Daddy/Daughter Dance

On February 24th, Derek took Ella Grace to their first Daddy/Daughter dance. It was at our church. Derek said they danced every dance except two. Ella Grace loves to dance, so she was totally in her element. She got to wear a fancy dress. Derek got her a gift and a corsage. I love that he is showing her now how she should be treated when she is dating and when she is married. I hope she is lucky enough to find someone just like her Daddy. If you ask her who she is going to marry, she says, "Daddy." She has informed me that at their wedding I will be a "blue girl" meaning I will be her bridesmaid wearing a blue dress and black high heels. Girlfriend is giving this a lot of th0ught. Ha! Here are some pictures from their big night.

Beyond excited!

Beautiful girl.

After she got her corsage, she started crying and crying. I asked her what was wrong and she said, "It's just so sweet that Daddy got me flowers." =)

Such a sweet girl. Such sweet times. Let me never take them for granted.

Bedroom/Living Room Makeovers

I've been itching to makeover my bedroom. My sweet friend, Abby, has a GREAT eye! She was willing to help me, and, wow, did she ever get me started! What started as a simple, "Let's make some changes to my bedroom," has now crept into the living room. =)

Here are some things I've done to my bedroom. This is where Abby and I started. Once I get completely done, I'll post some pictures of the finished project.

The first thing I did was get some new bedding. I had initially ordered a duvet from Pottery Barn, and I loved it, but it was something I had always done. I was ready for something different, something lighter and brighter. Abby found this, and I LOVE it!!! I returned the PB set, and I'm so glad I did.




Then, Abby found this great mirror. It is the same as found at Restoration Hardware, and she found it at a place in town that sells home decor items. We it at a fraction of the price. It is a little rustic and adds interest to my room and balances the "glam" I'm adding as well.

I got this chair last week. I'm putting it in the corner of my room in a little reading nook. I just LOVE it. It is from Target of all places. I'm learning a lot in this process. I'm learning if you do a little research, you can find some good prices. I'm definitely on a budget! A lot of the chairs at Urban Outfitters are also at Target in a similar version. LOVE!

Once I got started, I found Shelli, at a' la mode blog. I found her randomly one day when I was catching up with Kelly. I was struggling to find "MY" style, and as I went through her home tour, I felt like I had found myself. I like traditional lines but I want something that looks more modern (but not too modern), and I knew I wanted to go lighter and brighter (get out of my red and brown). I e-mailed Shelli on a whim, not thinking I'd ever hear back from her because she has like a bazillion readers, but you know that precious girl e-mailed me back and has been helping me!!! She is as sweet and precious as she looks in her blog. I just find it amazing that a complete stranger is willing to talk to someone like me that doesn't know jack about design! LOL! I simply can't thank her enough! I'm also wishing I knew her years ago when I used to travel to her home town when I worked in a the "real world". How fun that would have been! Had I known her then, I probably would have been making all kinds of excuses to travel there. Ha! I really think what it is is that she saw what I had done and my own and probably thought to herself, "Wow! That girl really needs some help." LOL! We also have an OBU connection, and once you've been to OBU, you pretty much become family even if you are strangers. =)

I was inspired by Shelli's wall color, so the next thing I did is paint my bedroom Sherwin Williams Comfort Gray. LOVE it! These girls haven't steered me wrong yet!!!


I still have work to do. I need to get art, and I'm working on a gallery wall for the room, but it is all coming together, and I'm loving my lighter space. Now, if I could just get the kids to stop eating Cheez-Its in my new retreat. LOL!

Somehow, I've convinced Derek we should also work on the living room. Again, precious, beautiful, design star, Shelli, has come to my rescue. I told her what I was trying to achieve, ideas Abby had already given me that I liked, and she has designed this for me:

It's gorgeous and exactly the look I'm going for. Shelli has such a gift for design, and more than that, she is the sweetest person on the planet. Seriously!

I've got this couch and ottoman above ordered along with this media chest:


I could NOT convince Derek to paint the walls a lighter color (we just painted about a year ago), but I'm tickled to get to redecorate, and I think I'll still get the look I'm after even with the darker walls.

Now, our biggest dilemma is how to get the kids not to spill on the lighter furniture, which you know will happen thirty minutes after it is delivered. Ha!

Oh, and I have a living room full of furniture I'm selling, so if you are interested, let me know. Ha (but seriously)! =) I'm having my first experience with Craigslist. It's quite interesting, but I have sold one piece. Yay!

Running

Ella Grace asked her Daddy for headphones. He set her up with music, and she took off running around the pool, like when I go running. =)

I asked her if she would like to go on a real run with me. She was SO excited. She even wanted to put her Gatorade on top of the mailbox like I always do. =)

Some of Daddy's music didn't make the cut. We had to stop because she did not like 38 Special. Can't say I blame her. =) Sorry, Daddy.

What a fun time and special memory with my sweet girl. Girlfriend ended up running about half a mile. I was shocked! She cried when I made her go in, but I was afraid she was going to over do it in this heat. I have a feeling in a couple of years, she will be running circles around me.

Summer Camp

My babies have LOVED camp this summer. It has kept us busy, but they have had a blast.

Evan is back for his third summer at A-Camp. A-Camp is a blessing...that is all I can say. A wonderful blessing. He has gotten to do so many FUN things, and he still has two weeks left. They are so sweet to take pictures every day of all the fun he is having. It is so wonderful to get a peek into his day. I have a lot more than this, but these are some of my favorites.

Exploring

Crafting

Catching bugs

Canoeing

He has developed a special bond with this Camp Counselor, Mary Pat. He LOVES her.

And I'm pretty sure the feeling is mutual.

Happy boy to be at camp

Proud of all the badges he has earned

Swimming

I've been asked to speak to the Board of Directors of A-Camp in a few weeks about what A-Camp has meant for our family. I don't think there is enough time to communicate what a blessing it is.

Ella Grace spent a week at Princess Camp. She loved every minute of it. Talk about right up her ally! =) She learned that princesses aren't quitters and that being a princess is a big responsibility because you take care of those you love. She also learned how to hold her dress out when she walks down stairs and how to always have her plume (feather pen) with her in case someone wants her autograph. Ha! Just precious! I'm so glad she was able to go.

Here she is being "announced" to all the land as Princess Ella Grace by Queen Nettles.

The princesses entertained the audience by doing the "Macarena." They also learned a line dance and the motions to YMCA! SO cute!

They learned to get their own refreshments and use the ladle all by themselves to get their own punch.

She danced with Daddy. Her favorite part, I think.

It's official. We have papers to prove it. =)

Still Catching Up...17 Years

July 2, 1996

On July 2nd, Derek and I celebrated 17 years of marriage. We've been together a total of 23 if we count our dating time. Well, some of it wasn't really dating, as my mom wouldn't let me date until I was 16. Derek and I met when I was 15, so we spent a lot of time on the couch watching TV. It seems like we watched A LOT of episodes of "Hunter." Remember that show?

I'm so thankful God brought Derek and me together at such a young age. It is fun to go back and look at pictures...when Derek was all elbows and knees and I was all hair. I think the kids will enjoy looking at them as well. EG will already say, "Daddy was old here," having it mixed up that he was really young! Ha!

My mom watched Evan and Ella Grace so we could go out to eat. We went to our favorite restaurant that has the best steaks ever! I'm so thankful for such a loving, supportive husband that is a wonderful Daddy to our children. We've made a lot of good memories and I know lots more are to come.

Tiny Dancer

Wow! It sure has been a while. I have missed blogging. I just can't seem to find the time. I was looking for something the other day...a picture I think. I knew it was on my blog. I found it, and in the midst of looking realized how many memories I had documented...this I had forgotten about had I not blogged about it. I'm going to try to get re-started. Even if it's not a long post, I want to post something about daily life with this sweet family of mine.

Ella Grace is LOVING dance! She had her first dance recital last weekend. It was SO cute! She had a blast, and I had no idea how hard it was on a momma. The other moms and I spent our time changing costumes, running back to the auditorium for the performance and then running back to the changing room. I was exhausted, but I was SO proud of her! She did great and had so much fun!

We couldn't take pictures or video during the performances. These are pics I took before and back stage. We are ordering a DVD, and I'm anxious to watch it.

Granny brought her flowers...

and so did Daddy. This was at the awards ceremony at the beginning of the recital.

She did her tap routine to "Boot Scootin' Boogie." Precious!

She did her ballet routine to "My Girl." Sweet doesn't even cover it! I cried!

She did her gymnastics routine to "Walk the Dinosaur." It was her favorite. Here are the girls staying busy with a snack and a movie until show time.

Ella Grace and some sweet friends she made while at dance. She had the best time and I see lots of dance recitals in my future. =)

All About Ella Grace

Ella Grace has started taking dance. She goes for an hour on once a week for ballet, tap and gymnastics. She LOVES it (and so do I). I think I am having as much fun as she is! I was completely giddy at her first lesson. She looks ADORABLE in her tutu! Two of her best friends are taking with her, and they are SO cute. This is a picture of Ella Grace and Kaitlyn at their very first lesson. They were SO excited!

She is still loving "school." Last week was my last week teaching there. I'll miss seeing her throughout the day. This is a picture of Ella Grace and one of her good friends, Elijah. They became fast friends the very first day of school. I love all these sweet little friendships she has made. I can't believe I just registered her for her last year there. She will be in the 4-year-old program and THEN Kindergarten. I can't even think about it!

Ella Grace got a bicycle for Christmas. We got to get it out for the very first time this weekend. The weather was SO nice! Here she and I are riding around the backyard. I, of course, am on Evan's bike. It is not easy to ride a bike that is too small. LOL. Thank goodness for those training wheels! My rear end is still sore today! Ha!

She is still extremely picky about her clothes. This is something that can be a battle each morning. She definitely knows what she likes, and it seems the flashier the better. Ha! It's to the point now that I have no idea how to shop for her! The teen years ought to be fun! She was so excited about the warmer weather. She picked out this sweet smocked dress to wear on errands Friday (and hot pink shades of course).

I am so thankful God blessed us with Ella Grace. She has brought her Daddy and I so much joy!

I thoroughly enjoy my children!