Ella's claim to fame

Sprout used this picture for an ad promoting their Christmas dress. I think it turned out great! I am so proud of Ella, and the sweet girl she is becoming. 

Halloween.. a little late

This is a little late, but I had to post a picture of Ella's Halloween costume for this year. She looks so cute and girly most of the time. If it was up to me she would have been in a girly costume, but it wasn't up to me. Ella was.....

HULK!!!

New House

It has been a busy week, but we are finally settling into our new house. Right now I can say that it was definitely worth all the stress we have gone through the past five months. Unfortunately, that stress isn't over yet as we haven't sold our other house, but I know this change will be better for us in the long run. 
Adam was off this week so we have been able to get a lot of things marked off our to do list. He has been working from the time he gets up until the time he goes to bed so I wouldn't really call it a "vacation". It has been nice to have him around this week. 
Here are some pictures since we have moved in. We have lots of plans in the coming week/months/years so I am sure this house will continue to change. This is what it looks like now  after four days of living here. :) 
The Bertram House

Friday my mom and I started painting Ella's room while she was at preschool. She had to help once we picked her up. 

This next picture is the finished product. It is set up just like her room at home, and I love it. I have hung a few pictures since this picture was taken. Ella is already in bed, or I would take a few new ones. She loves her new room and has adjusted so well. She has told me numerous times she loves this house. She has only mentioned one time on the first night that she missed our old house. She has been sleeping really well and is loving the change. 

We also added a new member to the family. Meet "Hulk". He lives in Ella's room. He is a beta fish and is very low maintenance. So far he is doing really well. 

This is the master bedroom. I really love the darker gray color.  

The kitchen is a little smaller than our last kitchen, but I really like the set up. We had to buy a new fridge since they took their old one. I am totally in love with this new one.  I am not in love with the red. It's not bad, but I would like the adjacent living room and kitchen to be the same color. They will be painted soon. 

The living room is a blank slate as of now. 

This is Ella's bathroom/guest bath.

The upstairs is one of the main reasons we bought this house (besides the playhouse outback). It's a big, open space that is being used for a playroom and living room. 

My favorite part of the house is my "office". It's nice to have my own space. It's big enough for Adam to use too when he isn't using his office out back. 

One of the main reasons Adam wanted this house was because of this "playhouse" turned office. Adam works from home three days a week. Ella and I were constantly in and out of his room at home so it was hard for him to concentrate. He instantly fell in love with this when we looked at this house. He has been working hard getting it ready for work on Monday. I think it turned out great. I am excited for him to finally have some peace and quiet on work days.  

The boys have had the hardest time adjusting to this move which I was expecting. They are finally resting a little easier, but I still think it will take them awhile to get in a groove here. 

The stairs have been a challenge for them. They must look really big to them. Elliott would go up but would not go down on his own. Brody wouldn't go up or down but is finally coming up on his own. 

 Poor Elliott is wearing a doggie diaper in the house at all times. Sounds ridiculous I know, but it is serving it's purpose. They are washable and the best invention ever. 

The boys enjoying their sunbathing:) 

Moving Day

Today is the day! We are moving to our new house. I am kind of sad but definitely looking forward to new adventures. We have lived at our home for 7 and a half years. We have made TONS of great memories here. Adam and I moved in here shortly after we got married and now we are leaving as a family of 5 (dogs are kids too). We have loved this house and hope to make just as many great memories at our new house. 
Goodbye Grassmere Lane!

Holiday World Halloween weekend

Last weekend Ella and I met up with Leslie and Olivia for what would be our last Holiday World trip of the season. I am always a little sad knowing it's our last time until the following summer. We have made many trips to Holiday World in the past and made a lot of great memories. This trip was no exception. 
It was the perfect day for Holiday World. It was sunny and cool which meant I could wear my hair down and wear makeup. :)  Ella was also able to ride the dolphin on the carousel first thing which is always a miracle in itself. I wish Holiday World would add more dolphins to the carousel. It would make my life so much easier. 

 While we were waiting for Leslie and Olivia to arrive Ella decided she wanted to get her face painted. We ended up waiting almost an hour for this. I'm not sure it was worth it, but Ella loved her spider man face. 

We had to get one last picture with Santa! 

The absolute best part of Halloween weekends at Holiday World is the show. The makeup, costumes, and songs are awesome! 

The girls enjoyed picking up corn along the corn maze. 

Ella enjoyed the tractor races. 

This is definitely one of my favorite pictures I have taken of Ella at Holiday World. She loves HW, and I know she is already looking forward to next summer when we can go again! 

True Beauty

A couple of months ago the owner of a store that I love, Sprout, asked me if Ella would model an outfit. She also asked if I would be the one to take the picture of Ella. Of course I jumped on that opportunity! 
Yesterday afternoon we headed out to take what turned out to be 300 pictures just to get one picture she could use. I was nervous, because I always worry I won't get the "perfect" picture. It's not easy taking pictures of a four year old who would rather be playing than sitting still for a picture. 
I would say she did pretty good! I really love this picture. I am so proud of Ella. She is beautiful not only on the outside but the inside too. Keep an eye out for her on Sprout's facebook page!