We have a SIX year old in the house!!

It is so hard for me to believe that it was 6 years ago today that this sweet little baby girl joined our family. Time has really slipped through our fingers way too quickly!

Happy 6th birthday Ellie!

Ellie--one day old--Newport Beach, CA

Ellie--6 years old--OC, CA

The birthday girl says..."Let the festivities begin...."

Brownies and singing with her kindergarten class

**The day before her actual birthday, we took her out of school and she and daddy got to roam Disneyland--just the 2 of them! No diaper changing breaks, no melt downs, no napping schedules to stick to, no Dumbo rides--just Disneyland--pure Ellie style. She was in total bliss according to Mark (and didn't even mind the rain a bit!)

**Ellie was definitely spoiled rotten on her birthday! Even though there was no surprise kitten like we had tried to arrange, she got more Zhu zhu pets than she knew what to do with! She also had a stack of presents taller than her to open first thing in the morning, a princess crown she wore all week, a birthday banner made especially for her, a delicious breakfast, an outing to the movies--"Alvin and the Chipmunk's 2", a shopping spree, pizza for dinner (we tried to get her to eat Cafe Rio a 2nd time...), tons of phone calls, and she got to stay up really late to play with her new presents!

~It has been such an adventure and joy to be Ellie's mom. To watch her learn and to grow over the years has been such a pleasure and blessing. I have loved watching her little imagination develop--she is so amazingly creative and talented--always coming up with some kind of "craft" or activity for everyone to participate in. She loves to sing and dance and perform and is often caught singing in the bathroom or making up her own songs. She is so caring and thoughtful, not only towards her friends and parents, but especially to her 2 younger siblings--you couldn't ask for a better oldest child. She is very laid back and has a very "go-with-the-flow" personality which makes it fun to take her shopping or to places most kids her age couldn't handle. She is fairly responsible and seems mature for her age in a lot of areas. She is super smart and has an astounding (almost eerie at times!) memory. She has an amazing personality and is able to make friends with just about everyone she comes in contact with. Her sense of humor is similar to her dad's--very funny! She is such a delight and such a fun spirited gal whom I love so dearly! We hope she had a wonderful and very memorable birthday!