DeBlauw Family Reunion

My dad is one of 8 kids! We get together about every 3 or 4 years for a family reunion! We rented out an entire camp for our family which is perfect...we all stay in cabins, share bathrooms, and our meals are cooked for us! It's a really fun time! Ella didn't sleep very well the first night so Eric and I napped when she did on Saturday so we missed out on the climbing wall and the hike but we still had a great time!

The Walt DeBlauw Family

My first cousins minus 4

The remaining 7 siblings (my Uncle Andy died in '97)

My second cousins

Ella's Birthday Party

Ella's birthday party was a fun time! We kept it simple with just our families and some close friends! The "theme" was tulips & tutus so I made little tutus for all the girls. I forgot to take a picture of the table outside AND inside (which I was SO kicking myself for afterwards) so I had to set the table up to get some pictures afterwards! It was a great day and I still cannot believe my baby is one! She truly is more and more fun every single day! We are so in love with our little Ella!!

Carlsbad

We went to Carlsbad over Memorial Day weekend for our annual camping trip! We missed it last year because Ella was about a week old but it was fun to go again! Tiring chasing after Ella and she really didn't do good eating which stressed me out a bit but overall she was great and we had a wonderful time! She was not afraid of the ocean which also added some challenges...she would have just run head-long in if we didn't stop her!

Ella's Birthday at the Zoo

We took Ella to the zoo for her first birthday! We had such a great time and Ella loved seeing all the animals!

I was a little scared of the loooooong black tongue!

Eric was MUCH braver than I was!

Ella's FAVORITE animal was the Panda...she still loves pandas in books we have and she always give them kisses! SO cute!

We hope this is not an indicator of the kind of friends she'll be driving around in 15 years!

more to come...

So, I know it's been a while and I actually have quite a few pictures to share...but, I'm not at home where my pictures are!! I'm at my parents and I spent yesterday and today here. This afternoon, Eric is driving out and we're all headed up to the mountains for the DeBlauw Family Reunion! I'm actually pretty excited about it...it's always fun to catch up with relatives you don't see all the time. We rent out an entire YMCA camp and all stay in cabins...I hope that goes ok! This year, Eric, Ella and I will be in a cabin with Jani, Grant, and Anneke (Dan's going home with Tessa at night) and my mom and dad! I'm really praying for good sleep for Ella because she'll literally wake the whole cabin if she wakes up...there's no rooms, just bunks! But, next week, you can expect to see pictures from the zoo, camping at Carlsbad, Ella's first birthday party, and the family reunion...I know, I know, you cannot wait!!! :) AND, next week's the last week of school...can I just say hallelujah for that? I CANNOT wait to be done!!! Have a great weekend!

Happy Birthday, Ella Grace!!!!

Today is Ella's birthday! It's almost over and my one year old is sound asleep! We had a great day at the zoo...I will try to post pictures tomorrow! Tonight we had the board social at Eric's school so Eric's parents kindly watched her for us! It's been a busy day. But...now, at 10:30 pm, I sit here thinking I cannot believe my baby is 1! That seems so old and I feel like that first year of her life passed by in a blink of an eye. She brings me more joy than I could ever know! I love just watching her...seeing her explore new things or "read" her books. I love seeing her when I get home from school because she gets so excited and it just melts my heart! I love knowing the little quirks about her. I love knowing what will make her laugh. I love that she is learning new things everyday and that I get to see her little mind develop! I love seeing her personality come out more and more everyday...the good AND bad of it! :) What a wonderful gift from God she is! It's been a wonderful year and I look forward to many more of them with her!

Happy Mother's Day!

This is my first Mother's Day! Last year on Mother's Day, I looked like this...

Now, I have a walking, babbling little girl who is such a joy to me and who I cannot imagine life without! What a difference a year makes!

This picture was taken by my friend Jen who is starting up her own photography business! She did our family pictures yesterday and Ella's one year pics and I absolutely love this one! I stole this one off her blog!

Anyway, this has been a great Mother's Day. Ella slept in for us (until 7!) and I was presented with a breakfast menu...I chose the egg and bacon bagel sandwich! (I debated between that and the "mom-lette"!) Eric and Ella made me breakfast and I got my gift of a parking pass to this HUGE park by us with a nature center and lots of other fun things that I never explore because I have to pay to park...I hate that! But, now we can go for free whenever we want! We went to church and then went and had lunch with Eric's family. Now we're just resting as Ella naps!

Happy Mother's Day to all you moms out there! And Happy Mother's Day to my mom! Thanks for being such a wonderful mom to me, for blessing me with a full childhood and for giving me much more than I have ever deserved! I love you!