A Very Happy Birthday for Ella!

It's hard to believe that it was four years ago today that we drove behind the really slow car, in the fog, to the hospital to meet our new little baby girl. Our sweet little baby has sure grown up! It's certainly so amazing to see her change and mature, sometimes seemingly overnight! But at the same time I want to just stop the clock and snuggle with my innocent and sweet little toddler for as long as I can.

But today we turned four. And it was a HAPPY day! Because it was such a special day, we even wore our pretty kitty-cat dress. Here's our birthday girl, posing for pictures!


So, what does every good birthday need? Well, cake, presents, and people who love you of course! And we had all three! I was a bad mommy and forgot to get candles today when I picked up the cake, so Dave had to go out and find some. Ella was so excited about her presents, but did a great job waiting so patiently for him to return before she got to open them. She made lots of good guesses about what could be inside all of them though!



Quite a few weeks back already, I asked Ella what kind of cake she wanted for her birthday. Her response? "Curious George!" As many times as I asked the question, she never once changed her mind about that. So that's what she got. She loved it, and Dave and I thought it was pretty cool too. (:
Here's what it looked like.


And here's our birthday girl letting everyone know how many fingers old she turned today!


Ella got some pretty fun things, but I think her favorite was this book from Uncle Paul, Auntie Dana, and cousin Morgan. I don't know the title, but it's a pop-up book full of diagrams and information about the digestive system - and includes illustrations of throw-up and a little boy pooping on the potty. You probably can't read it, but inside the blue arrow, it says "Guess the GROSS Close-Up" That pretty much sums up the book. Yes, it was "interesting", indeed! (My guess is that Paul picked it out, hee hee) But Ella absolutely LOVES it! So thanks you guys! (:


Even though we had a very small and intimate party - with just the three of us, it was still a great day, and we knew that there were so many friends and family members out there thinking about Ella and remembering her on her special day. We are thankful for all of you, and we are thankful for this day to celebrate the precious little girl that God has so richly blessed us with!