Elle's 4th Birthday party

We waited a few weeks after Elle turned 4 this year to have her party b/c she wanted to have a swimming party and a party we had! It was forcasted to rain all day but lots of praying to the man upstairs left us with a hot and sunny day. We had pizza, cake, cheetos, gummi bears, cookies, and a good time.
The VERY excited birthday girl

The setup

The cake---it was pinkalicious on the inside!

Birthday poster and cookies made to look like flip flops thanks to my creative retired mom.....i say retired b/c i told her people that work don't have time for this!

The birdman

Pitty Pat with her boys---Zander and Jay

RJ, Wilkes, Caroline, Elle and AC

Elle and friends

Ramsie and Laurel

Blowing out her candles

Jennie Beth, Justin, Tanner, and Tucker came to stay with us for the weekend so I had a special job for JB Saturday night. We had Elle's dance rehearsal so JB did Elle's hair, make-up, and changed her outfits backstage!

Tucker and Jay

Sunday was Mother's Day so we went to church and headed to Laurel for swimming and a big lunch. I got to lay out and take a nap while Josh watched Tiger Woods win a golf tournament--=perfect day! He got me a new tennis visor, tennis towel, and my fav thing, this picture frame. He went to Michael's ( a crafty place kind of like Hobby Lobby that those of you who know me would know I will not step foot in these kinds of places) He bought this frame and had each child paint a half---if you look close you can see the dotted line down the middle. They wrote their names and dated it on the back. LOVE!

YIKES....poor kitty at my mom's trying to escape

Birthday Beach trip

Josh and his friend Michael have the same bday, May 1, and we took a trip to Orange Beach with their family to celebrate and hang out. It was freezing cold and windy outside but we stayed at the Caribe where they have good indoor pools and waterslides so we were covered!
Josh's cookie cake from Elle and Jay

We always have to stop at the Oyster House on Mobile Bay and eat and hit up the playground. Of course Jay wouldn't go on the baby side.....he wanted to do all the big stuff with his sister

Ready to hit the pool

Addie, Elle, Alec, and Jay

Big Bird

Well my big boy started school this week! He will be attending school/daycare where Elle goes and Monday was his first day! He did great and didn't cry. He went right to sleep on his nap mat and slept for 1 hr. Hopefully this will get longer. He had a collision on the playground and got a bleeder but was okay with a bandaid. I'm not surprised at this b/c he is so active and rough. Teacher wrote me a note home that she was very impressed with his vocabulary and speaking skills and that none of the other kids in his class can talk like this bird! Made me proud! I was happy and sad about him growing up and starting this milestone but it was definitely time for him to learn and be around all of the other children.
First day of school pic.....It's definitely helping my feelings that my mom has decided to keep Elle and Jay on Tues/Thurs for the summer and I'm off most Fridays so they will only be at school Mon/wed for the summer!

Until this week Jay has stayed home with our dear nanny, Mrs. Robyn who we loved and will miss!

This is Robyn's little one, Hank. Jay will miss his little play buddy too but has lots of new friends at school to get to know!

Elle turns 4

My big girl had another birthday so my mom and I took Elle, Jay, and Caroline (her cousin) to Ocean Springs for the weekend to hang out and do whatever sissy pleased.
Ready to go swimming


We went to the Lynn Meadows discovery center in Gulfport and I absolutely LOVED it. The kids had fun too. We got to paint a picture.

Jay painting his picture like the big girls

Elle concentrating hard on hers

On the shrimp boat

Jaybird the captain

Turning the wheel

I don't know what you call this but it was gigantic. Look close and you can see Elle and Caroline crawling through it. I was 3 stories tall!

Shopping for groceries

Elle being the cashier. There was a little boy in the background in this pic in there playing. He came up to Elle's register and attempted to pay for his eggplant and blackbeans and she kept adding products to his bill that he didn't want to buy. He told her those other groceries weren't as healthy and he didn't want them. Plus he told her he didn't have enough money. What imaginations! It was hilarious to watch---Elle looked at him like he was crazy.

Shopped out!

Mexican Elle

Having a tea party with Gigi

On Saturday we got up and went to meet Whitney, her mom Suzanne, and Wilkes at the fair and rode some rides.
Wilkes, Caroline, and Elle on the motorcycles

Riding the bees

They weren't too strict as this fair so they let me take Jay on the tugboat/ pirate ship. It was kind of scary. He opened his mouth and I thought he was going to cry but instead he squealed and LOVED it and kept asking to go again

Hanging out on the deck when we got home and had a shrimp boil

I found these baby birds in a bush in our yard. So cool

Elle's class had a field trip to the zoo on Tuesday so I took off work a half day to attend. She even wanted Jay to go so he got to tag along.

Elle, Cooper, and Charley

The trio--Elle, Cooper, and RJ

Easter 2013

We had a packed Easter holiday. My church had an egg hunt last Saturday and I was flying solo with the kids so no pics from that one! Then Elle had an Easter party at her school but me or Josh couldn't leave work to go so no pics from that either. But, on Friday I was off so we took the kids to the annual Easter egg hunt at Canebrake and had a large time and took plenty of pics!
Jay ready to hunt

Elle ready to hunt

Elle trying to pull Jay back to take a pic with the Easter bunny. He was not having it!

Elle and Wilkes---so sweet!

Jay and Jackson--we are so ready for him to walk so they can be big buddies. Jay was bringing him eggs and he is crawling everywhere.

On Saturday we went to the annual egg hunt at the Burroughs house. They were a lot of kids there. They cooked food, had a bouncy house, and an egg hunt.
All the kids ready to hunt


On Sunday we got up and went to our church and then drove to Laurel to my parents' house to celebrate with my family and have another egg hunt. We have been reading Elle her Bible book and talking to her about the real meaning of Easter. She was stuck on that she didn't want Jesus to die on the cross but now she's okay with it. I told her he did that because he loves us and so we can go to Heaven. She looked puzzled and asked how will we get into heaven without angel wings? Then she said she didn't want to go unless I came with her! I assured her that daddy and I will be there with her one day! So sweet and innocent!
The Easter bunny came

Sweet pic before church

Finally a decent family pic

Elle wanted a picture with her baby brother in her lap! Needless to say he wouldn't get in her lap but managed to get a picture for her.