Growing.....and cutting

Annabelle couldn't take the excruciating hair brushing I put her through each morning, any longer! She has been asking for short hair for quite some time, and I kept saying , lets wait until summer. Well summer came. We have a neighbor who is a hair stylist, and offered to cut Annabelle's hair. Annabelle is the most excited that she has bangs. I have never done bangs on her before. It also just so happened that we went over and did the hair cut at our neighbors house on the last day of school, so watching that haircut was almost more than my heart could handle. Last day of Kindergarten, and a haircut. Not only all that, but now all she wants to do is run around the neighborhood park, playing with all the neighborhood kids. We have entered a new phase of life. It is bittersweet to say the least. I made a last day of school cake for Annabelle, congratulating her for a job well done. I am so amazed at how academically inclined she is! It is so fun to see her love to learn. She tested off the charts in all things with words/phonics/reading this year, and is in a summer reading program through the library. New beginnings are good. God is good. Amen.

Before

During

After

Ella turns 4!

Our baby is no baby. It is unbelievable that I have a 6 and 4 year old. Where the heck have the last few years gone? We celebrated our spunky little monkey last weekend. My mom and Dad and Andi and Kevin came to join in the fun, with a family BBQ pizza extravaganza, complete with margherita pizza, BBQ chicken pizza and mac-n-cheese pizza, courtesy of the birthday girl. Not to mention she had mac-n-cheese for lunch. She can inhale that stuff. I really need to start making it homemade, and freezing it. Then the next day I teamed up with a good friend whose 4 yr old had a birthday a couple days before, and we did a joint birthday party for Logan and Ella. It was a big carnival party at the park, that would have been awesome, but it of course downpoured, so we did it indoors, and it turned out great anyway! A glimpse into who Ella is at age 4:

- LOVES mac-n-cheese
- chews off her finger nails and toe nails with her teeth (she has nubbins for fingers)
- loves to play dolls and loves any dolly accessory.
- her best friend is another little girl named Ella.
- she still enjoys a good cuddle with her mommy.
- she continues to be a shoe thief and is especially attracted to high heels.
- she really does say the darndest things, alot of the time.
- she has a tender heart and can be very nurturing.
- she loves to be read to.
- candyland is her favorite game with go-fish coming in as a close second.

goodbye Tuesday night addiction...

We began watching LOST with the rest of 'em back when it began in 2004, and have been hooked all 6 seasons. So fun to watch a show with so much depth that makes you think and talk about it afterwards. I mean, I am all for a good comedy with no thinking involved, but this was a great hour each week that Chris and I really enjoyed together! We will miss LOST and all it's complexity. We had a LOST finale party last night to finish off the series, complete with Dharma Beer, and some REALLY amazing chocolate oreo truffles thingies (thank you Sarah!). It was so much more fun to geek out with other LOST fans!

Amazing deliciousness :)

glued to the tv...

Mmm...dharma beer

Monmouth, OR

Chris and I took the opportunity (thanks to a cheap groupon rate) to go away for a night at a B&B in Monmouth OR. It was MaMere's B&B, New Orleans style. It was a gorgeous place, and we would love to go back. We did a little wine tasting at Eola Hills Winery, had a nice relaxing dinner at a steakhouse, had some dessert at a local winebar, shopped main street, and read in the park. It was such a great time to be together and to enjoy one another's company, something we are finding harder and harder to do with small children! A wonderful weekend, and we thank Aunt Andi for entertaining the little ones so we could have this much needed time away.

Breakfast on the porch of "the Pink House Cafe"

MaMere's B&B

A pic at the River

Koi Pond at Eola Hills Winery

The Yard

Here is what has been in the works for our garden/yard this year: lots of flowers (cause I love 'em), an ornamental crab-apple tree, roses, cucumbers, broccoli, jalapenos, sugar snap peas, cilantro, parsley, basil, carrots, tomatoes, green beans, strawberries and pumpkins. It is quite a lot, so we will see how it all turns out! I am already on my second batch of cucumbers and basil, cause something underground ate the plants all up! Here's a few pics of what I've got planted so far:

Easter Sunday

We attended a newer church Easter morning as a way to support a church that our church has helped plant out in Battleground called Daybreak. It was a good experience, but definately reaffirmed that even with all the changes going on at Compass, it is still where God has us, and we are happy to be a part of it, changes and all.

Ella's Favorites

When asked by her mother...this is how she replied....

What is your favorite thing to do? - play on the computer
What is your favorite movie? - Madeleine
If you could paint your room any color, what would it be? - pink and purple
What do you want to be when you grow up? - a doctor
Who is your favorite person? - Ella Ross and Micah
If you could be called by any name, what would it be? - Danbo
Who's your favorite character in the Bible? - Jesus
If you had $5, what would you buy? - milk
What's your favorite thing to eat? - mac-n-cheese
What's your favorite dessert? - pumpkin pie
Who's your favorite person to play with? - Ella Ross
What's your favorite game to play? - Candyland
What's the best kind of cereal ever? - raisin bran
If you cold go anywhere today, where would you go? - Target
What's your favorite bible verse? - Jesus