dance recital 2014

This little darling had her third recital today and she was fabulous.  The theme was "Mary Poppins" and she danced to "Jolly Holiday" (which was super cute). She just eats this stuff up and we couldn't be more proud that she has found something she loves and works hard at it!  Daddy always brings her flowers after her performance, but this year she asked for something "potted, so it would last longer"!  Practical, talented, sweet & beautiful, she has a killer combination i'll tell ya!

great job baby girl!

Breakfast line up...

This is how we start our day...Love my view!

Happy New Year 2014

Christmas eve/ Christmas morning 2013

Christmas jammies, right before bed!

Tree Christmas morning...notice all the ornaments are high,  Lucy had something to do with that

Santa did good this year...

Merry Christmas 2013

Wishing you all the best this Christmas season! love, the Ellis Family

These two turned 7...

Oh man, are we ever crazy about this duo.  I think my favourite thing right now is the relationship that you to have.  You have always been close, but you really are special friends and I love it!

Oliver, you are such a sweet little boy and you have so much of your father in you which makes you even more special!  I love how you can't go to sleep without a good night kiss and I love how your favourite thing to do right now is cuddle on the couch and read a book (in particular Calvin and Hobbs)!

Ava, you are a beautiful little girl, inside and out.  You have a happy spirit and you are a joy to have in our home.  I love how you love to dance play with your little sisters.  I love that your favourite thing to do right now is to listen to a new story on your iPod and put together puzzles (you are a puzzle maniac, you know that right)!

Happy Birthday Oliver and Ava.  We sure love you both very much

halloween 2013...

Jackson : ARF trooper
Oliver: Ninja
Ava: Susan, Queen of Narnia
Gwen: princess
Lucy: ballerina

Happy (Canadian) Thanksgiving...

We just wanted to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving and share five of the "things" we are most grateful for.

we caught a...

mouse.  I have a hard time with these little critters.  The kids find it hilarious that I can't help but scream or jump every time I am near one that starts to move.  I am no a fan to say the least, but the kids sure loved him!  They fed him some cheese and watched him for quite awhile before he was let go, phew!  Oh and they named him lewis after our christmas elf, to cute!

another first...

Ava lost her first tooth tonight...pretty exciting stuff!

Lemonade By Donation...

hopeful participant...

Ava decided one morning that she was going to have a lemonade stand and make some money.  I was a little hesitant to encourage this in fear that no one would buy lemonade and then she would be crushed.  She set everything up and asked me to make a sign (she told me what to write) and she helped me make the lemonade.  She was only out for about a 1/2 hour and she made $4 which was so worth it to her because it would take her four days to earn this in our house!  They had to "turn in" early because they were getting "attacked" by wasps!  She has decided that she is going to save her money to earn enough to by Gwen a Cinderella doll!  Super sweet that little Ava of ours!

transfer beach...

It was a beautiful day spent up island at transfer beach.  We got wet, ate some lunch and relaxed, a lot! It was a perfect day.

grasshoppers...

With her mouth guard in warming up before the game starts.

Ava tried out Grass hockey this spring and loved it.  Her only disappointment was that she didn't get to wear a skirt while playing (what the older girls wear during a game).  She really is the cutest little grasshopper I ever did see...she can get pretty rough too when she wants too!

her performance...

Ava looks forward to this day all year.  She loves dance and and she is thrilled that she gets to perform on a big stage at the end of the dance season.  She is quite good and I love watching her confidence.   Ava is a special little girl and we are so proud of the sweet person that she is! We love you Ava!

game day

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Monday mornings, after our usual routine, things get quiet around these parts.  Lucy takes her nap and all the rest watch Jackson play video games for an hour (starwars video games to be exact).  He just gets this hour once a week (I know mean mom) and the other kids haven't thought to ask for their own time on the computer for video games, they seem satisfied to just watch Jackson do his thing and I get caught up on recovering the house from the weekend during this time (did I mention that the house is quiet?!).  We all win!  Sometimes distraction is a beautiful thing.

1000

Ava's first 1000 piece puzzle.  She completed in under a week.  We thought it would be best to get her a puzzle with larger pieces but it made the puzzle huge!  I was hard to find a space big enough and away from little Lucy (notice about 5 pieces missing because Lucy got to them).  Ava decided to leave all the pieces in the box and she just picked out piece by piece until the puzzle was completed.  We were all quite impressed.  Great job baby girl!

mother's day

I honestly feel so incredibly humbled and and blessed that these little cuties all call me mom.  It feels a bit odd sometimes thinking that I am a mother.  It has been something that I have wanted to desperately for as long as I can remember and now they are here and have been entrusted to me for their care.   And yet it feels so normal for me to have all these rascals running about telling me their stories, sharing with me their dreams.  It amazes me to watch them grow and learn while along side of them I am doing so much of the same, learning and growing.  They have become such a big part of who I am and for that I am thankful.  I am far from a perfect mom, but I will never stop trying. I feel like my heart will burst because of the insane amount of love I feel for each one of them. Seriously, I am one lucky momma.   

ava bava by the water...

man this girl is sweet... i just love her!

Happy Birthday Brown Eyes

Birthday boy...man he is cute!

Uncle Jacob and "Dad" getting some birthday love

Lucy asserting her own voice among the crowd!

Fabulous cake from Auntie Emily

Dad opening the kids homemade gifts with a lot of little hands to help

An example of his haul...priceless really (this one is from Ava, she is a card making machine)!

Ending the night reading to the kids (our nightly routine). We are reading the "Little Britches" series and LOVE it!

We celebrated this guy today.  He turned 34.   He is kind of a big deal around here.