Ell's 1st Manicure

On Mother's Day, I took Ell to her first manicure. 

We had the best time together, and the sweet owner of the salon, Andy, spoiled us both. 

Ell picked PINK of course, and so was excited to sit for her mani. 

 And what's a manicure without ice cream after. 

Thank you for making me a Mom. I love sharing these special memories with you.

You are my greatest gift. 

Our Very Special Day

Hello friends. I feel like this sad little blog on mine gets no attention these days. Counting down the days until summer, and SO looking forward to the extra time I'll have to do all the things I love.

Mother's Day was a super special day for our little family. Our sweet girl was dedicated! We had such a lovely day with our family and beloved friends. Jose and I both feel so lucky to have found a church that we love, and could not be more grateful for the connections we have already made with our new church family.

Our Mother's Day weekend started off great, with my Dad and Debs flying in from Park City to enjoy all the festivities. On Saturday, the flu hit Jose hard, and he was out for the count for the rest of their visit and MANY days after. Poor guy was barely standing the day of Ell's dedication, and all I kept saying was, "You only have to make it through a few minutes once we get to church. Just please make it through church." Poor thing couldn't even enjoy our celebration after our service and went straight home to bed.

We had a beautiful Mother's Day brunch after at my Mom and Cortie's. I loved sharing this special day with Ell and all of our family. I could not have asked for a more perfect day.

Our best friends are Ell's Godparent, and Ell was so excited to have her Auntie Cole(Nicole) and Juan there to stand by her side. We love you guys so much, and feel so honored to call you Ell's Godparents. 

My Sis and the boys came of course! Ell was beside herself to have "her boys" there.

Ell and Gigi

Ell's bestie Emily and her family came too. This was right after we picked them up from Sunday School. They are too cute together and I love how their little friendship continues to grow. 

The Garcia fam was there. SO much love for their Ella Catherine!

I decided to keep things simple and just add a few flowers around my Mom's house. I picked up some hydrangeas at our local flower shop and they were perfect! SO beautiful too. 

My Mom and I spent some time a few days before baking sugar cookies. Gosh it's a lot of work! My Mom has the perfect touch, and they were so yummy. I loved how they turned out.

Cortie, My Mom, and Ella

The whole afternoon would not have happened if my Mom and Cortie hadn't of opened up their home for everyone. I'm so incredibly lucky to have them and their constant support. This picture is so special!

Our day would not have been the same if my Dad and Deb weren't a part of it. They were able to visit for a few days, which I am so grateful for. Thank you both for being such an important part of our lives! It was such a memorable day for all of us. 

Ell's Grandma Great was there too, and her Uncle Larry and Aunt Tina. I hate that I wasn't able to get more pics of them! Ell was the cutest when she saw her Grandma Great. She ran up and gave her the sweetest hug. I think it made my Grandma pretty happy too! 

It's hard for me to put into words how much this day meant to me, and that so many people we love came to support us. Ell's journey with her heavenly Father has only just begun, and I feel so lucky to walk beside her in our faith. What a precious gift!

Well Hello There

Hi there friends and family! Where have I been you ask? I wish I had something exciting to tell you, but quite honestly, we've just been having too much fun together for me to open up this computer of mine and actually have enough energy to write a post.

A few weeks ago, Jose looked at me and said, "Be, you really need to update the blog!" I was shocked. Then again today while driving to Sea World, he again says, " Babe, really, the blog. You're going to be doing a High School graduation update if you don't get on it." Really Babe? So, here I am.

I figured the best way to catch up to speed is to do an update through pics! Hope you enjoy.

Valentine's Day

Our month was full of LOVE, lots of outfits with hearts, and some fun art with Ell. 

Annual Doheny Camping Trip

We look forward to this camping trip with my family every year. This year we decided to try and tent camp on my Dad and Debs site, and for the most part it went great! We bought a very large tent so that we could fit all of our belongings, a queen size blow up mattress, and Ell's Pack-in-Play inside. The first night she slept like a baby, however the second night was a train wreck. It was a good test run, and we will definitely brave it again next year! 

Beach Days!

Most weekends you'll find us at the beach. It's hard not to enjoy it living in SoCal. We are so lucky. 

Swim Lessons

Ell started swim lessons in March, and she is becoming an amazing swimmer. We're so proud of her. She is FEARLESS, and jumps right in. She is now in a preschool aquatics level two class and is doing great. Her class only has 3 kids in it, and they are a bit older so they follow direction much better than she does. She just wants to jump in and swim. We'll continue to work on the listening part!

Preschool Open House

Ell begins preschool in the fall, and she couldn't be more excited. She had an Open House in March, and I was so proud of her willingness to jump right in and begin learning. I have a feeling she's going to do great. Now we just need to get her potty trained!

SME Carnival

My school puts on a carnival each year, and Ella had a blast. It was the hottest day ever(I almost threw up when we walked home), but we had a blast. Our teachers are rockstars, and I am so lucky to be a part of this amazing school family!

Easter

He has Risen!

Afternoon Visits to the Park with her Favorite Buddy

Megs and I love taking the kids to the park, and they just LOVE each other. It is the sweetest thing. (Emme will be in the pics very soon Megs!)

SeaWater

(Really SeaWorld!)

We have an annual membership so we've been a few times and Ella just loves it! She is constantly asking to go to SeaWater! She sure does love her animals.

This pic warms my heart. This little girl was a complete stranger, and all Ell wanted to do was hold her hand next to the dolphins. She has the sweetest heart! 

Mother's Day

Sadly this is all I have to mark this lovely day. I missed out on taking any pic of us to monument this beautiful day. Ell made this with her Titi and gave it to me for Mother's day. I wish I could have captured the joy Ell had on her face when she gave it to me. It was so sweet. It's on the fridge, and she'll point it out to anyone who visits. It's the cutest thing ever!

We had a beautiful and relaxing Mother's Day weekend, and I got to spend it with Jose's Mom and sister and my Mom. I am so grateful to have so many amazing Moms in my life who have helped shape me into the Mother I am today. Truly blessed. 

It was perfect in every way.

I'm sure I missed a million things, but these are the activities that have been taking up most of our time the past few months. 17 more days and I'm off for almost THREE whole months! I cannot wait. 

AND, in two short months our sweet Be will be THREE. THREE? How on Earth did that happen?

Hoping I will get back into the swing of things once Summer starts. But for now, this is all I've got. Thanks for stopping by.