Ella Turns 9

Ella and her spoils.

Casey is getting more brazen in his attempts to claim his spot in the family.

We had our end of the year Activity Day gathering at our house where Ella got to hang out with friends and eat junk food while watching a movie.  Fun all around.

 

The Bagleys were nice enough to come over after to celebrate Ella.

We had a cupcake bar where the kids were able to decorate and pile on as much candy as possible.

Ella's 8!!!!!

I can't believe this baby:

is now this girl:

Eric, of course, had a hearing early on Ella's birthday, so we got to get up extra early to open gifts.  Really, since everyone else seems to get up at the crack of dawn anyways I was the only one who had to get up extra early.  And by extra early I mean 7:00am, which really isn't that early, but when you are an insomniac who didn't get to sleep until almost 1:00am it seems pretty darn early.

getting right to business

Tonks seems to have taken a page from Casey's book and has started doing cards.  I'm still trying to figure out how they hold the pens in their paws...

Surrounded by her gifts

We had chocolate cupcakes with pink icing and yellow cupcakes with a ganache.  Even thought it was a delicious ganache, the kids seemed to prefer the regular everyday icing.  I was shocked and amazed (not really).

Eric makes sandwiches out of the weirdest things. Pizza, cupcakes, what's next? Bread and meat?

 This year was an even birthday for Ella, duh, which meant that she could have a party with friends.  I was not feeling up to having a bunch of kids over so I tried everything I could think of to dissuade Ella.  We offered having lunch at a restaurant and seeing a movie, going down to Denver to go shopping, or even going to the Children's Museum, but none of it worked so we had a party:

Playing the makeshift golf course Eric set up

Drawing their pictures of Ella and things she loves

Making crepe paper dresses (or mummies for Ethan and Caleb)

She got LOTS of art kits (her friends know her well)

I didn't feel up to making a big giant elaborate cake, but luckily Ella was just fine with the cupcakes I had made for her actual birthday.  Again, the ganache was not the winner.  Lesson here: 
Betty Crocker + kids = less leftover cupcakes

Sibling Rivalries, or Ella's Birthday, or Longest Post Ever

It must be hard to be the younger sister.  Especially when you are 3.  I know it has been a hard week for Livi.  Not only did we have 2 birthday's that weren't hers, but we also had friends over for a party, and lots of talking about what Ella wanted.  What flavor cake Ella wanted, etc.  It has been an emotionally hard week for everyone, but especially Livi.

Bright and much too early we started out opening presents. 

Notice Livi is still smiling at this point.

Could Tonks be any cuter?  She looks just like a tiny Ewok!

Ella's birthday fell on a Thursday this year, which is my day to go in and help in her class.  I made special castle sugar cookies and spent my usual time plus recess with her.  Eric went to the school for a special daddy/Ella lunch, and I spent the afternoon finishing up Ella's cake.  You may think you shouldn't need an entire afternoon to finish up a cake, but when your daughter looks over your shoulder while you browse Pinterst.com and she sees the "most beautiful cake in the world" it takes a lot of time to execute.

It is suppose to be two pillows.  There was also suppose to be a tiara on top, but it had an "accident."

Livi did like helping make the cake.  Especially eating the icing.  Even the black icing!

We had the Bagleys over for cake...

and we all ended up playing in the backyard.  The hammock seems to always be a favorite for kids.

We spent most of Friday preparing for the PRINCESS EXTRAVAGANZA on Saturday.  We made most of the decorations and ended up making cupcakes (because I hadn't baked enough this week).

At 1 pm we had 8 princesses and 2 knights over for princess games (the boys mostly played down stairs and in the back yard).

The girls watching Eric pelt the boys with water balloons.  They all seemed fascinated with Ethan and Caleb which makes me a little scared for the future.

 We started out decorating crowns and having a tea party (cookies and chocolate milk).

We played hot potato with Cinderella slipper (amazingly enough I had a shoe that would work! ha ha)

We played pin the crown on Aurora, which Ella was very excited to win.

We played freeze dance, looked for the poison apple,

and then headed outside to break open the pinata.

 It felt weird trying to destroy a beautiful castle, but nobody seemed to hesitate taking a baseball bat to it.

 We went back in for cake.

It was finally time to open gifts and this is were Livi just couldn't take it any more.  She had watched me open boring gifts, Ella open gifts she couldn't play with, Daddy go to school to be with Ella, and now there was a giant princess baby, and it wasn't for her.

 It was more than she could bear.

At this point my heart broke for my tiny Livi.  I don't like buying the kids toys for no reason.  It is a slippery slope, but watching her just loose it, knowing none of the fun was for her was too much.  I decided she needed something too.  I promised her that after the party we would go get her, her own baby princess.

Maybe this isn't good for her, but watching her at Target and at home after, it was worth it!

Ella's Six

I can't believe it, but Ella is finally 6! We all woke up bright and early (thanks to a little help from Ella), and got right to it opening presents. She was very sweet and let Livi "help" (which was awesome until Livi realized she didn't, in fact, get to keep the presents she opened). Ethan, too, had a hard time seeing Ella be the center of attention, but he came around (about 2 days later).

After all the presents were opened Ella was surprised with one more... the bike she was dying for.

She got to wear the birthday crown at school, we brought in cupcakes for her class and I read the book she picked out to them. After school we took Maddi and Caleb with us to Sonic for treats, and then played at the Bagley's. We had peach cobbler with scrambled eggs for dinner (considering I nixed the ideas of coffee cake for breakfast and doughnuts for lunch I felt I had to give in for dinner) and chocolate cake with vanilla ice-cream for dessert. Happy Birthday Princess Ella!

As much as I love singing "Happy Birthday" to my kids, it is Livi's contribution that just made me smile:

Ella Turns 5, Oh my!

My Bella turned 5, I can hardly believe it. It's too bad we couldn't have painted pottery and watched animated movies for her birthday and my mom had already gone home, but we still tried to have fun. We started by opening gifts in the morning. Grandma Joan and Grandpa Alan gave her a Ken doll so her Barbies wouldn't be so lonely. Grandma Sharon and Grandpa Rulon gave her a talking Dora doll that plugs into the computer and you can change her eyes, jewelry etc. Thank goodness I got a new computer so she can play with the doll. Our old duct tape model couldn't handle it! :) We had hot chocolate in her toy tea set for breakfast. Ella got to pick out the color (pink) of her cake, and the decorations. Luckily the Bagleys could stand to come over twice in one week and we got to spend a little more time with them over dinner and cake. Thank goodness for good friends who are there to help your kids feel special and celebrated. Happy Birthday Ella Bella, we love you!