Ella's 5th birthday party

This past Sunday we celebrated Ella's 5th birthday. I bet you can't guess what kind of party she wanted?! If you guessed Avengers, you are right. Ella has been telling me she wanted an Avengers party since her last birthday. I miss the days that I could choose what kind of party we were going to have for her birthday. I think that lasted two years, and then Ella took over her party planning. A friend on facebook commented that they love the fact I let Ella be herself. I of course would love to have some kind of cutesy, girly party, but Ella would not be happy with that. I love Ella just how she is, avengers and all. :) 
I made the invitations myself. I was just going to send out emails this year, but I decided to throw this together at the last minute. 

I had to make sure Ella had a cute shirt for her birthday party. I found this one on etsy. Ella loved it. It has her two favorite things: the avengers and the number 5. 

 The cake was a combination of two pictures I found online, and I think it turned out really well. It even tasted as good as it looked!

Adam and I wore our captain america shirts for the party. Ella thought that was so cool. Anything for Ella:) 

 Ella later told me her birthday wish was "Avengers". I wasn't surprised at all. 

Thank you to our family and friends who came and made Ella's birthday so special. 

Tis' the season

I absolutely love the holiday season!  Our weekends are usually full of activities. Last weekend was polar express and the circus. This weekend we went to "Lights Under Louisville."  I was worried we may not get to go due to all the snow and ice that was on the ground, but we still made it. The interstate was surprisingly clear. 
Saturday morning I took Ella out to play in the snow. She didn't realize how cold it was until she got out there. We were only out for a few minutes. 

Saturday afternoon we met up with Patty and Ron and drove to Louisville. I am not sure how I have never heard of Lights Under Louisville considering it is so popular. You drive your car through a cavern to see light displays. It kind of reminds me of the Fantasy of Lights only on a much larger scale. I really enjoyed it, and I loved the fact they had Christmas music playing throughout. 

 Afterwards we ate at "Chuy's" which is my favorite Mexican restaurant. Adam and I always eat there in Nashville. I wish we had one!

Ella was obviously wild by the time we ate. 

Thanks Patty and Ron for a fun evening. We should make it a tradition!
Sunday morning we went to church even though it was yucky outside. We were not going to go, because my parent's had a fender bender. Someone didn't stop and hit their car. Luckily, they were ok. They decided to go ahead with their day as planned since the car is still drivable. 
Ella looked so cute for church yesterday. I am not a huge fan of smocked dresses, but I love this one. I bought it last year after Christmas. I think she might be able to wear it again next year too. 

Sunday afternoon Ella and Adam went out to build a snowman. That isn't really my thing, but I went out to watch. 

 These two love to build! 

Poor Elliott. He doesn't mind to trudge through the snow though. Brody was sitting at the door watching from the inside. 

It was another fun filled holiday weekend. Next weekend is Ella's 5th birthday party. Not sure how I am going to have a five year old!

Snow Day

We woke up to ice and now it's snowing like crazy outside. I have always loved snow. I think it is beautiful, but I am not a fan of driving in it. I was so excited to wake Ella up this morning to let her know school was cancelled. She loves to go out to enjoy the snow. We didn't last very long today, because it is freezing! 

Polar Express 2013

This past Friday we headed to French Lick for a ride on the Polar Express. This was our third year. You would think after three years it would get old, but it has only gotten better as the years go by. I think it is because the girls (Ella and my niece, Autumn) are at a great age for these kinds of things. I dread the day they think they are too old.  If you have never been you must go! It is a magical experience, and the best way to kick off the holiday season. 

This year we had tickets for the 7:30pm train ride. We went early so I could be sure to get our family picture by the train and a few of Ella.  I love this picture of her.

 We went to the French Lick Resort to check out the Christmas trees. Ella requested that she ride on the "excavator." One of her favorite parts is riding up and down the escalators at the hotel. 

We also went to the West Baden Hotel to check out their giant Christmas tree. The West Baden is beautiful. It's a must see if you are in French Lick! 

 The best part of the West Baden is the fact you can bring your dogs. These two dogs were hanging out in the lobby attracting all kinds of attention.  

 After dinner we headed over early so we could get in line. It was FREEZING! We were smart and brought Ella a blanket this year. She is always cold waiting in line. Thankfully, they let us on early. 

 My favorite part of Polar Express the movie is the hot chocolate song. I love the hot chocolate and cookies they hand out on the train. 

The kids love to get up to sing and dance.

My mom seems to have endless amounts of energy. She didn't feel good, but she was still singing and dancing away on the train. Adam also didn't feel good. They sat across from each other, and we were able to get these funny pictures. I am not sure if my mom knew this was going on or not, but these pictures just make me laugh:) 

It was another great time spent with family at the Polar Express. Thanks mom and dad for taking us again. We are already looking forward to next year!