Ella's 10 Commandments

Now if only her 3 year old brother could read.....

Our Artist

Ella entered the art contest at the Peter Becker Flower Show.  She had to do something with the Gulliver's Travel theme.  She was beside herself to see the 2nd Place red ribbon hanging from her watercolor!

The Flower Show was amazing as always.  I only got one picture of the kids in front of this fabulous mural.  The residents do everything!  We were so proud of Mom-mom and all the artists.

Hi, I am Amy and I might be a soccer mom.

Ella has been playing indoor soccer for the past few months.  I am loving the temperature controlled sporting event!  I had never been to a facilty like it before... and it's pretty much AWESOME.  Three full size turf fields indoors with plenty of bleachers and roaming space.  Indoor soccer is a whole different game - they play off the walls and it is FAST moving.  Ella is having a blast and learning a ton about the game.

Leah & Ella

Happy Birthday Ella!

Hard to believe that my little, sweet Ella could be 8 years old.  She was my easiest delivery:)

We celebrated last week with her friends because they had a day off school.  It was such a fun party... and I didn't have to do a thing but enjoy it with her!  The Playful Chef came to our house and did a cooking party with Ella and her friends.

They made Chef hats....

And pizzas....

And recipe books...

And decorated cupcakes....

And had such a great time!

Thank you Chef Alisa for a wonderful birthday celebration (and making my part so easy!)

Piano Recital

The girls had their piano recital last Sunday.  Ella just started lessons in January so this was her first public performance.  They both did wonderful.  Now if only their mom could figure out how to get the video uploaded!  That is on my very long list of intentions...

We were so glad that Mom-mom could be there in person and Great Granny O could be there via cell phone.

Abbey, their piano teacher

Abbey's piano students

The girls with Mom mom

My parents with Ella

For the Love of Candy

The kids had their Valentine party at school yesterday since they missed it last week due to the snow. As soon as they got home they both ripped into their bags to see what heart goodies were waiting.

Ella pulled out a valentine from a boy in her class and exclaimed, "Oh Alex, you made all my dreams come true!"

Apparently all it takes to win over my daughter's heart is sour apple Fun Dip (aka artificially colored sugar in a pouch!). Let's hope she is a little more discerning in the future.

My Little Knitter

This winter I taught Ella how to knit. She is working on a scarf for herself. When the letter came home from school about the 1st Grade Day 100 project, we thought it would be fun to do 100 knitting stitches. I am thinking it will be one of a kind! She does a great job - her great grandmother would be very proud!

Knitting is my tax season activity. In January, I managed to knit three scarves! My production has slowed a bit since I am helping Ella and Makenna with their projects... and playing knitting police because Owen likes to take the stitches off and steal the needles for drum sticks. Oh the fun just never ends.

Photo Update: Part Five

November... at least I am getting close to catching up on my blog:)

The big event was Ella's birthday trip to New York City. My friend Manale and I had take the older girl's for their 7th birthday and we decided to repeat the tradition. So the four of us drove to Trenton, took the train to Penn Station, then a taxi to Rockafeller Center. We took the girls ice skating. So much fun!!

Afterwards we headed to American Girl Place....

Lunch in the Cafe

Shopping! Ella decided to get "Rebecca" as her birthday doll. The girls had so much fun. They were both exhausted. Great memories.

Kindergarten Mother's Tea

The last day of school, Ella's class had a mother's tea. I can't believe she will be in first grade . Just Owen and I for lunch next year:(

Ella with her teacher, Mrs. Truehart

Ella and her good friend, Halina

Ella reading her poem.

Serving Mommy ice tea and cookies.

Child of God

So you gotta love a Sunday morning that starts with a HUGE tantrum before church. I assume that we are not alone in this circumstance - surely other children decide to melt down on the Sabbath as well. (okay, except for Sasha and Malia who appear to be superhuman creatures who possess politeness beyond the capacity of any other child....) Anyway I digress...

Today's tragedy involved one otherwise cute 6 year old who went to bed last night with wet hair (parental mistake #1). This morning she woke up with a train wreck of misguided hair follicles which were truly beyond repair. There really were only two options... take another shower and start over... or go with curls in the hair to mask the disaster. We really didn't have time for option one so I only presented the "curly" option (parental mistake #2 - always give a choice). I thought I sold it really well though... mommy has curly hair, you wore curly hair for the wedding, it looks so beautiful, etc...

About 10 minutes after I thought I finished the hair, Ella came running back into the bathroom in tears. DRAMA! She is giving the "there is no way I can go anywhere with curly hair" body flinging, crying routine. I have no time for this (parental mistake #3 - never underestimate the time frame of tantrum). We need to be in the van leaving for church in 7 minutes. I offer the token barrett, headband, braid, etc... all of which are vehemently dismissed without any real contemplation. The bottom line for Ella - Get rid of the curls or I am not moving. The bottom line for me - Get your behind downstairs and in the van and stop the ridiculous behavior.

Needless to say that the next 20 minutes involved screaming, crying, physical escorting, wheezing, and name calling. Great - can't wait to be dropped off at church! I am fuming mad and thinking how many hours I can legally require my child to stay in her room that afternoon. She is calm by the time she gets to the family service where she has to sit with us rather than her friends. Pretty much from this point on she transforms into the sweet, hand holding child that I know she can be.

By the time we get home and have our follow up discussion, everyone involved is calm and civil. Scott and I discuss the serious nature of the crime and launch into a monologue on self-control. At some point, Ella actually seems to be engaged in the conversation. We talk about the power of sin and how we can not contol our tempers without the power of God. After much discussion, we agree that Ella needs to spend an hour in her room thinking about what happened.

Insert background information.... a quick diversion from the story. When Ella started school this year, she developed a passion for writing. Since then I usually receive multiple notes from her a day. Ironically, most of them are apology notes for minor offenses. I have never asked for them, but it seems that she is better able to communicate through her notes than having to say "I'm sorry".

Back to the story... So after an hour Ella emerges from her room with a note for me. This is not at all surprising.. except that when I look at the note it is actually not written to me. This is point in the story that I cry and thank God that he is sovereign even in the midst of my distressed parenting skills.

We took these pictures to remember and they pretty much tell the rest of the story.




For the non-teachers I will provide the translation: "Dear God, I am sorry for all of my sins. Will you forgive me? I want Jesus to be in my heart. Love, Ella"




Had to get a picture with a little curl left in the hair:)

Sibling Love

It has been so fun to watch the girls interact with Owen! Ella, of course, wants to marry him and use him for dress-up. Makenna wants us to leave so she can babysit and be "in-charge".