Cocktail hour

My good friend, Diantha has started having cocktail hour once a week. The first one was right after our trip to California. Let me tell you that a cocktail never tasted so dang good! Being in a car for 10+ hours with three children under the age of five will do that to you! Anyway, this is really life the way it was meant to be lived. Women commiserating and children running around having a good ol' time. Last week we had a drink called a swimming pool so, true to form, Diantha set out shades for the kids along with some other party favors. So cute! The kids put them on while we had a dance party in Diantha's living room. Thank God for girlfriends and cute kids too!

More of Miss Ella

These are just a few pictures of Ella looking cute in her new dress. I bought this for her when we were back East. The weather was finally warm enough for her to wear it! She is also sporting salt water sandals. I bought these out of pure nostalgia. My mom used to buy my brothers and me salt water sandals each summer from the Junior Bootery. It was always a big deal to go into "town", get our feet measured and get our new sandals. Now I get to do the same for my kids.

Miss Ella's 3rd Birthday

Will showing Ella the card he made for her

ooh la la

Who doesn't love being served chocolate cake by a hunky French waiter??? Okay, I don't know if he's really French, but we were at the French bakery! :)

Purple pedicured toes

Ella rockin' the pedi

Family dinner

Ella requested olive pizza

Official cake pic

My happy birthday girl!!!

We had a great time celebrating our little girl last Sunday. Will gave her a card that read, Happy Birthday Ella. I helped him out a little, but he wrote all of the letters himself. I let Ella open one of her presents so she could wear a new dress to church that morning. We headed off together just the two of us. Having Ella all to myself was such a treat. During sharing time at church I announced that it was Ella's third birthday and said that I was very grateful for my little girl. I let her say her age into the microphone and then she promptly buried her face into my shoulder. I could still feel the smile though. The song leader led the whole congregation in a round of Happy Birthday to you. How special!

Afterwards we went to the French bakery for lunch--very lovely! It was so fun to have a fancy, girly lunch with Ella. When we got home I gave her a pedicure, complete with a foot soak and massage. Ella loves "tickles" on her legs so I had a feeling she would really enjoy a pedicure. Then it was time to paint. How fun!

Ella was ready for a rest at that point so she stayed home and napped with Mike while I took Will to another birthday party. Mike said that she was beaming from the morning's activities. That made me a happy mom. She also told him that she got to speak into the microwave at church. :)

For dinner that night, Ella requested olive pizza. We set the table with pink dishes (depression era dishes that belonged to my mother's grandmother) and lit candles. It was a special day for all of us. We love you so much Ella Jewell!