ELLE 5TH BIRTHDAY PARTY

We had Elle's 5th birthday party a week early because Kenny will be at market for her actual birthday.  The party was at Holli's Sweet Tooth, a candy shop that recently opened in Starkville.   It is a super cute little shop with a big bright room perfect for entertaining 25 little girls!

I came up with two different crafts for the guests and then had one of those really fun face painters come and each girl was invited to have her face painted however she wanted!  Elle had her heart set on a rainbow butterfly all week.  She was thrilled with her face paint!

Family picture together before guests arrived and faces were painted.

One of the tables where the girls could make bead bracelets.

They could decorate these foam flowers with all the glittery stickers

Goody bags with three different candies Elle chose.

My sweet birthday girl waiting to get her face painted.

She has her serious face on during the process. All smiles afterward though!

Miriam and Elle with their butterfly paints.  Butterflies were popular.

Cate and Elle in their Elsa paint- another popular choice.

Ruby, Miriam, Elle and Audrey

Walker did amazing despite the party being right around his bedtime.  He hung out with family members and even got a couple paw prints painted on his leg.  He was not having his face painted.  

Violet and Elle showing off their crafts that they made for each other!

Nannee and Elle

Time for ice cream and cupcakes along with the go to kids party food suggest and cheetos.  Elle asked for the second year in row not to be sung to.  So we did not sing Happy Birthday to her.  What the birthday girl wants the birthday girl gets!

Me and Margaret handing out birthday cupcakes.

Elle wanted me to get my face painted.  So I got a heart with her name in it!

Elle and me with our face paint after we got home from the party!

The party was so much fun and a total success.  Elle was thrilled with how it turned out and her friends seemed to enjoy themselves so that made me a happy girl! We came home after the party and Kenny picked up to go food from City Bagel for supper.  I got Walker to bed and then we let Elle open her presents!  She received lots of sweet things from her friends. She is a lucky girl!

Pop Pop helping Elle open their gift to her. They gave her the Doc Mcstuffins Vet Clinic because she is Doc McStuffins obsessed.  Walker and her have both had the best time play with it.

A little before Christmas my mom found this beautiful doll house at an antique store in Memphis and wanted me to get it.  We passed initially but ended up going back and getting it for her birthday. My mom and sister and me and Kenny all went in together and also bought a lot of the sweet furniture to go in it.  It is totally dreamy and I had the best time picking out the furniture and other little things for it. I was worried that Elle would not care anything about it but she has played with it non stop! We plan to have a special spot for it when we re do her room but for now have put a big low table in her room for it to have a spot.  But right now it it still on our dining room table with a stool pulled up to it so she can have constant access to the house!

The front. You can't see the sweet little mailbox I put right next to t

he front door because of the porch post.  It is adorable!

The inside all furnished and with the doll family!

JANUARY THIS AND THAT

I do this every January. I am so worn out from the holidays and things are pretty uneventful so not a whole lot going on that is blogworthy.  But before I do a monster post on Elle's birthday party I thought I would do a short this and that post with a few pictures.

One significant moment we had was Elle emptied her piggy bank for the first time in her short little life.  One day I handed her an American Girl catalog which she has flipped through before and never cared anything about.  But on this particular day she was totally into it and wanted all the things.  We had to have a very very long talk about money and what things cost and earning money.  She made the decision she wanted to empty her piggy bank and see how much money she had so that she could see what she could afford from the catalog.  She ended up having $101! I was shocked.  Winning bingo and Daddy sneaking some larger bills help I guess.  She was able to buy some new accessories for the American Girl dolls she already has and has already started forming her list for Santa next year with some more expensive items.  Lordy!

Perusing the catalog and weighing the decision.

Counting money with Mommy.  She doesn't know how to count money exactly so I showed her how to make stacks of dollars with the different coins and that kept her busy.

One morning Elle was out of school so I took Elle and Walker to the gym with me and then we stopped by the library to check out some books.  Elle had been asking to go back to the library and I had been avoiding it because I had racked up some late fees! So I finally went and paid my fines and she was thrilled to take home 15 new books!  While we were there one of the preschools was being read to by the children's librarian so we stayed and listened.

Elle listening to the silly story.

Kenny had to travel an entire week with his partners and we missed him like crazy.  When we finally returned home the kids were in the bath but Walker was dying for Kenny to pick him up so he pulled him out for a big wet hug and Elle had to get in on the action too!

Slippery hugs for Daddy who was finally home!

Kenny and his partners rented a big van for their travel needs the week he was gone.  We had to return it to the rental company on Saturday and Elle always thinks getting to ride in these things is the best thing ever!

Hanging out in the van!

Elle is constantly wearing my clothes, shoes and jewelry.  This is one of her get ups.

I took this picture because I had dressed Elle for school after she had eaten breakfast and she was working on something for her class and I was struck by how pretty she looked and how her sitting at 
the counter like that as she does every day was a memory I would want to keep.  So I took this picture.

Walker got a haircut the other day and is looking like such a big boy.  I love this picture of him on his tip toes digging through Kenny's bag.

Look at this baby all cleaned up after a bath. I love a clean baby so much.

Playing with Gramma after bath.  She and Pop Pop were in town 

for Elle's birthday party the next day.  

CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEARS IN FAIRHOPE

Phew! I cannot believe it!  It is January 1 and this will be my last post about 2015.  What a great and exhausting year it has been!  A couple days after Christmas we left Starkville and drove down to Fairhope to celebrate Christmas with Kenny's parents and spend the New Year's Holiday in Fairhope.

When we got to Fairhope we unloaded our car and our gifts from Gramma and Pop Pop.  After we unwound a little from our drive we settled in for another round of Christmas!  

Walker showed a little more interest in opening a gift.  He still preferred to eat the paper though.

Not eyeing the gift.  Eyeing the paper.

In his happy place.  Paper!

Gramma and Pop Pop got Elle some really cute things.

Mrs. Ann had set up an entire table full of little musical things with snow and lights and Elle had the best time playing with everything and playing all the songs while we were there for our visit.

The next day Mrs. Ann took Elle out for a girls day.  They went for manicures and pedicures, lunch and then went to this really great toy store that Fairhope.  Kenny and I went out for a coffee date and some shopping and were happy to take Walker along with us.  It was pouring down rain but we still managed to get in all of our favorite stores and do some shopping. We came home that afternoon to let Walker nap and watch the Bulldogs play NC State in our bowl game.  The Bulldogs played amazing and Dak had a fabulous last game.  We are so sad to see him leave Mississippi State but are so proud for him to enter the draft.  I cried happy and sad tears all at the same time as the clock ticked down on the game.  It has been amazing living in Starkville during his time here on our football team.

Elle and Gramma getting their nails done.  I am sure Elle was trying to be really still 

and that is why she isn't smiling in this picture.

Elle soaking her toes.

Love you Dak!

That night (the night before New Year's Eve) Kenny and I went out for a really nice dinner date to celebrate the year end together.  We went to The Wash House.  A restaurant that we have been meaning to try for a while.  It was wonderful and we toasted to a great year together and went over our goals for the upcoming year.  We always do this. We like to talk about our favorite moments from the year and then what we can do for each other to make the new year better!  

On New Year's Eve Mrs. Ann took Elle to lunch and a movie so Kenny and I took Walker with us to run a few errands before coming home to watch bowl games. I really do not like New Year's Eve so I am completely fine not doing a single thing.  We ordered pizza and put the kids to bed.  I went to bed at 10:30 once  I could tell that Alabama was going to beat Michigan really badly.  I did kind of pause to not stay up until midnight just to kiss Kenny and ring in the New Year with him but ultimately it wasn't worth being really really tired on New Year's Day.  I always have to drive home while Kenny works and our kids wake up at 6 so to bed we went!  

Putting Walker to bed already in my pajamas on New Year's Eve at 6 PM.

I did this thing for Instagram where it generates 9 pictures from the past year.  

This was mine.  I liked it.  Showed a little bit of everything.

On New Years Day morning we woke up and piled in to the car for our drive home.  We always enjoy being away but are always happy to be home too.

Walker getting in some hugs right before we left.  We always wait to the last minute to get him dressed for the day hence the no clothes.

Elle was sad about leaving Gramma.

Snuggled up watching the Cinderella musical that Santa brought her in her stocking.

Elle digging in her purse where she packed her baby doll's things. Kenny was cracking up and took this picture because he said she looked like me always digging through my purse.

CHRISTMAS DAY 2015

Christmas morning was just our family of four and quiet and relaxed.  It was really nice. Elle actually slept until a decent time for our house.  Which was 6:30, our normal time of getting up.  We got Walker up and Elle ran in to see what Santa brought her. She was thrilled to see everything she had asked for and some wrapped presents from Mommy and Daddy. Walker could not of cared less.  He actually crawled off to see play with one of his old toys that we keep in the kitchen area for a while.  It is okay.  We know he is just little and his time will come where he is just as pumped as Elle was this year.

Elle with her new Doc McStuffins doll and the Doc McStuffins Clinic she asked Santa for.

This picture makes me laugh.  Not sure what to think and only looks half awake.

After they looked at all their Santa presents they opened up their presents from us.

Elle in action ripping open a gift.

The only picture I got of Walker opening a gift.  Because he didn't really open anything.  He is more into the paper right now which he tears apart and then eats.

Kenny and I also exchanged our stockings.  We decided to only do stockings this year.  We just don't want for too much and had also planned to do some shopping in Fairhope.  So just stockings was perfect!

A totally rough picture of Kenny and me but I am posting because it is the only picture 

we are in Christmas morning!

After presents I made a big breakfast and we just relaxed and the kids played with their new toys. My mom and sister arrived mid-morning bringing lots of gifts and to celebrate the rest of the day with us! We all opened presents for a while it monsooned outside. And I mean poured.  The roads flooded in our neighborhood. It was kind of bad. We took a break midway of opening gifts to have a good lunch.  My mom brought a ham and I made some mashed potatoes and other sides.  Then opened some more presents.  The kids had the best time playing with everything they received and I was thrilled because my mom gave me a roomba! It was the only thing I asked for! It has not disappointed! We named her Rosie after the robot from the Jetsons.

That evening we got the kids squeaky clean.  (Clean out of the bath babies are my favorite) and we watched Christmas movies and played with more toys.  It was a wonderful Christmas Day and Christmas night.

Elle and Kenny building a house with her new magformers.  Those blocks are so fun!

The next morning we hung out and were lazy.  Played more with new toys and watched the Taylor Swift concert on iTunes. That afternoon, Kenny sent me and my mom and my sister to the movies and we saw Joy with Jennifer Lawrence.  I love Jennifer Lawrence and thought the movie was fabulous.  After the movie my sister headed back to Memphis so my mom was so nice and offered to put the kids to bed and let me and Kenny go to a movie together.  I know! Two movies in one day for me! We saw Concussion with Will Smith and it was great too!

Nannee and Elle building a tower out of blocks!