Sunday, June 19, 2011

The ballet...

Tutus.
Ballerinas.
Live orchestra.
One little girl in pink.

A dream came true last Saturday for Ella.
And what a wonderful day.

Thank you Pastor Mark Driscoll for preaching this sermon.
And thank you sweet Jessika & Carlie that worked here, who heard the sermon and wanted to help...
and so they got tickets & backstage clearance for us all.
And thank you Pastor Mark & Mars Hill Church for blessing us with the best meal we've ever had after the show.
And thank you sweet Julie from Canada, who doesn't know us but bought Ella her beautiful pink ballerina-princess outfit so she could go to the ballet in style.


Oh, there's so much to the story, if you missed it...this will help catch you up. 
And her story just keeps getting better.
Because it's His story and He has a wonderful little plan for her life.
No, I take that back...not a little plan, a big one.
And we have a front-row seat.

Backstage tour...

Ella with ballerinas Jessika &Carlie (who made this all happen!)

Peeking through the curtain...
 
Always observant...

Daddy & the princess..

Girls & their shoes...

Sweet ballerinas...

Talking with Jessika after the show...

Jessika & Ella...striking a pose!

A very special gift...

And her face says it all...


Thursday, June 2, 2011

June 2nd...

Many of you know the importance of this day.
Life-changing is the only way to describe it.
Incredible.
Miraculous.
Joyous.
Beautiful.
The birth of our first child...

Ella Mae.

It happened today, 6 years ago...at 6:06pm. :o)
Her first cries were sweet sounds to us both.
She was finally here.
And we would never be the same.

In celebration, we had a wonderful day full of friends, family and yummy food...
best big sister...

a trip to the tea house...

"cream & sugar yes..."

"chai tea please", she said confidently...

daddy...

she called him her "prince"...

that smile...

laughing at daddy...

our "little" girl...

precious...

party time...

Six!

everything was decorated...

present from little brother...
present from Dad & Mom...

 And the final wish of the birthday girl...to end the night?
"Please can we all snuggle in your bed in our jammies and each bring our Bibles and just sit there quietly and read?"
How can a parent say no to that?
And so that's just what we did...
snuggling and...

reading.
She read to us the end of Ephesians...
from her new pink Bible.
And she was ecstatic that it was all hers.
Her very own.

Yes, six years ago she was born...
Incredible.
Miraculous.
Joyous.
Beautiful.

That is Ella Mae.