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...

Another day in the life of Ella Mae...

At Children's today...

I continue to be amazed at the little bundle of 5 1/2 year old goodness, namely Ella Mae, that the Lord has blessed our family with.

Over the past couple weeks, we have witnessed her little light shining so brightly, that we cannot even keep up. :o) So for those of you who haven't heard, here's the latest in the life of Ella. Or shall we say, just another day in the amazing life of Ella Mae...

1. She gets to meet & hang out with Mark Driscoll...she loves him, he is moved by her...resulting in his posts about her on facebook (which are commented on by 100+ people, most who don't even know her) as well as his joyful mention of her in his sermon the next day.

2. As a result of her little "debut" via Pastor Mark's sermon, people are encouraged, convicted & touched. She gets invited by a ballerina at the Pacific NW Ballet to come to a performance in June, complete with backstage passes & a chance to meet all the ballerinas. (For as many of you know, ballerinas are her very favorite thing right now!)

3. As a thank you for this wonderful gift, her daddy writes a note to Pastor Mark to tell him (in Ella's words) how excited she was about the whole thing...which in turn was posted here and encouraged even more people. 

And now if you ask her, she will tell you she is definitely buddies with Pastor Mark. :o)

4. Just this past week, she got to attend a baby shower for her awesome Auntie...and during the open prayer time she decided to pray for her Auntie & soon-to-arrive baby boy cousin. Her little voice sincerely & sweetly prayed out with full confidence...prayers for her Auntie who she "just loves so much" and prayers for her little cousin Niyah, "that she won't be scared when mommy goes to have the baby and that she won't cry when Auntie has to take care of the baby".  

She is absolutely blossoming in her little prayer life and she challenges me, her mommy, with her immense faith & unshakable trust in her Creator.

5. And then today...another check-up day at Children's.  Old pink cast removed...new PURPLE cast put on. 

Two more weeks and she will be done with the whole cast thing. 

But here's the amazing thing about this little girl...for 6 weeks she has had this cast on and for 6 weeks we have heard nothing but...

a joyful heart. 

No complaining.

No whining.

No self-pity, sob-story, whoa-is-me drama.

Just plain ole' joyful, bubbly, outgoing Ella Mae...like only she can be. Except she just happens to have a cast on. That's all. No big deal Mom.  

Pink cast comes off...

Sweet little feet...

Such troopers & such good buddies...

New purple cast goes on...

All done!!!

2 weeks & counting...

Celebrating in the sun...

She will be six in June. Six going on 17. 

She is growing, maturing, understanding faster than I can keep up. And I'll admit, I do have times when I wish she would just stay little...

But then I am just too excited to see all that she will become as she grows up. 

Because I have a feeling that what we've seen so far is only the beginning.

And I know His plans for her far exceed any I could ever dream or imagine. 

And for now, I will just continue to enjoy every day in the life of our precious Ella Mae...

P.S. Thank you, thank you to our dear friends Jenn & Makenna for coming with us to Children's...your company was delightful!

the pink cast...

Today we are home rejoicing in the safe and uneventful surgery on Ella's left foot.  Thank you to the many who sent text messages, email and FB notes to encourage her little heart. She would beam each time she read one and she said it made her feel "so special".  She is now in the infamous pink cast (for 8 weeks) and we are adjusting to life with this new, albeit pretty, challenge.

She was, as always,
radiant...
engaging...
respectful...
cooperative...
flexible...
an absolute joy.

She makes being a mommy (and daddy) the best job in the entire world.

We love you Ella Mae and are so proud of you for letting Jesus shine through you to others while you were at Children's.  We know this pink cast is not your favorite thing, but we are so thankful for your good attitude and cheerful heart in spite of it.

For the rest of you to enjoy, here's a little "story in pictures" to give you a look at Ella's day...

Heading into Children's...

Checking in...

The waiting room...

Always observant...

Snuggles with daddy...

Waiting...with a smile on her face.

Our cool surgery outfits!

Pre-surgery dancing...a must.

Marking her foot before surgery...

Initials of the surgeon on the correct foot...

All done...

Yummy popsicle & the new pink cast...

Thankful for the Lord's protection.
Thankful for pink casts and joyful hearts.
Thankful...again and again.

(all photo credits go to daddy...who took all the pics despite recovering from food poisoning!!! You are amazing daddy!)

Another big day...

Today I am enjoying having a "guest blogger" on my site. She is a very special young lady and she has lots of good things to say. :o) 
Please welcome Miss Ella Mae McPherson:

i had a great day at children's. keep praying for me. i was great.

Reprogramming her shunt...

My girl...

Snuggling with daddy...

Waking up! All done...

 As my guest blogger stated above...the day went really well! 

We are very thankful, yet again, for the Lord's goodness displayed
-in our little girl...
-in the doctors & nurses at Children's...
-in His grace for another day to enjoy together as a family...
-in His continued guidance & wisdom in every circumstance...
-in the prayers of His church that sustain & encourage all of our hearts.

The day included MRI with sedation (to check her spine & brain), xrays, talks with her neurosurgeon, spina bifida specialist, and orthopedist.  It was full. It was heavy. It always is. 


And it was good. No news that we weren't expecting. No devastating diagnosis.
But it was still hard. Still challenges. Still tough to see our little girl dealing with these things.



And yet we are thankful, encouraged and blessed. So thank you for your prayers dear ones...we are so very grateful. 

And in Ella's words:
"keep praying for me."

(all pictures, decorations, colors and "fancy stuff" were picked especially by today's guest blogger, Miss Ella Mae. "It is so much prettier now Mom".)

So thankful...

As many of you know, we had an emergent trip to Children's last week. 

The only thing I can say is that we are SO incredibly thankful for the grace of the Lord and his provision through doctors, specialists and the faithful prayers of his saints. We were blessed beyond words by the quick notes, texts, emails and messages washing us with the Word to encourage our hearts and strengthen our minds during this ordeal.

Ella awoke Thursday morning after 2 days of very high fever.  During the course of the morning (about 30 minutes), she began having what appeared to be a "seizure" with stiffening of both hands, wrists & arms accompanied by headache & neck pain.  It was very scary for her (and us). And we were unsure if the stiffening would continue to the rest of her body!

We were unsure if this had something to do with her shunt or scar tissue on her back (tethered cord) or the Chiari II malformation at the base of her skull...the possibilities seemed endless and scary.

After quick & frantic phone calls to our specialists at Children's, we were on our way...fast.

Upon arrival, we were quickly connected with our specialist, Dr. Walker (an incredible doctor & very caring man...we are so thankful for this guy!) who examined Ella for over an hour.  During that time, we were able to rule out the worst...but were unable to come up with a final & definitive “diagnosis” or explanation for her symptoms.

We were able to return home that evening...a wonderful homecoming! Levi & Amelia had been graciously cared for by Carey & Tarah (on very short notice!)...and Ella was so happy to be back in her own home.

Heading into Children's

Exam by Dr. Walker...

Wish I would've snapped more pictures, but the days events were so hectic that I didn't think of it!

Ella was amazing...through much poking, prodding, question-asking and testing, she remained collected & cooperative. And so sweet. 

What a gift she is to us. And it was in these tense moments that we once again thanked the Lord for her life, her story & the days we get to spend with her.

Thank you again for your prayers...we are truly grateful.

Another first...

Ella Mae is having so many "firsts" lately.

First Apple Sox game.
First time to ride a horse.
First of our children to reach the "whole hand" age (5). 
First lunch out with just her and daddy (Los Camperos!). 
First Bluegrass festival.
First piano lesson (don't worry, I'll post some pics soon).

She is growing up so quickly. And I tell you what...some kids would be overwhelmed by all these new things. Some kids might need to slow down the pace a little because the people and new experiences would be too much. 

But my daughter is not one of them.

She thrives on this stuff. And expresses it as follows:

-After an evening concert with Grandma, Aunt Tami, & Nana..."It was totally packed...I mean totally. There were people everywhere.  It was UN-believable." 
-After returning from the Apple Sox game with Grandpa & Papa..."I had a FABulous time." (much emphasis on the FAB-ulous) 
-Regarding her lunch with daddy..."The salsa was SO good mom, I ate it all. I mean, every last drop."
-After the Cashmere Bluegrass festival..."The music was amazing. I think I'm going to play the violin next."
-Of her recent piano lesson with her talented Great Aunt Tami..."Aunt Tami says I am an excellent student. I love being a student mom."
-After a very enjoyable first horse ride on sweet Freed, Mr. Grette's horse..."I wasn't sure at first, but then I was like, this is SO fun. I mean, I totally enjoyed it."

Today was yet another first. 

First trip to the dentist. 
The big treat about this was that she got to have her teeth checked by her Auntie Tarah (at a fabulous place in Wenatchee.)

And what did she have to say about this?

I overheard her as she told her brother all about it..."You don't need to be afraid Levi. They just check on your teeth with this thing called "Mr.Thirsty" and it doesn't hurt at all. And you get to pick a prize when you're done and it was great. Really."

It was great. And so is she.

5 years ago...

June 2nd, 2005 is a very special day in the McPherson household...

After spending 3 weeks in Seattle on bedrest (sound familiar?), I went in to have my weekly non-stress test with our high-risk OB...but as we were in the test, I began having more regular contractions.  After being checked and found to be dilated to a 3, our OB said, "It's time." 

What? Now? Three weeks early?

A phone call to Josh, his 80 mph drive to Seattle and a couple of tests later...our little girl was born. 

Audra Mae Isabella McPherson

"Overcomer of many difficulties...gift of God...consecrated to God"

And our lives have never been the same...
Nicknamed Ella Mae ("beautiful, gift of God"), this little baby has grown into a remarkable young lady. 
I am honored to be called "mommy". 
And cannot imagine life without her. 

We are celebrating her 5th birthday this week, 
And we are thanking God for 5 incredible years that He has entrusted her to our care. And we ask that He would grant many more. 

Who is this little girl becoming? I don't have room nor words that could come close to describing her...

She is a vivacious little lady, equipped with an incredible mind, a beautiful voice and a love for all things yummy. 
Her favorite color is purple.
She likes all kinds of animals and is affectionately known in our house as the "bug-killer"and sometimes, the "worm-whisperer".
She loves to read and is quickly learning to do so on her own. 
Her ear for music is far beyond her years and she cannot wait to start piano lessons.
She has no fear of any physical endeavor and is a relentless wrestler with daddy. 
She is a very verbal encourager to all those around her. 
She is incredibly observant.
She has a memory like an elephant...especially for people's names.
She is sweet, loves cuddling and wants to be a "nurse-mommy-music writer-piano player-volleyball coach-singer-ballerina" when she grows up.

Oh, Ella Mae...you are such a beautiful little lady with so many wonderful gifts from the Lord. Your daddy and I are so excited to see what you will grow up to be. We are confident the Lord has incredible plans for your little life...to bring Him glory.  
That's why He made you so special... 

We love you so very much...our little girl.