The things she says and does

Ella literally has us laughing out loud and pulling out hair out almost every day, sometimes within 5 minutes. Three years is such a fun age and still a little frustrating at times as well. But one of my goals with this blog is to document all the big and small things in their lives. I am not very good about writing things in the baby book (in fact, I haven't even gotten a baby book for Maddie yet and she is 6 months old!) so this blog keeps a record of their day to day life. So, miss Ella, this post is all about the funny things you say and do each day at three years old!

In our Hokie gear before the first game! You hold up your pom poms and say "hokie hokie hokie high!"

 At three years old, you say the funniest things all the time. You love to pick up any phone you see and have a fake conversation. Sometimes when a telemarketer calls, I let you answer it. You just keep repeating, "hello, this is Ella James Hennessy!"But when it comes to talking on the real phone, you are funny about that. You used to want to talk all the time, but now not so much.

You have funny names for things, you call Gatorade "gator gator", instead of saying "you forgot", you add an extra got in there and say "Mommy, you got forgot." Every night after we tuck you in bed, you have to blow us a kiss and say "love you night night" at least 3 times, sometimes more depending on how hard you are stalling that night.

You are also into letters a lot right now, you know a couple, of course E, L and A and know how to spell your name. You also know a K is Mommy's letter and a M is Daddy and Maddie's letter. You know some random ones also like R and F but the newest one you just learned is G. Everytime you see it, you shout, look Mommy G for gas!" Like when we are in public places and I am sure you do it at school, what those teachers must think! We try and say, yes, G for grapes but then you always say "and gas!" You like potty talk a lot these days. Whenever you do pass some gas, you always laugh and say "holy smokes!" We think this came from Daddy, at least, I am blaming it on him!

 You still love your sister so much and to see you all play with each other and interact is so much fun. Now that Maddie is sitting up, you love to sit next to her. But you definitely have an opinion about what toys she should play with and are very particular that she doesn't play with anything you might want to play with. We need to work on this sharing thing a little more. Before bed, I ask you what your favorite part of the day has been. Last Friday I asked you and you had done a lot of fun things that day, been to school, played at the park, played with our neighbor buddies but you thought about for awhile and then said, "taking a bath with Maddie Grace. I love taking a bath with her." Hearing those sweet words and how you two adore each other is the sweetest thing a parent can witness for sure.

 At three years old, you are still my cautious and tentative child. You want to make sure everything is very safe before you try it. But then once you do, you usually love it, it is just getting you to try it part that is hard. You rode your bike with Daddy the other day and hadn't been in awhile and even though you have been on it a lot before, you wanted to make sure that Daddy was going to go slow and not too fast.

 At three, you are very into your clothes and what you are going to wear. This is nothing new but we definitely have some battles over clothes and also your hair and how you want to wear it each day. And the bow has to match and the shoes have to be just right. And not just your clothes, Mommy's clothes, Maddie's clothes (Daddy is usually at work by the time you wake up so you can't pick out his clothes!).

Watching the Matthews Labor Day parade

One of your favorite things is dancing and singing. You love music and once it starts playing, it is like you have to start dancing and singing. We have lots of dance parties at home, with Mommy and Daddy and your best buddies in the neighborhood. When Mommy gets around to it, I am going to post a video of you singing Nicki Minaj's song, Starships. You love this and Call me Maybe the most right now. You are still undecided if you like sports or not (but daddy keeps trying) but singing and dancing are definitely at the top of your list!

You love Homer the Dragon, the mascot for the baseball team and the local beauty queens or "princesses" as you call them.

 At three you also have major opinions about what you like and don't like and you are not afraid to express those opinions. Like for lunch, you have a pb&j for lunch everyday and love it. It is our one stand by that we can go to everyday and know you will eat. But this year in school, there is a boy with a peanut allergy and so no pb&j at school. So, Mommy tried to be sneaky and buy a soy butter that looks just like peanut butter and tastes similar but no missy, you would not be fooled. You took one bite and declared you didn't like it. I tried to tell you it was just the same but you knew better and so you only had one bite of your sandwich at school and told Mommy to never use that yucky peanut butter again. No pulling a fast one on you and your peanut butter. (And can we talk about how it is so unfair to all the peanut butter lovers out there that one kid has to ruin the fun for all the others???)

 But despite the peanut butter, you absolutely love school. You wake up every morning asking if it is time to go to school and since you only go M/W/F, the days when it's not school, you get sad. But this year, being three, we get to do drop off for school. No more Mommy walking you to your class, just hopping out of the car and walking with your bag all by yourself. Yesterday was your first day and even though we discussed it, I had no idea if you would make it there since we only went twice last week. But then another Mommy emailed me and who was helping the kids find their classes and said while lots of kids needed help, not you. You walked confidentially down the hall and stopped to smile at her and went right into your class. I love that school has brought you so much confidence.

You rode the pony carousel and loved it. Getting a little more brave big sister!

 At three, you are very into birthday parties. Like love them, everything about them and good thing since we seem to go to one about every week. 

 I was shocked that you were so brave with corky the clown since you don't like characters in costumes (I don't blame you, I didn't either!) but you warmed right up to her and let her paint your face. Plus, you knew after the clown comes...

 CUPCAKES!!! You absolute favorite part of the party. You, my friend are a huge sweets lover.

Don't get me wrong, we have moments of tantrums when things don't go your way and even though we don't use it too often, you have spent some time in time out when it was warranted. I know you are learning and testing boundaries but try and give your Mommy and Daddy a break every once in awhile.

So, we will wait and see how the rest of three turns out but right now, we are excited to see you learn and grow each and everyday!

Some of your favorite things right now:

TV Shows: team umizoomi, dora the explorer, any princess movie

Games/Crafts: puzzles, painting and stamps

Favorite foods: PB&J (with the real peanut butter), pizza, cheese, rice, cereal, pancakes, cupcakes but you also eat lots of fruits (grapes, apples, strawberries, bananas, blueberries) and veggies (broccoli, corn, raw red peppers, raw carrots)

Favorite things to do outside: swing at the park, climb ladders at the park

Favorite books: Bearenstein Bears and Fancy Nancy

Stats at your 3 year check-up:

31.5 lbs (45%)

38 inches tall (77%)

Vision test: perfect

You did have to get one shot and you screamed but the toys made it all better.

Please stop growing

Please stop growing up and being so big Ella! You are becoming such a little lady and today you started your second year of preschool. You were so excited this morning, ran into Mommy and Daddy's room this morning announcing you were ready to get dressed and go to school.

Much to Daddy's protest, Mommy got you an adorable smocked dress that I knew my little princess would love to wear on her first day. You loved that it had school buses on it as you love to point out all the school buses on our way to school.

 We had your open house last Friday and you got to go meet your new teachers and check out your new classroom. You loved the classroom as it is bigger than your your classroom last year but you did wonder where our beloved Ms Ginny was. Not to worry, Mrs Scott and Mrs Monroe couldn't wait to meet you. You were also excited that 3 of your friends from your class last year are in your class again this year including one of your best buddies, Caroline.

 Mommy of course got out the camera and had to capture this big day. You indulged Mommy for a little bit before deciding enough with the pictures Mommy, let's get to school!

 Daddy s working from home this week due to the DNC so he stayed home with Maddie while Mommy took you to your school.

 After we parked, we saw Caroline and you two girls were so excited to see each other and go into school together. Mommy had to get one more picture of you sweet girls in your smocked dresses (see Daddy, everyone wears a smocked dress on their first day!)

Then you girls took off running down the hall to your new 3 year old classroom. You both looked so old and so grown up. You saw Mrs Scott at the door and couldn't wait to get in. You gave Mommy a quick hug and kiss and then took your bag and walked right over to your cubby to hang it up. I can't believe what a difference a year makes. School has been one of the best things for you, it has given you so much confidence and I just loved seeing how excited you were to start another year this year. When I picked you up, you had a huge smile on your face and the teachers said you had a great day. I am so excited for you this year and all that the 3 year old class brings. 

Happy half birthday

Last week, our little baby turned 6 months old and I can hardly believe she is that old already. These past 6 months have flown by and it is amazing to see how much Maddie is doing these days.

 About a week before turning six months old, she stared sitting up on her own. It was like she just decided one day she was going to do it on her own and that was it. She loves to sit up and check out the world around her. She is definitely very observant (some might call it noisy) like her big sister so she loves to check out the scene.

 There is no denying that Maddie LOVES her big sister! Anytime she sees Ella or hears her voice, she lights up. Ella can get the biggest laughs and reactions out of Maddie. I can't wait to see them continue to grow closer and closer.

 Maddie has also ditched the infant tub for the big tub. We aren't quite ready to leave her siting in the big tub by herself (especially with big sister who can sometimes be a little overbearing) and so our neighbors gave us this awesome seat to use in the tub. It helps her sit up and she loves splashing and eating, I mean playing with all the toys in the tub. And big sister thinks it is super fun to have a new playmate in the tub and even helps out with the washing duties!

 We went out to eat last weekend and Maddie decided enough with the carseat, she wanted to sit in the highchair and participate in the meal as well! She was great and even enjoyed eating her pears while we ate our food. Speaking of food, she loves all kinds of food these days. She is still eating baby food but has loved all the fruits and we are working on the vegetables. Her favorite so far is probably applesauce. Time to start cheerios and puffs next.

 Ella sees me feeding her the bottle all the time and asked the other day if she could feed her. So, after positioning the pillows just right, she fed her the bottle and did a great job. She was so patient and held it so still. I love this picture of the two of them looking into each other's eyes, so stinking cute!

 Being six months old means you get to hang and picnic with friends now! Last weekend, we decided to have a picnic in the front yard with the neighbors and after Maddie woke up from her nap, she joined the party as well, mainly enjoying the plastic fruit!

Last Friday, we had her six month well visit and got the latest stats. She still continues to be our "peanut" in size but Dr Ankrah was very impressed with her and said she is doing great! She weighs 14lb 11oz (24%) and is 25.5 inches long (47%). She may end up being a "little" sister for awhile.

Maddie Grace continues to be the smiliest, happiest baby and we are so blessed and lucky to have her in our family. There is no better feeling than walking in her room in the morning (after she has slept for 12-13 hours which is amazing in itself) and see her face light up with a smile when she sees you. Can't wait to see what the next 6 months will bring!

It's time to party

Growing up, I always remember that my parents made a big deal out of mine and my brother's birthdays and made us feel really special for a day and that is exactly the same thing I hope to do for my girls. I know that she is only 3 and probably won't remember exactly the type of party or who was there but I hope when she looks back, she remembers that her Mom and Dad made her birthday a special time for her. 

In starting to think about her party, I knew that our house was probably not going to work. Her number of friends has grown and so have their younger siblings so 15+ kids and their parents in our house is just too tight so after attending a birthday park at the local park this spring, I thought what better place to hold her party than the park. Well, the plan was set, we would hold the party the Sunday morning after we arrived home from the beach so that DeeDee and Papa could come to Charlotte with us and see the queen bee on her party day. Come Sunday morning, we wake up to rain and not just a little drizzle, I am talking a huge thunderstorm and torrential downpours. So, about this time, I am thinking, why did you plan an outside party and by the way, when is the last time it actually thunder stormed in the morning??? So, unfortunately, we had to change the party date which meant that DeeDee and Papa would miss it but luckily most of her other friends could still make it a couple days later.

Getting ready to head to the party.

I did the sunshine dance all day hoping we would avoid rain and about 3pm that day, the sky turned dark and I began to panic but someone was looking out for us because it stayed dry and the rain stayed away. It was actually a little cool and not very buggy which was great for August.

Ella was my sous chef helping me frost all the cupcakes and of course no princess can have cupcakes without princess cupcake wrappers and crowns for the top!

We love this little neighborhood park, it's right up the street, very shady with lots of trees and never too crowded. This particular night we had it to ourselves and the kids loved running around. They played on the monkey bars, went on the swings and of course the slides were a big hit.

 And sometimes climbing back up them can be as much fun as going down them.

Ella and Allie

Ladder climbing with Wesley

Soaking it all up

Ella, Allie and Anne

Even the littlest ones had a ball at the party. Maddie and Braelyn are just 3 months apart but they look about 6-9 months different but they had a blast swinging together. Tracey and I hope that these two growing up will be as close as their sisters are!

After all the playing on the playground, sometimes you need to take a break and so I had these butterfly and bear masks for the kids to color and then wear around. Some kids loved it and colored for awhile and others, like Ella, colored for about 3 minutes and then decided she was done! Her only requirement that I write her name on it so we would know it was hers. Don't worry Ella, I don't think anyone is going to steal the mask with two scribbles on it! But nonetheless she was very proud of her creation and wore the mask around for several days after the party!

As usual, Maddie was along for the ride and just happy to have anyone hold her. We played pass the babies around since there were so many of them.

This little one, Annie was the youngest at 3 months old.

 After mask coloring, it was back to swings for some more play before dinner and cupcakes.

The kids all ate pizza but had their eye on the cupcakes the entire time. Ella was so excited and had been asking all day long if she could have a cupcake. She just loved having all the attention on her while her friends sang to her.

 And now to blow out the big 3 candle!

The party was a smashing success and no one wanted to leave but finally it was time to say goodbyes and head home.

It wasn't the party we had envisioned and Mother Nature had a different plan but this little girl had a great day and I hope she always remember how special she is on this day and everyday. Happy 3rd birthday Ella James!

Take me to beach beach, let's go get away

Every trip should have a theme song and our theme for our Seabrook trip was definitely Nicki Minaj's Starships song.  And what better theme song to have than one that starts with "Let's go to the beach beach, Let's go get away" because that is exactly what we did! (I have some video of Ella singing and dancing to this song that I am working on so stayed tuned for that as well.)

We had such a fun week down at Seabrook and it all started when we got to go watch the PGA Championship at Kiawah. The guys went Saturday afternoon and got to watch a little bit before it was rained out. Lucky for me, that meant I got to see all the best golfers Sunday morning.

The course was beautiful and the weather was amazing. And thanks to DeeDee for babysitting the girls, Mike and I got to go together to an event, a rare luxury for us these days!

Before we came home, we had to swing by the gift shop and pick something up for our soon to be birthday girl! Now, Ella and Mommy have matching hats!

Our littlest one has grown up so much from our last beach trip in May. She loved every minute of being at the beach and soaking in the warm fresh air. She took great naps and slept great at night, such a difference from 3 months ago.

Once the golf was over, we had to go down to the ocean and check out the water. Looks like the new hat is working well.

Monday was a special day at the beach. Our little princess turned three years old! I don't think there is any better place to spend your third birthday than Seabrook Island in the sunshine. It was a big day and she insisted she start it by sporting her new Cindrella dress. Then, we spent the morning at the beach. We got this new raft which she named Roby LLP. Don't ask, we have no idea where the name came from but she called him Roby all week and eventually we all started to referring to the duck float as Roby

Post lunch cupcakes and even Maddie joined us down at the beach for the fun.

That night, we continued to celebrate miss Ella James with some more sweet treats, this time cupcakes with chocolate frosting. They were a hit and before finishing out the night, one last time in the Cindrella dress to prove she really is a princess. All in all, I would say the birthday was a big success!

Loving on her Uncle Court

The rest of the week we spent mornings on the beach and then the pool following afternoon naps. We lucked out and had incredible weather. The sun was shining everyday and it wasn't too hot which is a real treat in August.

Maddie got experience a first as well, her first trip to the bar! And of course, it was with her Uncle Court. The pool has a restaurant and bar so after swimming, we would all enjoy a nice cold cocktail. Ella really enjoyed her "water" one as well.

One night for happy hour, we drove up to the local marina to have a drink and enjoy some live music. The setting is beautiful, right on the inter coastal waterway with tons of boats (even Tiger Woods boat, see below!). No happy hour is complete with the perfect attire. Cute dress, check. Bow in the hair, check. Panda bear sunglasses, check. Ok, we are ready to dance and party.

As usual, Maddie Grace was just along for the ride and happy.

The singer was pretty good and as soon as the music started, Ella couldn't wait to jump up and start dancing. She immediately recruited Miss Laura to dance with her first.

DeeDee and Maddie joined in the fun as well.

Ella easily switched dancing partners once someone got tired. This child could spend all day and night dancing, she loves it!

Shake the hips!

Uncle Court getting her ready for UGA's date functions

Post dancing, back at home

And yes, we did bring our first born furry child with us as well and as usual, she had a blast running along the beach and splashing in the waves. Before we had kids and when we would vacation, almost all the pictures would be of Dakota, now there are only a few but rest assured, she had a great time.

So, Thursday morning, we were sitting on the deck waiting for the clouds to break so we could venture down to the beach and we noticed a large yacht sailing behind the house. After closer look, we realized it was Tiger Woods yacht, Privacy that was parked up at the marina all week for the golf tournament. The boat was huge and had a helicopter landing on it. We don't think he was on it but it was pretty neat to see it sail right behind the house.

Everyone's part of the day is happy hours spent on the back deck watching the incredible sunsets. 

Friday morning we attempted a mini photo shoot. Of course we picked the hottest and brightest day so we were all squinting a little bit and trying to get two kids to look and smile at the camera is nearly impossible. But I think some of them turned out pretty adorable.

Checking out the sailboat with Daddy

No more pictures, I just want to run!

My sweet Maddie, how are you already 6 months old.

DeeDee and papa got the girls these adorable dresses that perfect for the photos.

Papa with his girls

We are always waiting on Uncle Court to get ready!

Finally he arrived for one last photo. 

It was a great trip and as always we were sad to say goodbye and leave the beautiful ocean views and amazing sunsets but hopefully we will return shortly.