A Note From Mom: Elly is three.

Oh, my little Elly Belly... how can this even be??
I look at you sometimes and see a little woman;
then you flash that mischievous grin and dump something out or knock something over just because, and I'm reminded that you are indeed a little one.
My little one.
My little one who knows more about and exercises generosity on a daily basis than any adult I know;
your heart is so empathetic... my empathetic heart feels joy and pain for you as I ponder the many joys and pains you'll share with others through the years;
you are so forgiving and so kind.

Your lovely little heart shines through your sparkly blue eyes,
and those dimples and that giggle make me smile so big I want to cry.
I needed you, little one... so much.

My heart, soul, and mind get more exercise because of you {and your siblings!} and I'm so thankful for it.
I could do without the 25 heart attacks I have each day because of your dangerous ways...
but you're cute, so I'll push through.

I love you, little Elly, with a love so deep it's hard to put into words...
Happy Birthday.

All day, every day... Mommy's ALWAYS taking pictures.

Just a little Friday night photo session with Mommy... no biggie around here. We're celebrating little sis' birthday tomorrow and little brother is a walking mad man. There's a lot going on around here, people.

Be Colorful, Be Lovely.

The little sis and I had a painting session the other day,

while little brother napped.

He is into EVERYTHING right now,

so we must do all of our big kid stuff when he's not around...

because he also thinks that he himself is a big kid.

We love to paint.

We love to draw.

We love to create.

And we don't mind getting messy.

So, fun was had!

And now we have some art to hang in our room.

Again... Summer Days

As always the Summer days come and go so quickly around here.

We've been crafting;

swimming in our state-of-the-art kiddie pool;

riding bikes;

camping; 

celebrating birthdays;

loving one another;

making each other cry;

dancing;

singing;

hanging out with our cousins;

having potlucks;

playing with fire;

we've been living life...

and sometimes time just slips away before Mom and I realize

that we haven't updated anyone on our lives for awhile.

So, here are some pics to help illustrate our Summer days for you:

Summer Days

(You can see how Mommy made this for us over at her blog!)