Ella's 4th birthday

Every princess has a dream. For Ella this year, it did not involve a prince or a carriage, but rather the opportunity to be serenaded by her classmates. Evidently that's how they roll in the Montessori program these days, and whoever is the birthday boy/girl gets to break all the rules and stay perched atop that little table, being sung to by a bunch of enthusiastic preschoolers who are bursting with excitement over the forthcoming cupcakes. So we dressed her up in full Cinderella gear and we both dropped her off that morning, with balloons and sugar bombs in hand. The look on her face was priceless.



...and then a cookout at our house for family! She was so excited to have Amblen, Zoe, and Kyra there. Zoe and Luna took the prize for the best pinata swats.





I think Amblen had moved on to bigger and better things by the time I shot this - but he was there and had a blast. I will have to get Ben's set of more comprehensive pics!



The next day the Isenhours joined us at Zoe's 6th birthday party, down in West Chester. (btw: When did Ella start looking like she's 12?)

This year we asked our family to forgo the usual gifts and consider the idea of an outing this summer, which would give Ella an escape from babyville, and give us a break. She has an incredible summer planned with trips to the Zoo, to see Dora Live, to Kings Island, Old River, and more. Pam made her this incredible outfit that she did not remove for the rest of the weekend!