Terrific 3 Year Old!!!

It's been a busy 3 years & exciting, we wouldn't trade it for anything!

Ila is very excited about life & full of it & can express it like no one else!

She had a hard time even picking what type of birthday party she wanted,

so we had Princess, Minnie, & Hello Kitty!

 

Every perfect 3 year old needs a princess cake, right! 

and some friends to have a party with!

and a cookie cake as well!!

We enjoyed some playing, singing, & everyone got in on blowing the candles out!

Yum Yum!!!  Love birthdays around here!

Thanks to some great friends, Ila had a great birthday!

Miley & Ila

Janie, Ila, & Ethan

A fun gift from Ila's friend Kate

Princesses & Play-doh

Ila & Liam

 

Ila Joelle Bernard

Daddy's Little Princess

He made it to 2!!!!

Coy turned 2 last week!  WOW it's gone fast.

He's enjoying life to the fullest as you can see.

He's a talker, most of the time, he loves cars & balls & especially he's daddy!!!

 

Craft time, making a collage of things we found on our nature walk.

LOVES to have he's picture taken!!!

Stylin'

Ya know with 3 sisters, you'll have some style!

or at least need to have some with all their cute friends coming over!

He is quite the ladies man, and by that I mean

Momma's Little Man!

Here he is on his 2nd birthday!!

He came down & we greeted him with a HAPPY BIRTHDAY COY

and he burst into tears!!!

then ran away because he didn't want me taking his picture.

POOR BOY!!!

In fourth child style, Coy got a Cookie Cake & a thrown together

last minute birthday celebration.

Don't think of me as a bad mom, I'm busy doing other fun activities with them.

 

Well, he still enjoyed it anyway, and other than this web page,

he'll probably never know!!

:)

Showing off his blue hand because frosting is the best part, & really all he ate!

Next birthday we'll have a party!!!  I promise reeeally!!!!!

LOVE YOU COY!!!

We're so blessed & thankful for a boy to enjoy around the house.

He love to wrestle & pester his sisters in such a different way from the way they pester each other

so here's to many more years, many more tears, & many many more squeals!!!

American Girl Doll--Welcome Julie to our Family

Well, for Ava's 8th birthday she was excited to get an American Girl Doll.  It says on the box for 8+ so now was the time to do it.  Daddy & Mommy told her if she saved up for 1/2 of the doll we would pay for the rest for her birthday, and you guessed it she saved up 1/2 plus some!!!

 

This is our journey to the American Girl Store

Friday after school, we came right home and changed out of our school uniforms into our favorite shopping outfit, put on our shoes, loaded in the van, and drove off.... 

to the American Girl store at the Oak Park Mall!!! 

 Enthusiasm, excitement, pure joy and chaos were the feelings of the afternoon!

Oh my! Oh my! Dolls dolls & more dolls

This is a little girls paradise! 

The Julie Collection

We are SO CLOSE, but wait.... 

First we need to stop off at the bathroom, we forgot while at home changing clothes that maybe we should empty our bladders as well.  So our little excited bodies needed to go.

Which is FUN since they have very cool bathrooms.

Pink and frilly and a doll hanger in each stall, as well as by the sink so you can wash your hands!! 

So we met up with our Personal Shopper and she first took us on a tour of the store.

The girls got to meet each Historical doll and hear a little about the girl and what challenges girls their age during that era encountered as well as what characteristic that girl develops throughout her book series.

They also looked through the Make-your-Own dolls and looked at the MANY accessories American Girl has to offer every doll. 

 

Ava was very excited to find a matching outfit for her and Julie, so they would be matching for her birthday tea party!!

Ema and her favorite American Girl Caroline

Caroline is from 1812 and lives in Sackets Harbor, NY 

Ava and Julie

Julie is from the 1970s

Julie faces many changes, loves basketball, helps saves the eagles and celebrates the bicentennial. 

I don't know everything because Ava would not let me read the books with her this summer, she wanted to read them all by herself, she's just now starting on the last book!

Ava with her Personal Shopper Heather!

 Heather loved Ava because when she asked her what doll she really wanted Ava said Julie because she was brave enough to talk to her coach and she likes basketball like me. 

Julie all buckled in and ready to head home! 

What an exciting adventure!!

I love making memories like these!

Then is was home for a pizza, soda pop, popcorn, & a movie!

Ava's 8th Birthday

Ok so maybe someday I'll get Blogger to work for me.

Sorry these pictures are in reverse order, but

we had a FUN party!!! 

There were friends, gifts, games, & cake;

what more could an 8 yr old ask for!!! 

Tie-Dye Cake

YUM-YUM-YUM!!!

Ava said she wanted tie-dye cake because tie-dye was popular in the 70s which is the era her American Girl Doll, Julie is from.

We made people tissue corsages! 

Leilani & Ava 

Ava & Ava 

Marissa & Ava 

Lilly & Ava 

 Taylor & Ava

 



Ema & Ava

*Ila did not want her picture take! 

Our beautiful 8 yr old.

Wow, where has all the time gone.  There have been days I've felt like we would NEVER get to this point, but now we are here and I'm saying, WOW how did it go so fast.

Ava is a dreamer & a planner! She loves to sing, dance, play basketball, and ride her bike.

She enjoys reading, has read 5 of the 6 American Girl Julie books!!!

She is an ARTIST!!  She draws pictures I can't even get myself to imagine.

She is caring, kind, joyful and has Jesus in her heart!

She will do AMAZING things in her life & I enjoy getting to watch her grow into the woman God intended her to be!  We are blessed to have her as our first born!