A letter to my 1st grader

To My Sweet 1st Grader,

As I type this letter I have just experienced watching you board the bus for the 1st day of 1st grade.  It is hard to believe that 6 years has passed since Dr. Nett handed your life over to us to provide love and care.  All of a sudden you are bravely boarding the bus for the 2nd year at Norton Elememtary.  Where oh where does time go?

I invision you reading this letter at a point in your life where you are coming into your own.  I am not sure if that will be in your 20's, 30's or even after as I myself continue to work to define myself on a daily basis.  I am starting to learn, or at least be more aware, of the core of my existance.  With each year I learn a little more and I have come to realize this past year that many of our mother-daughter struggles are over things or issues that I have already experienced and want to try and give you the "answer".  As I am sure all moms experience, I want to provide you with all the answers to life despite knowing that is not possible.  From my experience, I am fully aware that we learn the most by doing and at times, failing.  I know I have to let you do and I have to be there when you fail.  As easy as that is to say or write, it is so hard to do.  I remember people telling me, "if I knew then what I know now I would do...".  I never understood this until now as I watch you experience life.

One of my most favorite moments as your mother is when we sit and talk in the floor of my closet.  Our safe zone will always be just that...OUR safe zone.  I cherish the moments you ask to "talk" as I know our relationship is moving that much closer.  Recently we had one of our talks where you told me you don't feel I like you at times.  I have thought about this comment so many times and know that I cannot put my thoughts into words that a 6-year-old would understand.  In fact, it is probably not until you are at the point in life I mentioned above that you will ever fully understand the intentions of mine and daddy's parenting.  We know we are hard on you and Jake.  We know that we don't provide you everything that you may want but please know that we have tough rules and demand a lot from you because we know that you and Jake have what it takes to live up to our high expectations.  6 years ago God blessed us with your perfect little self and 2+ years ago he blessed us with your pefect brother.  As a parent you take this perfect little package at birth and know that you are one of the most impactful influences in their lives so what you do better be good.  As hard as we try, we know we are not perfect and we make mistakes.

You and I have been going through some tough times as my patience fails more times than I like to admit.  I will only speak for myself (not daddy) in knowing that I have a lot of weaknesses that often override my strengths.  One of my greatest weaknesses is patience, or lack there of, and one of the times my patience lacks the most is when you are ungreatful for all that you have.  From 5 to 6 you have learned the power of pursuasion, which has resulted in always wanting and asking for more.  Please know that my limits are strong but there are always good intentions behind them.  I want you to have all that you need but I also want you to understand that nothing good comes from being handed everything.  So as you think that we don't like you because we lose patience for when you ask for "5 more minutes of playing" (after 30 minutes of playing, please know that we do love you more than you can ever imagine and we show you by setting limitations and teaching you lessons that will one day come in handy. 

You truly are a special little girl.  Your smile lights up a room and your precious demeanor always leaves those you surround commenting on your sweetness.  I am fully aware that I am biased in my thoughts of you but I also know that people would not always go out of their way to comment on your sweet personality if it weren't true.  So as I write this, I wish you luck in the 1st grade and I wish Daddy and me luck in getting through another year of parenting!  We love you and know you will succeed in anything you put your mind to.

I love you Sweet Girl,
Mommy

Girls Weekend

Several months ago, Aunt Granny had the wonderful idea to have a girls weekend in celebration of all the wonderful ladies in our family.  I am a bit biased but yes, I do think all 6 of us girls on the Ellis side are great!  Janet planned the weekend, allowing Jennifer and I to sit back, relax and just show up to enjoy the festivities.  Janet, Jennifer, Sawyer, Kate, Cameron and I ventured down to Cumberland Falls to explore one of the most beautiful parks in Kentucky.  Kate and I left Louisville about 7:00 a.m. on Saturday morning, allowing us plenty of time to make a quick pit-stop in Lexington to switch cars, car-pool with the gang, and arrive at Cumberland Falls State Park by 10:00 a.m.  We checked in and headed straight to our 1st activity of horseback riding by 11:00. 

We have all been anticipating the horseback riding for several weeks now and the girls did 100-times better than expected.  The trainers helped Sawyer, Kate, Cameron onto their horse and the expressions on their faces were priceless.  The wasn't one ounce of hesitation as they patiented waited for everyone to saddle up.  The ride was 1 hour and took us through a mixture of gravel and dirt trails throughout the park.  The views were spectacular, that is if you could ever take your eyes off the side of the trail where our horses like to toe a little too close to the edge.  It was a little nerve wracking at 1st as the departure from the stable was pretty steep.  Luckily we are tough and enjoyed it even though a few nervous laughs could be heard throughout the trail (ahem...Jenn).  Here are a few pictures of us all (I had the only camera so there is no proof I was on a horse except from the angle of the camera) :)  I am so bummed the one of Cameron turned out blurry.

A few lessons were learned from our 1st activity:
- 6 and 8 year olds have NO fear and this makes their mom's very proud
- being a mom/aunt makes you far more brave than you think
- Jennifer needs a glass of wine prior to ever horseback riding again
- Jennifer will gladly sit out if the girls don't want to horseback ride again...but it is a good thing our girls are tough!

After lunch, we made it to the tie-dye activity, which the girls seemed to enjoy about as much as Jenn and I did.  We finally made it to the pool where Sawyer, Kate and Cam all jumped off the diving board for 2-hours straight.  We are extra proud of Cameron as this was her 1st time off a diving board!!!  Here are some pictures and videos:

The adults finally got a little rest and relaxation back at the cottage where we enjoyed a glass of wine and some pre-dinner snacks.  We headed back to the lodge for dinner and a little game of checkers.  After a great nights rest and a wonderful breakfast, we made it down to the falls, which was even more beautiful than I remembered as a kid.  We followed several different paths around the falls, snapping pictures along the way.  The kids and Jennifer were all troopers despite little and/or injured legs!  Next year we hope for a lot more hiking but for now, it was PERFECT!!!  Here are some pictures of the breathtaking falls.

 

A huge thank you goes out to Aunt Granny for planning and providing the perfect girls weekend for the Ellis girls!  We love you and thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all the laughs we experienced and memories we made.  This is the best Christmas gift a little/big girl could ask for!  I just hope the girls will have as wonderful memories of the trip as Jenn and I will carry with us forever.  Another thank you goes out to Nana for helping keep Jake company in Louisville while Ryan was out drafting the winning team for his Fantasy Football league.

1st Family Vacation - St Simons Island, GA

To top off our wonderful summer, we ventured out on our 1st family vacation as a family of 4.  We have been anticipating this trip for a while but were too frightened to make a long road trip with young kids.  We decided this was the year that we all could withstand a long road trip and luckily, they both did tremendously well on the 12 hour trip.  Kate counted down each mile to and from and Jake never once looked away from the TV.  We joined my family (my dad, Judd, Jenn, Sawyer, and Cam) along with Jo/Nana in a trip to St Simons Island.  The house we stayed at comfortably slept the 10 of us and was within a 2 minute walk to the pool and beach (or 5 minute walk at Jake's speed).  We enjoyed this little piece of paradise to the fullest!

In place of listing out all the activities, I thought I would share it through pictures.  Once life calms a little and we get back into the routine of school, I hope that my creativity and ability to speak through my blog will come back.  Until then...pictures it is.

The road trip.  We stayed South of Atlanta on the way down, which was a great way to break up the 12 hours.  One the way home; however, we drove straight through while the kiddos slept.

St Simons Island is the perfect spot for family fun.  It is not overly commercial and has the perfect mix of sand, sun, playtime, fitness, and shopping.  The downtown area hosts one of the most beautiful parks I have ever seen that overlooks the ocean and pier.  Here are a few pics of the park area, which took us 15 minutes to bike to.  Just beyond the playground is a public pool and minature golf course.  The fish in the pictures is a bonnethead shark.



The park and pier are part of the precious downtown area.  There are a ton of cute shops and great restaurants.  Here are a few more pics from our shopping day.

We enjoyed some great food - our favorites being Barbara Jean's (dinner), The Pier Cafe (breakfast), The Crab Trap (dinner), Fox's Pizza, and the key lime pie from 4th of May.  There really is nothing better than biking to downtown, eating, shopping, and playing and then biking back.

Speaking of biking, we tried to bike as much as possible.  Jake loved his helmet and the view from up high on daddy's bike.  Kate loved it too, although her little legs got a little tired by the end of the week.  Luckily we found Nana a 3-wheeled bike that was perfect!

We played and played and played at the beach and in the pool.  Kate was frightened by a crap trying to climb up her leg the 1st day at the beach, which made her a little hesitant but she ended up really enjoying it by the end of the week.  Jake, on the other hand, didn't have much to do with the ocean.  He much preferred the sand and the pool.

We toured Jekyll Island, including the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, the Jekyll Island Club Hotel (very cool), and many of the historic sites of the island.  The mid-day rain allowed us to enjoy the Club Hotel's porch - a perfect break in the day.

A HUGE thank you goes out to my dad for coordinating the perfect vacation.  We also thank Nana for helping out so much with the kiddos.  Having Nana there allowed for a lot more rest and relaxation for Ryan and I than expected.  Ah...it really was the perfect vacation and I can't wait to next year!

If the pictures weren't entertaining enough...here are some videos from the wild and craziness of the week.  I hope they make you smile.