happy 9th birthday, ellie!

Our sweet Elliott turned NINE yesterday! I just can't believe my baby is nearing double digits. Whaaat? To top off her birthday weekend, we also got to celebrate Mother's Day. What a special day, celebrating with the gal who first made me a mom!

Happy 9th birthday to my beautiful Elliott Rose! You bring joy to my life every single day with your gentle soul, loving personality, infectious smile, and creative mind! Mommy and Daddy love you to the moon and back!

Some of Ellie's Favorite Things:

Color: Blue & Purple

Book: 5 Worlds and Land of Stories

TV Show: Yokai Watch

Movie: Spiderman (all of them!)

Song: I Can See a Rainbow (frrom My Little Pony: The Movie)

Animal: Dogs & Cats

Friends: Sasha, Jamira, Dahlia, and Petra

Pastime: Reading & Playing Videogames

Toy: LEGO Boost

Food: Mac & Cheese

Ice Cream Flavor: Cookie Dough

GR8T!

It's great being eight! Elliott turned a whopping 8-years-old on Friday! Even though she just broke her mouth* practicing some hardcore ninja moves on the playground last week, Ellie is having an awesome, albeit low-key, birthday weekend. She's in amazing spirits, and she just recently answered questions for her big birthday interview:

Happy birthday, lovely little Elliott! You are growing up to be such an kind, imaginative, smart and loving person, just like we knew you would!

*[Facebook Post from May 3, 2017] Ellie update: Just left the oral surgeon's at Cooper in Voorhees. Xrays showed the bone that holds the top teeth is broken (but the teeth are not loose from the broken bone). She also has lacerations all along the top lip/gumline. One of her baby teeth that as of yesterday was not exposed is now popping through due to the injury! The doctor fastened a wire around most of her top teeth to act as a sort of cast while the bone heals. They're not 100% sure if the permanent teeth will be saved, but there's a good chance. She will be on a liquid and very soft food diet for a few weeks, as she cannot put any pressure on the top teeth. On a side note, Ellie underwent the whole procedure WITHOUT numbing and shed not one single tear; she was so cooperative and such an amazing patient. Ryan Middleton and I are so darn proud of her!

disney photos, finally

Does anyone recall this post, from way back in September 0f 2014? And how I (sort of) promised there would be "more photos to come...?" Unless you're my mother, than no, no you don't. But a (sort of) promise is a promise, so here you go, Mom. A link to all of our photos from Disney World, when Zoey was just about 3 and Ellie was at the ripe old age of 5. And yes, you may bow to me, the all powerful queen of procrastination!

Mom, go ahead and click on this link: https://goo.gl/photos/bF93GuEdkaW5y1ta8

summer 2016 fun!

This Summer has flown by much too quickly! It feels like just yesterday that the girls wrapped up the school year, and now here we are, about to start Kindergarten and 2nd Grade in just a few short weeks!  Even though it went fast, we managed to pack in a good deal of fun over the past few months. Some highlights...

Some of us went to Texas to visit family and to celebrate the Fourth of July:

While those of us left behind used their alone time to take up new and unusual hobbies, like cartooning:

We all went to Ocean City to soak up the sun and visit our friends (and to be artistically transformed in the sand as a gorgeous Merman by one of those friends):

Ryan and I celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary on a sans-kid trek around Philly:


What square are we in? We have no idea!

We sold our wee house in TX:

And bought a new one across the street from us (which means more work for Ryan, but more rental income, too!):

Elliott got her first pair of glasses:


"I look so scientific!"

We traipsed around DC on an uncharacteristically pleasant August day:


And we finally got around to cutting the girls' hair in an attempt to look presentable for the upcoming return to school:

This is what happens when you suck on your hair, kid!
She is pretty pleased with her new 'do, though.

Ellie was bordering on a crazy Rapunzel-esque look...not anymore!

In addition, Ryan worked his butt off running the Farmers Market (which continues through October), the girls attended the local summer camp, we played with lots of good friends, and I managed to keep my head above water helping run the hectic Summer Reading Program at my library! We are also planning a visit to Hershey Park the weekend before school starts, and we are all looking forward to our mini-getaway before Summer officially comes to an end!

2016 dance recitals!

Despite some notably messed up things happening in the news this weekend, the girls brought joy to our lives once again by pea blast, and Zoey even proudly boasted, "I wasn't evenscared or shy!" I hope you enjoy these videos as much as we enjoyed watching the girls shake their stuff up there!

And some photos to commemorate the big day!

happy 7th birthday, elliott!

I seriously can't believe it's been seven years! Seven years since Ryan and I became parents and welcomed our little Elliott Rose into the world and into our lives. She is such a creative, smart, caring, funny, and loving kid, and we just love her to pieces!

The annual "Favorites" are in!

Ellie's "Spotlight" photos for first grade

Presenting to the class...she did such a great job and we were so proud!

Slightly squished up Minecraft cupcakes for school

Testing out her new wheels (thanks, Grampa!)

winter happened [IS happening]!

Mom, fondly known around here as "Gramma," is not on social media, and therefore isn't privy to the masses of photos and family news I post to Facebook and Instagram on an almost daily basis. Granted, Mom lives 10 minutes down the road and can see the grandkids as frequently as she desires. But Mom also laments that the blog - the one family news source she is able to access easily - is not updated frequently enough. So, this post is for my mom. We promise you that, even though you didn't see it on the blog until now, Winter DID happen!

A special holiday dance recital at a local retirement home happened:

A first annual Very Villainous Christmas show happened:

Christmas happened (complete with a visit from Aunt Kristen!):

Snow happened (and lots of it!):

Friends happened. (We love our friends!):

Of course hot cocoa happened:

Even ice skating happened. (Each of us survived a lap around the rink at least once!):

We love you, Gramma!

this is halloween!

This year, Halloween was celebrated on not one, but two days! On Day 1 were the school celebrations (parties and a parade) and on Day 2 were the Farmer's Market Halloween Festival and trick-or-treating! The girls, who could not settle on a costume, pretty much improvised it by raiding their dress-up bin both days in a row.

Sadly, I had to work on Halloween, but I conveniently had off for the parade and even got to help out with Zoey's class party (a bunch of preschoolers in costumes=total cuteness!) And of course, I made it home in time for some trick-or-treating, and even a neighborhood chili party, with my little pirate and Rapunzel, along with some really good friends!

At the school parade - my pretty little witch!

PRINCESS Tinkerbell (we were told that the difference is she doesn't have wings.)

Too creepy NOT to share - my husband, the clown, and my band-mate, the skeleton!

Short-haired Rapunzel and Pirate, on trick-or-treat day!

Friends!