Ugh! I hate it when I upload pictures backwards!! You'd think I'd remember by now, and do it properly...DUH!!! ;)

Anywhoo...this past Thursday night Rick was working late, so Mom, Dad and I took the kidlets downtown Ingersoll for Ribfest! Mmm...(although I barely remember tasting the ribs?) I'm pretty sure they were good. The kids LOVED them!

After we ate, then we got to do the 'stuff'!! (The BEST part don't 'cha know!) Here is Ella and Max (I guess you were supposed to let the ppl take the pic, and give a donation, but I didn't know until after - oops!)

Baby Z, chillin' in her stroller (for now)

Grandpa decided to get in on the action...


Ella all painted!

Max with his piggy balloon hat! (That we had to wait FOREVER for!)


Can you just hear it? "Excuse me Nana, I'm getting my picture taken." *insert attitude here*

Ella's turn in the stroller...

Now Max's...

Ahhh...off for a drink at Dino's, and we discovered Zoe can drink from a straw! Yeah!!! :)

Crazy Max

Are these ppl related? Oh my....!

Wow, what a crazy few days!! Glad we have a break, for a bit anyway!

Today was Ella's birthday party - with just her little girly-friends. It was a 'Tea Party' Birthday party! I have to say - I had a BLAST organizing it. Oh, how I love parties, and organizing!!!

So to start off with - the invite:

***********************************************************************

Colleen & Madi
The 'girls'
Craft time (decorating their boxes - that were later filled with a real china tea cup to take home, with a home-made tea bag filled with candies inside!)
Just playin'!
After they got to make their crafts (and 'Fancy Nancy workbooks!), we sat and talked about being 'fancy'. Then I read them an email I got FROM Fancy Nancy! Boy were they impressed! And they learned 3 French words! (Everything sounds fancy in French!) It was very exciting. Lastly I read them the Fancy Nancy book we have.

Ella, ready for the 'tea party' part!!
The table: jam sandwiches cut into shapes, pinwheel banana/pb&j and cucumber & cream cheese. Iced tea in the tea pot!
Candy sushi
Yummy fruit
The girls all ready!
Callie
Halle
Ella-Bells
Chloe
Ava
And Madi!
Midway through the tea party, Ella puked. Yup - right in the middle of the celebrations, her stomache got the best of her, and everything came up. Oops...! But we recovered really quickly, and she was good-to-go again. (Right after Callie leaned over to Halle and said: "It's ok, I just puked a couple days ago"!!!) ((Too much excitement from the last few days, plus she was very excited and I think drank too much iced tea (first time!) - too fast. Poor thing!)

This is 'post' the incident now...singing 'Happy Birthday!'
She made a wish, and blew them out - left one though. Ugh...boyfriends here we come!

After the tea party the girls came downstairs and put on a number of plays and dances, including quite a few clothing changes...




Finally, Ella in the midst of her non-perishable food items all her girlfriends brought! (Plus a couple small gifts that came too) She's one happy (and tired) girl. :)

What a blast. I can't wait to get organizing the next one!!!!!!! :D

Last time I volunteered in Ella's class, we made Father's Day crafts. They are called 'Chia Heads'. You know "Cha-cha Chia!" But the make-your-own kind. ;) It was really fun making them and they turned out really cute!

Here is Ella's for Daddy!
And Ella's BFF Chloe with hers for her Daddy!

We had another soccer game last night! I LOVE being a soccer mom!!! :D
Here are the 'fab four' chillin' during breaktime...

Last year we bought 2 Empress Splendor trees. They have amazing qualities (IF they make it through the winter!), but after our winter, we thought they had gone on to tree heaven. Then last week when Rick was cutting the grass, he saw them! I have even named them...tee hee! I sure hope they don't die this winter, or else they will be OUT of there! Fingers crossed....

This is Auntie Em

And this is Miss Priss

Do you get their names?!?!? ;)

I'll have to go take more pics, because they are both 3-4 times that size since I took these pics 2 weeks ago!!! :D

http://www.worldtreetech.com/splendor/

Last night, while waiting (patiently) for Ella to brush her teeth, Max and I sat side-by-side on her bed. He asked me for something, and I told him I'd do it for a kiss. Without hesitation, he lifted his little lips and kissed mine. Ahhh...nothing so sweet as your three-year old boys little pink lips. Then afterwards he told me that we had to kiss again because HE wanted to make the noise! (!) So, I reluctantly (as if!) kissed him again, making sure he made the bigger noise. Then he had to do it again, and again and again...

Needless to say, I was in heaven. He is just sooooo adorably cute I can't possibly put it into words.

:)

My little dancer Zoe decided it was time to take her little dancing gig on the road, and showed all of her aunts and uncles, cousins and Grandma Jennie and Grandpa Joe. They were all impressed. It was completely adorable to see her swinging her hips/head/arms...pretty much her entire self when any tiny song could be heard. She really got going when I would start to sing: "Go Zoe, go Zoe, go, go, go Zoe!!" She is so easily amused! ;) (Lucky for me eh?) LOL!

Speaking of kissing, she has turned into quite the little kissy-face herself. All you need to ask is: "Zoe can Mommy have a kiss?" and she puckers up her tiny little pink mouth. Ooooh, I tell you there is simply nothing better. I LOVE my kids kisses!!!!

...

Ella went and grew up on me. Not sure when that happened, but she is just like a little friend for me. She helps with the little kids, cleans up, cooks (when I let her - closely supervised!!) and just loves helping me do any little project that I have to do. AND, she likes to shop with me. I am a self-proclaimed shopaholic, but trying desperately to NOT be. BUT there are times when a girl simply needs to get out to the stores and shop! That was Saturday. And since the little ones were sleeping at Nana's, I got to take Ella-Bells. She told me if she liked the shoes I picked out, and even made me try on ones I would never wear in a million years...(how do they DO that?) Then helped me pick out a new shirt for my cousin Jacqueline's wedding. So helpful, and all she bought that day? A pink crown hairband. That's all my princess needs... ;)

At the same time, she scrubbed her knee and elbow and Grandma and Grandpa's, it's ME she wanted to hold and console her while she cried. So she's not entirely grown up yet. (Yeah!)

I am so lucky...how did I get so lucky?

I had today off - I've had all the Fridays off pretty much since I've been back to work, and I'm LOVING IT!! But once July starts, I have to start working Fridays again (everyone now...) Awwwww......!!!! Poo Poo Me!

BUT enough of that - I DID have today, and it was FAB-U-LOUS!! I took the kids to the splash pad today, and Nana met us there. Oh what fun! Max isn't quite as much as a water baby like Ella and Zoe, so he got changed quickly back into his dry clothes (which ended up almost being more wet than his bathing suit!!)

Afterwards I left Max and Zoe at Mom's so Ella and I could do some shopping. I got myself TWO new pairs of shoes, a TONNE of stuff for them all at Bonnie Togs (DARN that place!) and even a new pretty shirt for my cousin's wedding in a week! (Plus a few other things pour moi! Tee hee!) It was fun, Ella is so much fun - as a little girl now! And so easy to take places. Gosh my kids are fun!

I took just a *few* pics of them today at the splash pad... ;)



Here is Max patiently waiting at the side for Ella...


Then he THROWS the water at her! They both love it! :D


My Baby Z...


Nana and snacktime!


Cute little chubby legs...I just want to squeeze them!



My darling Maxwell, with his new swim shirt on! (AFTER the splash pad - for next time I guess!)


Here Baby Z is helping Nana with her clothes pins...!


Doesn't she look like an actual 'doll' here?


Princess Zoe adoring her grandparents


The princess is ready to go HOME!