its ALL in the DETAILS...

On Saturday Morning, we celebrated the Princess's birthday with a

donut/kolache/pj party with her friends from school!

I was up way to early for a Saturday and at the donut shoppe at 6 am to get all the goodies while little miss and daddy where still asleep.  I was able to construct the birthday 'cake' before Ava woke up, and she was so excited when she saw it!

the cake turned out alright for my first try!  There is nothing that a Styrofoam cube, 120 toothpicks, and about 11 dozen donut holes can't do ;)

After I finished the cake, it was time to getting ready to head to Sissy's for the party!  We hosted it at her house because I was afraid our apartment would be too small (we invited all of her class --18 kids-- and ended up with 6) but at least I didn't have to clean and setup.  All in all, I'm glad we chose to have it there!

At about 8:45 we I started getting the table and decor all ready!  I made a little banner.

And organized the table.

Then it was time for the guests to arrive!

They all LOVED the party hats, especially this little guy!

The kiddos posed for a few photos

and then they got to decorate their party favors: pillowcases!

(in hind-sight, this was a VERY bad  idea.  I was stressed the whole time that paint was going to be everywhere! At least we got some cute photos!)

After pillowcases, it was time to open a few fun presents!

The kids were all excited about Ava's new back pack & lunch box from Mom & Dad :)

After presents, it was time for cake!

We sang Happy Birthday cha cha cha and Priss made a wish.

After cake, we headed outside to take a swing at Buzz.

We even managed to sneak a few family photos into the mix!

And Sarah and I got a photo with each of our kiddos ;)

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I'm so glad Ava talked me into the party. It was the perfect party for her to celebrate with her friends ;)

my, oh my, can you really be FIVE?...

Where has the time gone?

If feels like just yesterday I was staring down at you nestled in my arms.

My sweet, beautiful baby girl.

And now, we are celebrating your FiFth Birthday!

At five years old, you are:

You are smart.

You are funny.  You seriously make me laugh so hard I cry.

You are senstive. 

You still LOVE you some Spiderman.

You are stubborn.

You love the colors black, green, purple, and blue.

You are obsessed with Buzz Lightyear.

You say all the time that you wish that you were a boy.  Most days you come straight home from school, throw on a hoodie and your baseball cap, and want us to call you "Aaron".

You are a Daddy's girl.  You always go to him when you want something.

You have a boyfriend, Carson Garcia.  You try and kiss him on the playground, but he runs away.

You want a sibling--specificly, a baby brother.

You are a snuggle bug.

You think your Aunt Sarah and Uncle B hung the moon.  You always say you wish you could live with them.

You are in gymnastics.

Your favorite place to visit is OHIO.  You asked if you could go there and stay with Nana and Papa by yourself for 10 billion days.

Your a Momma's girl.  You ask to sleep in my bed with me every night --pouring on the charm with back rubs and cuddles.

You are getting ready for Kindergarten -- you will be a Schell Coyote :)

You are independent. 

When you grow up, you want to be a Mommy/teacher/hairdresser/RockStar. 

You are an Awesome big cousin.  P loves you just as much as you love him!

You are anything you want to be.

You are special.

You are a princess.

You are the coolest five year old I know!

Happy Fifth Birthday Baby Girl!

Its so hard being a 'poser'...

Last week at Leigh's wedding, one of the Bridemaids asked if she could use Ava as a 'model', as she is trying to get into the photography business.  She wants to build up her portfolio, and we were more than willing to assist :)  I was beyond thrilled to see just how amazing they turned out!  Kari was awesome to work with, and got Ava's personality perfectly!

(this one above is going to be used for her birthday! )

i think the one above is my favorite!

**all photos courtesy of Kari Eckerle Burkhardt**

ALE sneak peak...

from her session lastnight!  More to come :)

Wedding weekend...

We celebrated Leigh & Billy's wedding this past weekend at the Belo in Dallas! A beautiful, relaxing, fun day/night! I was a bridesmaid, and Leigh was the most laid back bride I've ever met! Here are just a few snapshots of the Emerson clan, and some of us ((bridesmaids)) mugging for the camera!
















































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Halloween in July...

I know I'm biased, but I think she might be the.cutest.clown.EVER.







Can I also just say how wonderful Ava's school is? They do such fun things--and it makes it just a little easier taking her everyday:-). I'm so glad that she will continue @ Whistle Stop even after she starts kindergarten in August (( we are keeping her at Whistle Stop for afterschool/holidays/summers )). Happy Thursday!

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Michael Cohen Marshall...

thoughts and prayers to Megan, Brent and Mighty Cohen along with their family today.