Ella's Birthday

This evening, in honor of Ella's birthday, the family came over for cake and ice cream. Don't forget the presents. Ella also opened a present from Alabama sent by Nanny. There was a big snow storm today so Uncle D was a bit late. That's okay, we still love him. But Ella (and McKenna) grew a bit impatient.

The package from Alabama...

"Mom, I see Belle. It's a princess thing!"

Mammy and Pa-pa got this super cute rain outfit for Ella.

She wanted the yellow cupcake because it matched her new Belle dress.

My sweet little girl turns 4 today!

Today is Ella's fourth birthday! Wow!

Kind
Sweet
Hilarious
Cuddly
Cute
Good
Smart
Practical
Honest

These are words I would use to describe my baby girl. I pray her birthday be fun and memorable!

Be watching: We already celebrated Ella's birthday with a Princess party. I hope to post those pictures soon!

Ella's 1st Birthday

Her 2nd!

and....the 3rd birthday!

She's a hottie!

My sister, Sara, recently visited her friend and former roommate, American Mum. Her personal blog is on my blog roll, to the right. American Mum is also a photographer. She asked Sara for a little practice and a photo shoot. Click here to see the results! Some of these photos are also posted on Facebook, however I know that many of my family members are not on Facebook.

Yummy Chicken

boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded to even thickness
1 small carton of heavy cream
cherry tomatoes
red, orange, yellow peppers
mushrooms (optional)
salt, pepper and garlic to taste

1. Lay chicken in casserole/baking pan.
2. Cover with cream
3. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and garlic
4. Slice peppers into small wedges/slices; sprinkle over top
5. Cut cherry tomatoes in half; sprinkle over top
6. Add mushroom slices
7. Cover with foil; bake @ 350 degrees for about 45 minutes.
7. Serve over rice.

My good friend Sarah J. had us over for dinner and this is what she served. It's really yummy.

Happy Heart Day

Okay, really. I need a new hair style...length makes flat. Yuk!

Wisconsin Dells (this is a really long post, guys!)

Thanks to our grandparents, parents (on both sides) and sister, our family was able to take a trip to the Wisconsin Dells. We requested Dells gift cards for Christmas and our entire trip was gifted to us because of our generous family! Thanks!

There's so much to tell; I will try to start at the beginning! Also, feel free to click on the colored words. They are linked to websites that provide more information on topic being talked about.

Packing, which is something I enjoy, was a bit more challenging for me. There weren't any real space constraints but I was, for the first time, responsible for bringing anything and everything we might need. Generally, when we travel I can use my family as a fall back if I forget something. Not this time! Finally everything was packed and we were off. The girls enjoyed some hand held video games while we traveled! (By the way, these particular few photos were taken with my cell phone.) It took us 3.5 hours exactly, to get there.

McKenna reminded me of my grandmother, Marlena, on this particular trip. She was soooo excited for going to the Dells. She talked about it constantly and worked out in her head each and every activity we were going to do. Then, halfway through the trip, she asked to go home!

We stayed at a water park resort in Wisconsin Dells. The Wilderness Territory was very big and offered us more than we needed. Seriously, check out the map. They had 3 indoor water parks, an indoor dry climbing park, 3D putt-putt (or as the Minnesotans say, mini golf), laser tag, a paint your own pottery store, a build your own stuffed animal store, candy/fudge shop, general store and a variety of dinning options.

We stayed in a 2 bedroom deluxe. It was, more or less, a condo. There was a full kitchen (equipped with dishes and pots and pans), 1.5 baths, living room, dining room, fireplace, TV in each room, bunk room and master room. (By the way, I give the room details for my Aunt Lynda, Pa Higgins and friend Kendra. I know they like to know about the accommodations!) Lynda, there were granite counter tops and NO wicker furniture--not that there is anything wrong with that!!!! The only difference, that I can think of, is that a condo would have had a washer and dryer in it.


Our kitchen

Some of our snacks

Master room with balcony, TV, queen bed, closet

Bunk room, with TV and closet; connected to master room via large bathroom

One view of bathroom....the yellow tint is from the over head lights.

This one came out too dark, really. It's the living area with fireplace and Murphy bed.

On the first night we made pizza for dinner. We had leftovers each and everyday!

The water parks!

This was the the scene outside. We walked through a sky way to get the water parks. It was a long walk, each time. Matter of fact, the resort was sooo spread out that there was about an 8-10 minute walk (in different directions) to each thing we wanted to do. Because of this fact, we will look at other resorts the next time we go.

Klondike Kavern was the water park we frequented. It had a ginormous (as Ella would say) bucket that periodically dumped thousands of gallons of water. A warning bell would sound, people would scatter and water would fall. Ella really liked this event. When the warning bell would start she would make sure we all knew it. She had a certain spot that she would retreat to and watch the entire thing without getting splashed.

The bucket

The waiting...McKenna didn't mind getting dumped on.
Sometimes they would hide.

Watching from her safe spot

Here it comes!

The wind force from the crash of water was so strong that it blew you back

Can you find McKenna and Arthur?

That was fun!

Can we do it again, Dad? Please?

The only slide Ella would go down. At one point water got splashed into her face on this slide; that was the end of that.

Watching Ella play with this thing was a hoot! As you pumped it up and down, water squirted out. She would strain and her face would scrunch as she grunted to pump the water.

Ahh! Success!

The lazy river was a family favorite. You could grab a float and flow with the current around the entire water park. At first, Ella was hesitant. By the end she enjoyed it.

There were several slides that McKenna went down. Some with an adult and others without. She was very brave when it came to trying out the slides. She loved them. Pictures of slides? Yea, they just didn't come out very well.

The Wild Waterdome was another indoor water park, on the territory that we visited.

We did a few other things while at the resort, besides swimming. There was a place called Cuddle Buddies. It is similar to a Build-a-Bear Workshop. The girls were able to pick out a stuffed animal. Stuff it, by hand. Then pick out 2 outfits for it! It was cute and a fun souvenir for them.

I mentioned the dry climbing park? Here it is. It was really big. Adults could easily climb in this.