A sweet sister

I wanted to take a little time to brag about my little girl. She is becoming so responsible and super sweet. We have a good routine in the morning and we are out the door on time everyday mostly because Ella is so helpful. I get up first and get dressed then the kids wake up either by me or on their own. While I get Luke dressed, Ella gets her self dressed and her teeth brushed then waits for me to do her hair. She does it very quickly without much pushing from me. We all go to the kitchen for breakfast. This particular morning, Ella was wanting to be helpful so she quickly finished breakfast and while I finished with Luke she packed her backpack and lunch bag in the car then took Luke's out which is usually my job. She then quietly got in her carseat and buckled up. I was so proud of her that I secretly gave her three pieces of a hersheys bar and told her not to let brother see ( I knew I would have a fight on my hands if he did). As I was grabbing my bag, Luke headed out the door and climbed in his seat. When I got back there to buckle him in, sissy had shared her chocolate with him. It was so sweet! She wanted to make him happy she said. I love that little girl and she loves her brother. Just wanted to share this story so when I read it in the future I will have proof that Ella at one point loved her brother...I'm preparing myself for the teenage years!
Below is more proof:
I picture Ella drew for Luke after his first day of school. She said she new he might be a little scared so she thought this would make him feel better. It is a picture of her and Luke holding hands. Luke has a red balloon in his hand. I thought it was super sweet!

Ella packed lunch for Luke one evening. Slice of turkey, half a hot dog bun and grapes (she even washed them!).

Ella's first Soccer game!

We signed Ella up for soccer at the YMCA this summer and she had her first game last Saturday. We were all excited for it.

They have reversible jerseys and this week Ella was the blue team...they are all called the Capitals..Little Rock, the capital city..at least that is what I am assuming.

She's ready!



Pregame meeting with Coach Ben to go over some serious strategies before the game begins...watch out for the red team trying to listen in!




Pregame warmup...Ella found her "best" friend pretty quickly.



They played three on three and Ella was up first.



Go SISSY!! She was headed for the goal but celebrated a little too early. I guess she didn't realize the ball had to go all the way in the net. Sorry Ella, close just doesn't count! That happened twice. Didn't you teach her anything in practice daddy! We will try again next weekend..will keep you updated.



One thing is for sure though, she had a good water boy!



Great job, Ella. Mommy and daddy were very proud of you!

Our trip to OK for a Rodeo

This is a little bit of a late post but I didn't have any pictures and now that my sister has posted her pics, I can steal them and use them here. A couple of weeks again uncle Craig and aunt Lauren invited us to their house in OK to go to a rodeo. The kids have never been so we couldn't pass up the opportunity. The whole family came and the kids had lots of fun exploring Craig and Lauren's house and playing with their dogs.



They also had fun playing with water balloons. Perfect for a very very hot summer day!



Right before it was time to leave for the rodeo, uncle Craig sat the girls down for a big surprise!



Cowgirl hats!!



I think you can tell they were thrilled!



They had a great time watching the horses and the cows. I think Ella liked the funny clowns the best. Thanks Craig and Lauren for letting us invade your home. We had a great time and it was wonderful getting to see you!



I couldn't resist posting this picture of my little goddaughter who just turned 2 on Sunday. She is the cutest thing you have ever seen with the cutest little personality to go with it. Happy Birthday, little Maya Rose! We love you!

Our big Tent!

I remember one of my favorite things to do when I was a kid was to take all of mom's sheets and use them to make a giant tent in our living room. I remember it so fondly that I wanted to show my kids how to do it. Ella was super thrilled. She wanted to watch a movie and eat popcorn in it. Luke on the other hand had more fun tearing it down...he did like the popcorn though.