying her doll house. She is doing really well with using the potty. She tells me when she needs to go and is always so proud when she goes in her froggy potty. We are not quite ready to be in big girl panties all the time, but I feel like she is doing great!!! EK loves going to school (Mother's Day Out) and to church. She BEGS me to go to church every time we go outside or get in the car. I am sooooo thankful that she is so comfortable there....especially considering how much time she spends there. She hates a mess and loves to sing the clean up song when picking up her things. She loves to write/draw. It is her favorite thing to do when she goes to visit daddy at work. She sits in his big office chair and just writes all over all of his papers. Oh well. EK talks all the time now. My favorite thing that she says is "Missy-sip State." I absolutely think it is the cutest thing ever. She is a mess, but we are pretty smitten with her.

Christ is Risen!

2011-04-25T08:22:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful day Easter Sunday was! Our church started off the celebration of our risen Savior with a sunrise service....a true sunrise service at 6:15. Early, early, early for this mama, but COMPLETELY worth the early wake up call. It was such a special way to begin the day with our church family. We met at the outdoor chapel, sang praises, placed flowers on the cross, and were served communion.

We came home for a quick breakfast and then headed to the the 8:45 worship service and then Sunday School. The message was clear. Christ is risen. Christ is risen indeed. Praise the Lord for this truth!!!!

After church, we went back home for a yummy lunch with J's parents. We had a truly wonderful time!

My sweet little girl...

We enjoyed having Nana and Pop with us! I think Ella Kate liked all the extra attention!

Happy Easter!!!

A Little Fun in the Sun

2011-04-25T08:07:00.000-07:00

Easter morning wore me out!!! Mommy and I took a 3 hour nap and it was glorious!!!! After our "hibernation" as daddy called it, we went over to my boyfriend's house for a little playing and a little grubbing.
I did some swinging.
And some sand boxing....this is one of my new favorite things to do!
I tried to get Warren to pull me around like a princess, but he wouldn't go for that. He has a lot to learn if he wants me to be his girlfriend!!!
Will showed me all about the slip n slide. I wasn't so sure at first, but after he explained everything and did a few demonstrations, I decided to give it a whirl.
It was super fun!!!
I did need a little drink in between all my slipping and sliding. It is hard work, you know?
It was a perfect ending to a perfect Easter Sunday. A great morning in worship celebrating our risen King, lunch with grandparents, rest, and fellowship with friends....a great day for sure!!! Remember, Christ is risen! Christ is risen indeed!!!!

Much love,

Ella Kate

All I Do Is Win...

2011-04-20T14:42:00.000-07:00

...when it comes to Easter Egg Hunting! Hey there, it's Ella Kate again. I want to tell you all about the preschool Easter Egg Hunt at Heritage. I'm going to be honest...I dominated my competition. Maybe it is because I was the oldest in my group, or maybe it was just because I hate a mess and somebody left all those eggs in the grass....but whatever the case, I was victorious in my egg collection quest.
My strategy was a bit different then the other kids. They all went to the center of the field, found one egg, then sat down to eat their findings. This was not my approach. I went around the outside of the field as fast as I could and snagged a ton of eggs before those little kids even figured it out...I think my mama may have even taken some of my loot to share with those other kids.

This is my kind of hunting season!!!!!
I celebrated my amazing hunt with a cupcake...perfection!!!!
It was great to have so much support as I did my thing. I think I had the largest cheering section with my mama, daddy, Kay Kay, and G. A big thank you to Kay Kay and G for driving down for the hunt. I couldn't have done it without your support!! =)

It was a great day for sure! Hope everyone is having a super week!

Our Little Bulldog

2011-04-11T10:07:00.000-07:00

This is my friend "Vegas." She belongs to mom & dad's friend Christina who was kind enough to bring her out to play with me. As you can see from the picture above, we became fast friends. Below is my photo shoot...Enjoy!!!

--Much love, Ella Kate

Super Bulldog Happenings

2011-04-11T09:44:00.000-07:00

We started off our SBW Saturday with a little BBQ at the DG house. The gigantic inflatable bulldog out front was a big hit with my little bulldog. Seeing Aunt Haley also made for a happy little girl.
Then, we took in some baseball at Dudy Noble. The atmosphere was great....the game, not so much!!!
We got to hang out with the Sykes family. Thanks so much to their sweet family for the tickets...especially since the seats were shaded and we avoided some pretty severe sun burns!! We love you guys!
Showing off some love for Delta Gamma...maybe this is the new trend in sticker wearing?

After a little cool off time in the Union with some ice cream, we headed to the Maroon/White game. Kay Kay was for the white team and G was for the maroon team. G's team was victorious while Kay Kay's team was rewarded with cleaning up the stadium Sunday morning.

And here come our Bulldogs!!!!
Yes my friends, that is our dear friend Baker Swedenburg!!! He will be the starting punter for the dawgs in the fall!!! We could not be more proud of him. He is an incredible man of God and a pretty special punter. He did a great job on Saturday and we can't wait to see him take the field this fall. I will cry, no doubt.
And once again I leave you with my little bulldog cashed out at Scott Field. She loves her bulldogs and said "Go State" 8 million times on Saturday, but something about being in that stadium just makes her a sleepy little girl.

Church and Beignets

2011-04-11T09:18:00.000-07:00

Great weekend with Nana & Pop. I got to go to church with them at FUMC Columbus on Sunday which was a new experience. Thankfully I managed to avoid the nursery and talked my way into "Big Church." Most people probably think that I wasn't listening since I was busy coloring (I'm a girl, I can multi-task) but Dr. Sam's exposition on Ezekiel 37 was excellent.

2 main ideas I gleaned (yeah, I said gleaned):

1. make sure that I maintain the right perspective. It's always "O Lord, You know" and never

"O Lord, I got it."

2. before we go to church we must prepare our hearts. The Jewish people find their way to the Wailing Wall to pray or read the Scriptures, dance, sing, or still themselves before the Lord. They prepare themselves to hear a Word from the Lord and then they go expectantly.

The pictures above and below make my mouth water. Me and Nana made beignets and they were delicious....or as the french would say, "ils étaient délicieux."

--Much Love, Ella Kate

The Beginnings of a Super Weekend

2011-04-07T18:57:00.000-07:00

Psssssst....I've got a secret. I got to Columbus to begin the "Super Bulldog Weekend" festivities and it took me about 2 seconds to start running things around Columbus. I'm telling you, this grandparent thing really is working out well for me. I just point, smile (see pic above for an example) and say what I want and it appears. For example, below is me with Pop. I said "up" and what da ya know...he picked me up.

Now, if I could be so bold as to ask you to SLOW DOWN, don't immediately skip to the pictures, and listen to me. I promise to be brief but I feel compelled (yes, I said compelled. I watch Baby Einstein) to impart some wisdom that I have learned in my 22 months of life.

People find themselves rushing to do this, hurrying to do that, and late for the next task on their never ending agenda and I understand this. I hurried to flip over, rushed to crawl, hustled to walk and before you know it will find myself potty training, learning Spanish, and writing my first novel appropriately named "Party at my Crib." The list never ends, but we must never forget that (if I may be so bold as to use a Scriptural concept) tomorrow is not promised to anyone. We are to live fully in the today and make the most of these moments. So tomorrow, don't forget to "Stop and Smell the Roses." And if it's been so long that you don't even remember what that looks like anymore, I've provided some pictures below to serve as an example. Notice the smile that it brought to my face...I hope it does the same for you.

Speaking of putting a smile on your face, let me send my Congratulations to Chandler Lee Harris. Most people will congratulate the mom, dad, grandma & grandpa but I remember that day not so long ago. It's no picnic for us either so, Chandler, welcome to the free world. It's not as warm but it's nice and you can stretch your legs. Now, get on a plane and come to Super Bulldog Weekend. Maroon/White game is at 5. I expect to see you there. I'll have a cowbell waiting for you.

Much love to all,

Ella Kate (with some help from daddy =) )

A Day at the Office

2011-04-01T12:47:00.000-07:00

Do you see this face? This is my happy face!!! Wanna know why? Because today I woke up only to hear mommy tell me that we were going to the Children's Museum in Jackson, but it gets even better....Mrs. Meaghan, Mary Reeves & Murphy are meeting me there.
As of late, I have learned a lot of new words. I believe my mommy told you something about that in a previous blog post, so I'll spare you the details and just convey the obvious...I'M TALENTED when it comes to spelling words. Currently MR and I are putting together a "triple word score" word. So this is my OFFICIAL SCRABBLE GAME CHALLENGE Aunt Jordan.....BRING IT.
Let me introduce you to my boyfriend (but don't tell my dad), Murphy. I think he's cute...don't you? As for that lady in the picture wearing the princess hat, if you see her, tell her that is my hat as I prepare to be Murphy's princess.
This is me and MR playing with the water cannons. Go ahead and be jealous because let's be honest...you were at work all day and we were here playing. WE WIN!!
Can you tell what I'm doing here? Good, me neither but I spent a good 20 minutes trying to figure it out. When someone figures it out send me a text or hit me up on facebook.
Here we are working on being steamboat captains. Why would we need to know how to do drive a steamboat? 3 words...Anchor Ball - Memphis.
This is me embracing my inner Picasso...

Let's be honest, my daddy is a minister and he isn't ever going to be wealthy. So I figure the only way I'm ever going to get a big diamond is to go search for it myself. MR agreed and thought she might pick one up since I was already heading that way.
This is my "Oops, I just did something bad and I hope no one saw it" face. I'll tell you what I did when I turn 18.
We were working so hard on these gears!!! You can tell if you look really closely....see??? Both of us have our tongues sticking out because we were concentrating so hard!!!
To quote Tupac, "Picture me rollin'." (disclaimer...my daddy taught me this quote because my mom was not listening to music like this back in da day)
So that was my day "at the office." It's tough being me but, hey, someone's gotta do it. I'll check in with you next weekend from Starkville. I'll be there for Super Bulldog Weekend where I'll be "grindin for MY STATE."

21 months

2011-03-30T10:15:00.000-07:00

Happy 21 Months to Miss Ella Kate! She is quite a mess these days but oh so very much fun! She talks non stop...seriously! Her vocabulary has grown so much lately and she really says the funniest things. For example, we were getting ready to go to church and she looked at herself and said, "I cute." I told her "yes, you are." Then she looked at me and said "Mommy cute too." I told her thank you...gotta love some encouragement from the little one!!! Another day, I told her that she was beautiful and she responded with "I know." Think she has heard it a time or two? She even says a precious "bless you" when someone sneezes....LOVE IT!!! EK is still very in to her books. Her favorite right now is a French book that was mine when I was little. We read it like 20 times a day....no lie. She even responds to a few French questions like "what is your name", etc. She will answer "oui" and "non" too. Funny little girl. She sings all the time too. Usually "twinkle, twinkle" "wheels on the bus" and "itsy bitsy spider" are what I catch her singing. She is getting really good at the potty. I believe next week is going to be the week we seriously potty train. She LOVES to go in the potty especially when it means she can get out of the bath tub to go. I will keep you posted as to how it goes next week. Wish me luck! She loves to color and does a pretty good job. She even holds her crayon and pencil correctly. So proud. She loves her puzzles and her baby dolls. She is currently obsessed with "Baby Jude," her Baby Be Blessed doll. We know several babies named Jude, so I guess that is where the name has come from. "Baby Jude" goes everywhere with EK. She is also obsessed with all things trains, planes, and automobiles (really just buses). To be such a girl, she does love these fairly boyish things. She loves when she goes to Madison because my parents take her to the little airport in Madison to watch the planes take off and land. She would sit there all day. Moving on now....
Yesterday, my grandparents and 2 of my aunts came to Hattiesburg for a visit. We had a great visit and Ella Kate loved being the center of attention. We were sad that mom's sub got sick so she didn't get to come and had to miss our little party.
Aunt Diane was in Mississippi from Virginia so we were so happy she came down to see us! I wish we got to visit more often!!!! She brought Ella Kate a train puzzle that makes choo choo noises. Ella Kate LOVES it!!!
I love, love, love this little girl so much!!!! This is her "say cheese" face....LOVE HER!!!!

They are Precious in His Sight

2011-03-30T09:52:00.000-07:00

Our church was beyond blessed to host The African Children's Choir last week. These sweet little angels were at Heritage from Tuesday until Friday. Our youth had a pizza party with the kids and had the chance to get some loving in on these adorable children. In case you don't know, the African Children's Choir is an organization that has been around since the early 80s. The seek out the poorest, most vulnerable children in Uganda. Most of these children are not orphans, but their families realize taken part in the choir will offer them a better life. The children, ranging in age from 7-11, tour the US for a year. The do their schooling on the road with their teacher and chaperones. The are the most well behaved children I have ever met. Incredible. Once their year long tour is complete, the children return to Uganda where they are able to continue their education through the university level. The main goal of the choir is to raise up Christian young men and women, provide for their basic needs and education, and then release them to change Uganda and Africa from the inside out. They do not focus on their sob stories, which they all have, but instead on the HOPE they have in Jesus. They all have high goals that they want to achieve in life from being the president of Uganda, to teachers, to preachers, and so on. It was a blessing to be around this group!!! Now on to a few sweet pictures of the precious little blessings...

Such joy!!!!!
We were able to host the bus driver at our house while the choir was here. It was super and Ella Kate LOVED getting to see the bus all week. These pictures are from when we were waiting on the bus to arrive. She talked about that bus all week and called Rachel, the bus driver, "Bus." Flattering.

Happy Birthday Nana!!!

2011-03-18T20:46:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Nana!!! Today was J's mom's birthday. We were excited to get to spend the day with her at our house. I'm not really sure the day was all Nana had dreamed her birthday would be...you see, Nana and Pop helped us in our yard in Hburg today. They dug up bushes, blew about 8 million leaves down to the back lot behind our house, mowed, and dug up the most annoying, unsightly cactus plants you could ever imagine. Nana, Pop, and J worked so hard and the yard looks a ton better!!! We are very appreciative of their hard work, especially on their spring break. They not only took care of our Hburg house, but went to Jackson yesterday to take care of the yard at our house there as well...which is still for sale...BOOOOOO!!!! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU Nana and Pop!!! We truly to appreciate all you do for us!!!!

Kiss Me, I'm Irish!

2011-03-18T20:39:00.000-07:00

More Zoo Adventures

2011-03-18T20:20:00.000-07:00

What better way to spend a beautiful March day than with friends at the zoo?!?!?! We are so blessed to have our very own little zoo here in Hattiesburg. Now don't get me wrong, it's no San Diego Zoo...or even Jackson Zoo, but for 2 dollars (that's for me AND ek's admission) you can't beat it!!!
The first thing that we HAD to do upon arriving was ride the train. Ella Kate is a happy, happy girl when she hears that whistle blow.

Who's excited to see the tiger????

Ella Kate was making monkey noises as she "talked" to the monkeys. She just said "AH AH, AH AH" over and over again. She LOVES the monkeys...probably because she acts like one!!!
This is our sweet friend Kristen aka EK's future mother-in-law. It was so fun to spend the day with Kristen and her boys!!! We are already planning our next zoo adventure which will include a train ride to NOLA to the zoo and aquarium!!! I am SUPER EXCITED!!!!!

20 Months

2011-03-01T15:38:00.000-08:00

Ella Kate is 20 months going on 15 yrs old! She thinks that she is quite grown up and has such a funny personality. Some EK "funnies"....she refers to her belly button as her "butt." She makes sure to put the "t" sound at the end of it each time she says it. Bless her. She shows everyone her "butt." Oh well!!! She is also so funny when we pray. She always folds her hands and closes her eyes...then peeks. If a prayer begins to go too long, she will "Amen" when she thinks it should end. Pretty cute!!!

Ella Kate is very in to helping pick out her clothing. I normally let her chose between a couple of things that I pick, but on this day, I let her go to town. Yes, that is her bathing suit and cowboy boots. Stylish little thing, isn't she? And yes, her baby doll is naked. ALL her babies are naked. She immediately strips them. Who knows!!!
Ella Kate loves to be outside. We have been busy with the bubbles, side walk chalk, and playing on the swings and slide. She has a blast!!! Other things she loves...pictures of herself. She will get my phone and slide that little finger across the screen and say "Ella" over and over again. Whenever she gets to a video in my pictures, she stops to watch it. Amazing how little ones can work electronics!! One day, I was watching my Friends DVD when she came home from Mother's Day Out. She was not having that though, so while I was unpacking her bookbag, she took out my DVD, opened up a Thomas DVD case, and put the Thomas video in the DVD player and pressed play. Really???? She's just 1 1/2!!!!!

Time is really flying by and I wish I could just slow it down sometimes because I LOVE this stage that she is in right now. I guess that's not how it works though. Oh well, I am going to go and enjoy my day with Miss Priss. Hope you have a great one as well!!!

What a Week!

2011-02-27T17:30:00.000-08:00

My sweet Mamaw had surgery this past Monday so Ella Kate and I went to Jackson to visit with her and to see my family. Mamaw is feeling and looking GREAT so we are so thankful that her surgery was a success!!! J was scheduled to speak later on in the week at Timbercreek, so we just stayed to play in Madison. Ella Kate and I spent our time playing outside, visiting with my parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncle, going to the zoo, and going to the Children's Museum (where I took NO pictures...shocking, I know, but it was too hard to wrestle her and worry with my camera. I will do better next time!!!)

Now on to a few pictures...

Ella Kate LOVES her G!!!! We were outside playing when he got home from work, and she ran to his car when he was getting out to greet him, so I had to snap their picture. She talks about G constantly and grins from ear to ear when she is around him!!!
We got to see my Aunt Ellen and Uncle Allen while we were up at the hospital with Mamaw. Ella Kate liked getting to play with them...even though Uncle Allen was wearing that horrible shirt!!!!!
We also got to play with Aunt Carolyn...whom we call Ling Ling. Ella Kate is so lucky to have so many people who love her so much!!! She is not lacking in the attention department for sure. My Aunt Diane was also in town, but sadly I did not get any pictures with her. Boo.
Loving on some Papaw...they were discussing trains, planes, and automobiles I am sure...their favorite things!!!!

Hope you have a great week!!!

Lions, and Tigers, and Bears, oh my!

2011-02-27T17:10:00.000-08:00

While in Jackson this past week, Ella Kate and I ventured to the Jackson Zoo. She LOVED it!!!! The weather was perfect and the animals were so active and fun. The zoo was not crowded at all, so Ella Kate had the run of the place...which is the way she likes things!!! She talked to the animals, played peek a boo, made each animals' noise, and just had a blast. Her favorite part though had to be riding the train. This little girl LOVES a train so she had a super time riding around the park. I can wait to go back to the Hattiesburg zoo now!!!

We even treated ourselves to the over priced zoo snack of funnel cake fries...OH MY WORD!!! Those things are INCREDIBLE!!!

And here are a couple of pictures of my sweet girl after church this morning. (I know it's random to have these pictures with the zoo pics but blogger was acting funny. Sorry!!!)

The Playground with Nana and Pop

2011-02-19T18:13:00.000-08:00

J's parents came to Hattiesburg this weekend, and we have been busy!!! J and his daddy went to the rodeo last night and again tonight. In between the rodeo watching, the Nelsons have helped us clean out our garage, do a little bit of yard work, repaint our front door, as well as several other projects around the house. We are so thankful and appreciative of all of their help!!!! Ella Kate has had a blast playing with Nana and they have been on the go since early this morning!! Thanks for everything Nana and Pop!!!
Ella Kate took Nana and Pop to the playground at church. She had a big time!!! She even wore a cowgirl dress today in honor of the rodeo. Thanks Meaghan and Mary Reeves for sending this cute dress our way!!!!

We have had a FABULOUS weekend in the most gorgeous weather!!! I hope you have had a great weekend as well!!!

L-O-V-E

2011-02-18T12:05:00.000-08:00

Words are truly not enough to describe how much I love these two. God has blessed me so incredibly and I am so thankful. My heart is full.

Playing in Columbus

2011-02-18T11:51:00.000-08:00

J was given the opportunity to lead a workshop at FUMC Columbus earlier this week. Ella Kate and I tagged along to get some hang out time with the Nelsons. We had a wonderful visit and loved getting to spend Valentine's Day with them. Ella Kate has been obsessed with the new dollhouse that Nana got her all week!!!! Nana also found EK some PRECIOUS new spring and summer smocked dresses and an adorable smocked bathing suit. SOOOOOO CUTE!!!!!! THANK YOU NANA!!!!! We can't wait for the Nana and Pop to come to Hattiesburg this weekend so we can visit some more!!!!
We also got to go and wish J's Meemaw a Happy Valentine's Day. We love getting to spend time with Meemaw...and I think she is pretty smitten with Ella Kate as well.

The Blog Fairy

2011-02-12T07:54:00.000-08:00

The Blog Fairy came to visit my blog!!!! I asked my amazing sister Jordan for some help for a new blog "look" and this morning, I woke up to a precious new blog!!! Thank you Jordan for taking time out of your studying/paper writing to do this for me!!!! You are AWESOME!!!!! And speaking of awesome, doesn't Jordan look INCREDIBLE at the Over the Hump/Halfway Through Law School Party???? I love you Sissy!!!!!!

Mississippi Children's Museum

2011-02-10T19:45:00.001-08:00

Last Friday, my mom and I took Ella Kate to the new Children's Museum in Jackson. I grew up going to the children's museums in Memphis and Atlanta, so when they started talking about building one in Jackson, I was thrilled to say the least. They really did an incredible job with this place! I was quite impressed and we had a blast. A super HUGE thank you to mom for getting us the family pass so we can go back as much as we want!!!! I can't wait!!!!
The kitchen was a big hit with Ella Kate. A lot of the activities are a little too grown up for her to do independently, but the kitchen was a perfect fit. She immediately found the strawberry yogurt...shocker!

This is EK's new silly face. When she thinks something is really funny, or you ask her to smile, this is what you get.

EK especially loved the Between the Lions exhibit. It was set up just like the library on the show (which is made in MS) and had all of her favorite books to read. One of the sweet workers even did a story time while we were there.
EK was so funny in here. She just kept saying "hot" and wouldn't touch the corn or the pot.
Kay Kay and Ella Kate built boats for a race
And Ella Kate won!
Ek is OBSESSED with elevators. We have to go up and down several times every time we go to the church. She always has to push the buttons, meaning we have to pick her up. Not at the museum. They have a little hand down low so little ones can push the button. They really thought of everything!!!
My Pelahatchie friends don't have anything on EK. She liked milking the cow. Maybe she can go to work on the Knight's dairy farm?

We had an awesome time!!! We didn't even get to see everything, so I can't wait to get back there very soon!!!!

Playing in Madison

2011-02-10T19:04:00.000-08:00

J was away at a retreat this past weekend and then had Breakthru meetings on Monday and Tuesday, so Ella Kate and I packed up and headed to Madison. We had a super time and stayed pretty busy. On Friday, we ventured out in the wintery weather to the Children's Museum. (I am going to do a separate post with those pictures.) After that, we met G for a little Trace Grill and MRA basketball. It sure is less stressful to watch now then it was when Haley was playing. I was always a nervous wreck!!! On Saturday morning, EK played with G and Kay Kay and I headed to a Beauty Control Spa Party that Sally's sweet mom put on. I LOVED getting to hang out with these girls, and I so wish we could do it more often!!!!Saturday night, my Mamaw and Papaw came over for red beans and rice....MMMMMMMMM, my favorite!!!!
Ella Kate cheered on the bulldogs to a victory over LSU...it was an absolutely HORRIBLE game to watch, but a win is a win.
Ella Kate loves her Papaw. They both share a passion for trains. Papaw sought out the train depot place in Madison county to take EK. Last weekend, they went together to see all the choo choos. Ella Kate LOVED it. I have some pictures that I will load soon.
My sweet Mamaw made the little dress that Ella Kate is wearing here. I love Mamaw made dresses!!! Thank you Mamaw!!!!
On Sunday, we were able to go to Grace City Church with my parents. It is truly amazing how God has grown this church in the past 6 months. It has been incredible to watch!!!! If you are in the Jackson area, you should really check it out!!!
Ella Kate thinks that Brantley (or any dog for that matter) is her best friend. Poor Brantley is blind and has no idea what is going on. He is really sweet with her though.
On Monday, we went to play with the Blair kids....and Annie, their dog.
Ella Kate and Anne Marie...double names and big bows....you gotta love the south!!!!
The teacher in me must brag. Ella Kate was playing with the duplos and I looked over at her and saw her creation. Yep, that's an AB pattern she made!!! I was super excited and immediately snapped a picture. I am one proud teacher/mom!!!
My little monkey LOVES the drums. She plays them every week at church and really has pretty good rhythm...she got it from her daddy!!! I am thrilled though to leave this set of drums at the Blair's house. I don't know if I could handle them all the time at our house!!!
These two had a great time playing together. They are both at such fun ages and really interact. Thanks Amanda for letting us hang out with you guys!!!!

19 Months Old

2011-01-29T17:48:00.000-08:00

Ella Kate (or Ella Cake as her friends at MDO call her) is 19 months old today. She is acting more and more grown up every day. She talks constantly. Sometimes we have no clue what she is saying and sometimes, you can understand her. She is starting to string words together pretty well like "I found book," "open the door," and "I see moon." She is doing pretty well with saying "please" and "thank you" too. If only I could get her to say "yes ma'am!" She prefers to just answer with "yup." Oh well, manners will come in time...hopefully!
Ella Kate loves her books! She is obsessed with any book by Sandra Boynton and "reads"

several of them pretty well. Two other books that we read all day long are "Baby's Day Out," and "Noah's Ark." I guess it is true that children mimic what they see because EK was reading one of her books and the pages were sticking together. No worries, she just licked her finger and then turned the page. Pretty precious.
Since Christmas, EK has been a busy bee in her kitchen. She loves having tea and offers it to us as well as all her baby dolls on a regular basis. When it is time to pick up, she always puts all her dishes in the sink.
Ella Kate is quite fond of Thomas the Tank Engine. When she watches her "Choo Choo" movie, she likes to sit on the Thomas riding toy that I found at a consignment store. She LOVES it!
I'm not really sure why, but Ella Kate really likes putting toys and things down her shirt. In this picture, she had about 25 alphabet blocks down her shirt. She was so proud that she got so many blocks in her shirt.
Bubbles are a favorite pass time as well. She could stand on her little stool in the bathroom for hours and play in the sink. Whatever!!!

We love this little girl so much and she is such a blessing to be around. Her smile is contagious and she brightens up any room. She is a precious gift and we cannot wait to see what God has in store for her life and for our family.

A Day at the Park

2011-01-29T13:29:00.000-08:00

Living in the south definitely has some benefits!!! While so many places have been covered with snow, we have been blessed with perfectly clear and beautifully sunny 73 degree days!!!! This weather is AMAZING!!!! Yesterday we took Ella Kate to the park downtown. It was a great day!

Happy, Happy Birthday!!!

2011-01-28T05:40:00.000-08:00

Happy, Happy Birthday to Auntie Jordan!!! We hope you have a super day and that class will be cancelled due to all your snow!!!! We love you and wish we could spend your day with you...settle for a skype date this weekend? HAPPY BIRTHDAY JO!!!!!!

Party Time!

2011-01-23T19:14:00.000-08:00

Ella Kate's buddy Warren turned 2 yesterday. EK had a super fun time playing at Will and Warren's house with all of their "boy'' toys!!!!
YUMMY, YUMMY in my tummy!!! EK LOVED the icing...didn't care too much for the cake part though.
The kids "jumped" on the trampoline for a while. Ella Kate thought it was awesome and had a blast running around in circles. She still is so funny when she tries to jump because she gets no air. Bless her...white girl can't jump!!!

Daddy helped her out. This was way more fun!!!

WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Check out the aftermath of the trampoline on the hair!!! Nice static action!!!!!
Ella Kate also had an fabulous time with the boys train table. She loves her "choo choos."
This little bumper car was one of Warren's gifts. He didn't care for it, so EK decided that she would take it for a spin instead...for about an hour.
J, and our friends Mason and Kristen were busy playing Rock Band, so EK found some shakers and joined in the fun.
Finally it was Will, EK, and Warren's turn to play some music. It was a great night and we had such fun celebrating sweet Warren's big day!!!!

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

2011-01-09T18:56:00.000-08:00

While J and I were in Starkville for the wedding, Ella Kate got to spend some time in Columbus with Nana and Pop. She had a BLAST!!!! Before it got too cold, EK went outside to show off her hitting skills that she must have gotten from her daddy and Pop...considering my lack of athletic abilities. Thank you sooooooo much Nana and Pop for keeping Ella Kate for us this weekend!!!

Mr. and Mrs. White

2011-01-09T18:39:00.000-08:00

What a GREAT weekend!!! My sweet cousin Shelby got married this weekend at the Chapel of Memories at State. It was a gorgeous day, gorgeous service, and gorgeous bride!! It was so special too that Shelby and Adam asked J to officiate the wedding. This was his first wedding, and might I say, he did a pretty awesome job! We are so excited for Shelby and Adam to begin their lives together and look so forward to the things God has in store for their marriage!!!Congrats Shelbo!!! You looked so BEAUTIFUL!!!
"The Reverend" and Shelbo
Aunt Haley and Shelby...EK was a VERY happy camper when she got to see Aunt Haley, Kay Kay, and G!!!!
Ella Kate was not really in to having her picture made. She instead chose to eye the cake...I don't blame her because it was DELISH!!!!! EK even grabbed a handful of cake and fed it to Shelby's Papaw Art...if only I had a picture of that!!! PRECIOUS!!!!!!
I don't have any pictures of J officiating at the actual wedding, but here he is in action at the rehearsal. So proud of my preacher man!!!

Ringing in a New Year with the Bulldogs

2011-01-04T13:48:00.001-08:00

J and I were able to go to the Gator Bowl with some of our very best friends! Our friend Greg Sykes got us all tickets to go and we had a blast!!! On New Year's Eve, Greg, Frank and Andrea Haynes, J and I went to the most delicious dinner at Ruth's Chris. It was AMAZING and the setting was incredible as well. We were right on the river that runs through Jacksonville and it was beautiful!!! We enjoyed our yummy dinner and laughed alot!!! After dinner we headed to the MSU Alumni Association party. The lady that was taking up the money said that they expected about 2000 people...when we went through, there were already 6000 bulldogs in the River City Brewery. It was MADNESS!!! We danced a bit and then went to find a spot on the boardwalk to watch the fireworks. They looked great over the river!!!
1-1-11...We got up early and caught the river taxi from the hotel to the stadium. Even though we were in Jacksonville, it really felt like a home game! There were 2 Michigan people on our river taxi and the rest were cowbell ringing Dawgs. It was nuts and soooooooo fun!!!!

I love a fly over!!! I always tear up a little, and what's more...a bunch of men and women took the oath to join the Marines pregame too. That REALLY got me!
It was so loud!!! We had some amazing seats thanks to Greg. We felt like big dogs in the Touchdown Club. It was so nice!!!!
A little post game victory photo!! We had so much fun hanging out with Frank and Andrea. We really miss getting to see them since we moved from Jackson.
I love that we gave Michigan their worst bowl loss in history and it was also the most points MSU had scored in 11 years!!! DOMINATION!!!!!!

Thank you Jacksonville for an AWESOME trip! I look forward to coming back to visit soon!!!!

1 1/2

2010-12-29T21:56:00.000-08:00

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

2010-12-26T06:50:00.000-08:00

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

2010-12-26T06:00:00.000-08:00

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

2010-12-25T19:34:00.000-08:00

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

2010-12-24T09:05:00.000-08:00

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

2010-12-22T14:19:00.000-08:00

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!!!!