From Tires to Tiaras

We had a really fun day last Friday-first playgroup at a Tire Playground that I had never been to (and it's $2 and 20 min away-awesome!) then went to a special Princess Storytime at the Library where the kids could dress up! Great times with friends and I had a really good time enjoying Ella and all that 3 1/2 means. SUCH a fun age.



I got to play with a friend's baby-she's SO adorable!

Ella was quite the adventurous climber!


Sadly, right at the end of the playdate, Hope got stung by a bee :-( SO sad to see her in pain but she recovered quickly-kids are resilient!

All dressed up and ready for some stories!



After storytime we got to help the kids make tiaras. Here's Halle sporting her finished project.

All the girls finished and posing! Super fun day! I LOVE having a girl!

*Thanks Esther for the awesome pictures!!

Shades of Peanut Butter

If I haven't mentioned it before, we go to a very diverse church. 17 years ago our pastor felt called to plant a multi-cultural church and was told by "experts" all over the country that it was impossible. Well he pursued it, believing God desires racial reconcilation, not division, and God has done it! Our church has over 2000 people and is definitely a mixture of colors and cultures. Not only are many races/ethnic groups represented but there are a lot of mixed-race couples like us. Our pastor is African-American and his wife is Korean so their kids represent one of the many "shades of peanut butter" you see a lot around our church :-) It's awesome to have to look hard to find Ella in her Sunday school class because she's not the only brown kid. In my own experience being biracial, you're always a minority, wherever you go. So to have a place where you can see other kids "like" you is a rarity. There's something about being with people like you that frees you up to not have to try to be something you're not. I'm excited to have a place to give that gift to Ella.

Ironically, the same place that helps give Ella a feeling of being "like" other kids is where she gets to learn all kinds of things about what makes cultures different! She's learned all kinds of fun (sometimes funny) cultural lessons. That said, we've been developing deeper friendships with friends from church and our playgroup is really starting to gel as a group and hang out more and more! So, of course, here are some recent pics :-)


make-up time with Hanna

A few of the girls hanging out on a hammock after swimming

Chik-fil-a!

A bunch of the group!

Ode to Playgroup

We started going to a Playgroup when Ella was only about 2 months old. It was really for me at that point-to get out of the house, get advice from other moms, and begin to let Ella begin to become the social butterfly that she is. We've continued to be part of the same playgroup for the last 2+ years. We've laughed together a lot and our kids have grown together and we've benefited from each other's parenting successes (and learned from each other's failures!). Overall, it's been a blessing to get an evite for every other wednesday for these past 30 some months. What a blessing you all are in my life and Ella's. I hope for MANY more to come.




Ella sang at the top of her lungs most of the time she was playing in the pool. I think it distracted her from the fact that the water was freezing!

Trying on a helmet was SO exciting for her! We mostly have tiaras around here.

So, she wants to be a football player and a cheerleader...sounds good to me!