Birthday Weekend

We had a fun, relaxing weekend! We have been super busy the past 3 weekends and it was so nice to have a quiet weekend at home with lots of family time. On Friday, her actual birthday, Ella and I spent the morning at the pool and then went to her favorite place for lunch, Chick-fila! Who doesn't love Chick-fila nuggets?? Always cautious in the beginning feeling things out!

She was fascinated by the sprinkler and was thinking about drinking it and then...

yup, she drank from the pool water!! Well, I guess anything goes on your birthday, right.

Ella likes to steal the toys from the other kids at the pool and yes we do have our own but of course, she stole a bucket from another little girl. So, today I went out and got a new bucket and shovel for the pool and our upcoming beach trip.

Having so much fun at the pool, what a fun way to start out the day!

In the evening, we went to the church up the street. They had a music camp for all the 3-5 year olds and so that night, they were having a picnic dinner and then the kids all sang. They were so cute!

And Ella loved playing with all the kids and "trying" to walk with friends!

Ella LOVES music so she loved watching them sing and would clap and dance along with them.

Who is a rock star? This girl! We got these glasses as party favors and Ella loves playing with them and actually kept them on for a little bit.

It was so hot again so we brought out one of her new birthday gifts, the water table and had lots of fun splashing around and cooling down.

Finally, back to walking, Ella has been standing up on her own (not pulling up on anything) a lot lately and once she learns she can take a step, she will be gone. But right now, she is still very cautious and hasn't gained that confidence yet but I know it won't be long!

Bye everyone! Hope you had a good weekend because we sure had fun!! More videos to come soon!

I can't believe it

I feel like I on repeat this week saying the same thing over and over, I can't believe Ella is already 1! Where did the year and time go? I know where they went, we have tons of pictures and memories to remind us but it just went so quickly. Those first few tough sleepless weeks I wasn't sure we would make it but we did and what an amazing year it has been. It seems just about everyone I know right now is pregnant or just had a baby and I keep telling them all the same thing, time really flies when you have a little one keeping you busy! I felt like my pregnancy lasted 2 years but once Ella arrived, we haven't looked back and are having so much fun! Hours after being born, so tiny and all swaddled up! To standing on her tippy toes giving her doggie a kiss! To pushing her Winnie the Pooh toy all around the house and up and down the street. She is standing along all the time now and it's only a matter of time before she takes off. She also loves to blow kisses to anyone and everyone! So determined to push get going and always has her constant companion by her side! Happy Birthday to my sweet little girl. Your dad and I love you so much very much and thank you for all the love and joy you have brought into our lives over the past year. We can't wait to see what the future holds for you and all the many memories to come!

One Amazing Year

I made a video showing Ella's first year of life that we played at her party. It really shows you how much she has grown this past year and what wonderful times we had. (I have to warn you, its about 14 minutes long). Hope you enjoy!

Ella's first year of life from Kristin Hennessy on Vimeo.

Ella's 1st birthday video

Ella's 1st Birthday Party from Kristin Hennessy on Vimeo.

Whale of a party

Guess who is turning 1? I know, I can't believe it either but our sweet little girl turns 1 this Friday but we had her big party on Saturday to celebrate! Of course a theme was picked, whales and we had fun planning the big day. It all started with a love of preppy vineyard vines clothes and something summery so whales it was!

"Ella" balloons greeted guests and thanks to Mike to making the outside of the house look good for the big day.

Deck before the madness and it was a warm afternoon but luckily not as hot as it has been.

Did you know that Mike's night job is carving watermelons? Haha but he did do a great job of carving our fruit watermelon into a perfect happy whale.

Check out the amazing tail! Everyone kept asking where we had it done, they couldn't believe Mike carved it himself.

Pink whale cake? check! A huge thank you to Jennifer for baking and carving this special cake for Ella. Court and Jennifer came up from Atlanta on Friday to help for the party and they were a lifesaver and as you can see, amazingly talented also. I think Vineyard Vines needs to feature this in the next catalog.

View from the living room to the kitchen, this picture was early on, before most of the food was set out.

Mike, myself, Jennifer and Court before the party. As you can tell, we didn't just carry out the theme with the food, we also dressed the part. You can also see all the cupcakes that Jennifer made and by the way, homemade frosting to die for. Jennifer goes all out! We also decorated the tops of the cupcakes with mini whales and Ella's monogram in blue and pink.

When it's hot out, you have to cool down with the water table. Ella splashing and practicing her newest trick, blowing kisses to her friends!

Of course, the birthday girl had to have a new outfit and something personalized. I love Etsy, they have the cutest things and as soon as I saw this outfit, I knew it would be perfect.

Ella and Hadley having a splashing contest to see who could get the most wet. I think it was a tie.

Everyone join in now, they were all a mess but having so much fun!

One of Ella's other new tricks is pulling up on something and then letting go and standing on her own like she is in this picture. She isn't making any steps but each time she lets go, she is standing on her own longer and longer.

And here comes the cake! I have to warn you, there are a lot of cake pictures to come because it was just too funny. You know she loves to eat but she took this to a whole new level. First she was checking it out...

She is cautious at first and just dips in her finger and while she is distracted, I quickly slip on her adorable birthday crown.

Oh wow, this is yum, I wonder how much I can get in my mouth at once?

Oh my gosh, this cake is all mine? Yay!

Stuff it in there, getting all dirty but this is just the beginning.

Ella is so good at sharing, she let all her friends come grab a bite also. No forks allowed, fingers only!

The birthday crown was slowing her down so she took it off. As you can tell by the grin, she loves cake and would have sat there all night eating every last bite.

Ok, one last bite. Oh wait, I missed my mouth and got some in my ear. Yes, she did manage to get cake in her ear.

The aftermath! Mainly Ella with a little bit of help from her buddies managed to destroy the sweet little whale. We had to take it away because she really would have eaten every last bite and I didn't want her getting sick.

Uh oh, she is mess and there aren't enough paper towels so it was time to take her up to the bath and hose her down.

All cleaned up and have a full tummy so time to calm down a little bit and get in some cuddle time with Papa who made the trip with DeeDee for the big day.

One more fun game before the party ends, water balloon toss or fight, depending on who you ask. Addie and Kayla showing us their favorite color balloons, pink of course.

Mr Mike showing them how to play the balloon toss game.

Ella's best bud Wesley didn't want to miss out on the balloon toss. Unfortunately, she got drenched from the water table so just the bloomers and shoes made it!

Ella got some amazing gifts and her friends were all so generous with her. The biggest gift came from Uncle Court and she couldn't wait to open it up.

What is it? A water table of her very own!! No more borrowing from the neighbors. Ella already loves it and has been playing with inside without water all day so we can't wait to move it outside.

The party was a huge success and was fun for all ages (the party didn't end until almost 1 am and luckily it wasn't because any of the kids were up that late). I think we tallied it up and there were 44 people at the party, 30 adults and 14 kiddies all under the age of 4 so it was one wild and fun party! The next day we recovered by a yummy breakfast at Zada Jane's and said goodbye to DeeDee and Papa.

We are truly thankful for everyone who came to help us celebrate the big day with our family. This year has been such an amazing year and we are so lucky to have such great support to help us everyday. We can't wait to see what the future holds and more fun times with our sweet little Ella James.

Lake Toxaway Fun

We had such a fun weekend when we were lucky enough to go back to Lake Toxaway with our friends/neighbors. There were 10 adults and 9 kids (8 girls) and it was a wild but such a fun weekend. I know I have said this so many times but Ella is so lucky to have such good buddies to grow up with and Mike and I are so lucky to have found such great friends!
Rafting anyone??

This is as close as Ella is going to get to real tubing but she seems pretty happy about it!

All of the kids running around the yard and playing with "Mr Mike" They would run up and he would swing them around. By the end of the weekend, Kayla and Addie would follow him everywhere. I think they have a little crush, it is so cute!

The beautiful lake and deck!

This house and grounds are so nice. It probably sounds like a lot, 19 people but the house is so big, everyone had their own space.

The weather was much cooler which was such a nice relief from the 100+ weather we have been having.

Check me out!!

This one is my favorite, I love that you can see her big blue eyes and all her teeth!

We tried to get her to sit down on the bench to take a picture but the only thing she wants to do these days is stand up. As you can see, we all had such a great weekend and can't wait to go back!