Christmas Kick Off!

Tonight we headed to Perry Library for their Christmas kick off event. They had a lot of events at this free little family friendly event. There was cookie decorating, the Perry High choir performing Christmas songs, Elves with letters you could write to Santa and pajama story time.

Here are the girls working on their letters to Santa




Biggest storytime I have EVER seen!



Hanging with friends!



We had hot chocolate and cupcakes and cookies all free too!




Then we headed over to the Elves to turn in our Santa letters and say goodbye before going home :)




We just love this time of year~ Looks more like we are doing a 30 countdown to Christmas instead of 25 ha ha!!

Our Elf has returned!

Here we go! Our Elf returned today to get us excited for our Christmas countdown which starts this Saturday. Just like last year our Elf returned with a North Pole Breakfast. (Good thing our Elf was here EARLY this morning as the girls were both awake BEFORE 6am.




Our Elf brought our kids favorites like candy cane donuts, bacon, strawberries, chocolate milk and hot chocolate. She also brought these cute peppermint snowflake pretzels from the North pole...Oh and apparently she has a gambling problem as she brought my kids scratch tickets.




The kids were so excited. My favorite was when Ella looked at me and said "Mommy!! The Elf made breakfast so now you don't have to!" ha ha.





The girls loved it. They won $6 on their scratch tickets and today we were able to get two more. :) Also this year it was Ella's turn to pick our gender and name. Our Elf is a girl and her name is Bella.





And I love that Bella brought The Polar Express bells from Santa this year. They kept shaking them in their ear. It was so cute!



Here's to another month of Elf fun! If I can remember to move her everyday... oops

Happy 6th Birthday Ella!!

6 Years. Ella your Birthday will always touch me in a much different way than your Sister. Not only is it your Birthday but it is my birth day as a Mother. The best day of my life. And also one of the worst. I still remember the Nurses running with you and the Doctors telling me you were critical. But I remember it less and less. In fact today, I did not think of it till after you were asleep. I barely think about the EMTs bringing you in to say Goodbye to me before they flew you by helicopter to a different hospital with a different NICU where you would stay for 11 days. Instead I think of how much fun we have had together. I think of how much we have grown together, and of how much you have taught me and of how much responsibility is in my hands to help raise you to be a confident self assured woman.

My life changed forever when you joined our Family. You have brought so much love and happiness to my life. I have been honest on this blog that it hasn't always been easy being your Mom. You are a very challenging, very bright, strong personality. You are a leader and try to be in charge. Which will serve you well when you are older but makes my job hard today. You are gifted in so many ways and that makes you quirky sometimes. You are trying so hard to be grown up but yet you are younger than all your peers, and there is a vulnerability, sensitivity and immaturity that interferes. But you are sweet and your dimples make me melt. You are a handful, a tornado, and you keep everyone on their toes and everyone trying to figure you out. But you smile, and hug and love while doing it. And I firmly believe I was chosen to be your Mom cause I will stop at nothing to make sure that I do right by you. That I will never stop learning the best way for us to work together, to communicate and to love and respect one another. Thank you for teaching me acceptance, patience, unconditional love and courage. You have given me some of the greatest gifts I will ever receive and I am better for knowing you never mind raising you...

Here is how I can describe you today... you are in such a rush to be older. You love makeup and clothes. You love animals! You love rainbows and tattoos and stickers and GLITTER. You love TV shows but are getting very selective in what you want to watch. We butt heads often over me thinking you are too young to watch shows that all your friends are watching. You love music and dancing and cartwheels. You love Justin Bieber. You are doing so well at school academically and you LOVE your Teacher (and so do I). You are learning a little more self control and behaving well over all with minimal setbacks. You are reading at a 3rd Grade Level and have a love of books!! Yay! You are taking cheer lessons right now, and want to take Hip Hop in the Spring. You still love to swim, you are OBSESSED with Santa and everything Christmas related, and I hope you stay that way forever. You lost 3 teeth this year and have another one barely hanging on. You may need to ask for your front teeth for Christmas this year! You love Build A Bear and have a gazillion stuffed animals on your bed and I will be so sad the day they are gone... You are loving old reruns of Full House which makes me smile. You love going to the movies, riding your bike, roller blading, hula hooping, jumping rope and have developed a new love of Soccer in PE. Could be time to enroll you in some Soccer for fun. But I am sorry to say sweetheart that your taste in clothing leaves much to be desired. It's the truth and hopefully you grow out if it. ;)

I wish many things for you today Ella but one I am willing to share with you on your 6th Birthday is PLEASE stop trying to grow up so fast. I love you my sweet girl. Here are your Birthday ABCs:

A- Adventurous
B- Bright
C- Complicated
D- Dimpled
E- Entertaining
F- Funny
G- Girly
H- Happy (and Healthy!!)
I- Interesting
J- Joker
K- Kooky
L- Loveable
M- Misunderstood
N- Naive
O- Original
P- Promising
Q- Quick
R- Reader
S- Scientific
T- Thinker
U- Unique
V- Vivacious
W- Wishful
X- Xhausting (ha ha)
Y- Young
Z- Zealous

Love Always,
Your Momma