Birthday, Round 1.

In addition to this being Birthday Week, it is also the last week of preschool for Ella. Talk about bittersweet milestones! I marvel at how much she has flourished at this preschool and am so very thankful for the teachers and really great parents and kids. Today, the class went bowling on our last field trip. Ella and I thought it would be a great time to celebrate her birthday as well.

We were ready to hit the road in our matching glasses.

Look at how at ease she is with her arm around Callie, sporting her Thomas Birthday pin. This was NOT the same girl that started school last September. Trust me.

Her first game was a 70, clearly a better bowler than her mama. And the bowling shoes were adorable, really.

 

 

I had to 'coach' Ella a bit on how this was a celebration, not a party where her friends bring her toys. I'm proud of how well she accepted that. But leave it to her two special guys, Nikko and James, to sneak her gifts as we were leaving.

Well done, Nikko!!!

And James found his present in a shop window, went into said shop and asked the sales person to get it out of the window - just for Ella.

What makes this even sweeter is the fact that James and his family are relocating in about two months to a college town south of us. (I haven't had the heart to break this news to Ella yet. To be honest, I'm scared I'm going to burst into tears. He's more than just a school bud as they live in our neighborhood, too.)

I left Ella just like this a few hours ago:

Thankfully, my mom is filling in the gaps a bit this week so I can work at my paying gig during all this Ella-centered fanfare!

Let the games continue - tomorrow a candy factory!!

~H