Birthday Celebrations

I thought I'd post a little bit about the things we've been doing the past week to celebrate Ella's birthday. I usually try to celebrate a little early so it's not quite so close to Christmas. Last Saturday Ella had her first friends party. She got to invite 5 friends and we went to Paper Cottage and scrapbooked little photo albums. They were so cute! I had no idea they hosted little b-day parties until my good friend Michelle told me. It was so much fun and all of the girls loved it! Ella doesn't like cake, so she chose Krispy Kreme donuts and chocolate milk. It really was a good time. One of the little girls met us there, but I drove the rest of them and discovered 5 little girls can be very LOUD and super giggly in the car.

On Sunday we had family over for cinnamon rolls and hot chocolate. That was great also. The cousins played a few little games like Pin the Tail on the Donkey and trashed the house. That's always the sign of a good time, a trashed house, right?! Here are a few of the pictures from our birthday activities.

Happy Birthday Ella My Ella

Mark often times calls Ella, Ella My Ella. Well, today is Ella our Ella's 6th birthday! We'd like to wish her a very happy day! She is a very special little girl to us. She was the mildest, sweetest baby in the world, my easiest by far. She was very content and had big gummy grins for everyone. She is my miracle baby, as she was conceived after Bob's chemotherapy when doctor's thought his body would not be able to help us have more children. We were blessed to have her join our family while he was in remission (he got sick again when she was just 7 months old). Her gentle nature was a blessing to me while her dad was sick and dying. Because she only nursed, she would stay with us in the ICU (where there is a policy of no children) and the nurses would comment they didn't even know there was a baby in the room. I never thought I'd have a daughter, I really felt I was going to have all sons, so she was a pleasant surprise. Even after two ultrasounds said she was a girl I didn't believe it and decorated in yellow and brought a yellow outfit to the hospital "just in case". Sure enough she's all girl as she loves dolls, dress-up, princesses, make-up and jewelry, barbies and singing and dancing to High School Musical. Away from home Ella is very quiet and shy, but at home she holds her own with her brothers and has gotten to be quite spunky since she's started kindergarten. We all love her so much! She brings a little bit of heaven to our family each and every day. Happy Birthday sweet Ella!

Ella's Winter Dance Recital

Gotta love the tummy

You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile

Ella and her good friend Abby Harmer

Ella with Grandpa and Grandma Gunnerson after her performance

What a fun and busy day we've had! Tonight was Ella's first dance recital. It was at Caldwell High School in their Auditorium. She danced really well and really knew her routine. She's been taking this Kinderdance ballet/tap class for the past three months or so and unfortunately, dance may not be her thing. She doesn't really love it, so she's opted to not take it anymore, we were just finishing out with the recital. It was a fun experience! With her being my only girl, I am obviously not up on the etiquette of dance recitals. Almost everyone there had bouquets of flowers for their little performers, we had nothing to give Ella afterwards. I felt bad, but I don't think she thought too much of it. She danced to a song from Annie called, You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile. Here are a few pictures of our little dancer (soon to be a non-dancer).

Cooper's First Piano Recital

Calvin

Bailey

Cooper

Cooper has been taking piano lessons for a few months now and had his first recital this morning. It was at an Assisted Living home in Boise, where they played for the elderly that live there. It was a really nice place. He did well and played Silent Night. Here is a little picture of him and a video of him playing his piece. It was so fun to see so many old ward members and friends. Amy and Dwight were there, Bailey and Calvin each played and did well too! I've put up a couple pictures of them. Sorry the video is so poor in quality, it's just from our camera, but you can hear him play at least.

John's Christmas Piano Recital

Tonight was John's piano recital. The Christmas recital is always my favorite to go to, I love listening to all of the holiday music. John played, Joy to the World, and did a great job! He is going to play the same piece as a musical number in Sacrament meeting this Sunday, he's just going to slow it down a little bit and play the ending different so it's a little more reverent. He really loves playing the piano and likes to perform as well. He doesn't even seem to get nervous, I'm not sure where that comes from, certainly not from me. Here is a little video of him playing tonight.

Christmas ~ Our favorite time of the year

It certainly is beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here. I thought I'd put up a picture of our tree this year. As pretty as those fancily decorated trees look with a theme and everything, I like our tree w/ lots of different decorations, each w/ a meaning and story behind them, decorated by the kids. The Gunnerson Family is really into ornaments and we have ornaments from Bob that were his from his childhood. Great Grandpa and Grandma MacKay would give their grandchildren ornaments for Christmas each year. My own kids have quite a collection started for themselves already also. We have so many fun ornaments that we can't put them all on the tree each year. It makes me sentimental each year when we get out the ornaments and I think about who gave them to us and remember those Christmas times and other events in our lives such as marriage and the birth of children, etc. Anyway, I love our tree this year and I love to sit in the room in the dark and quiet w/ only the tree lights on, there's something about it that is so peaceful to me.

We braved the mall last weekend and went to see Santa. Unfortunately, Cooper was at a friend's house so he wasn't w/ us. We took Ella's friend and our next door neighbor, Priscila. We had a good time and got dessert at the mall too. Amazingly, Seth wasn't afraid of Santa, and was very proud of himself for sitting on his lap. He was hugging his baby tightly, though. John still doesn't think he's too old to sit on Santa's lap. I guess he has the rest of his life to think that, right? Well, here are a few of the pics.