Ella is seven...

Seven years ago today was Tornado Tuesday~a day unlike any other in South Dakota. Amid all of the chaos and tumultuous weather, this little beauty was welcomed into the world.... She has grown from a gorgeous little baby... into a diva-licious young lady...Ella came home from the hospital brimming with emotion and that emotion has remained with her, spilling over into everything she does from drawing to writing to playing.

Ella is 100% immersed in every moment of her life...
Ella is definitely her very own person with an extremely interesting and thoughtful mind...

Ella has such a pure heart that is filled with love, dreams and so many wishes... Ella is completely awesome...

Happy birthday Fritz! Every day I thank my lucky stars for the storm that blew through Sioux Falls seven short years ago and the wonderful miracle it brought with it. I love you so much.

Another busy summer weekend...

We have many full weekends planned for the summer and this last one was no exception. Saturday kicked off with a bang~Ella's much anticipated 7th birthday party. Quite some time ago, in her very decisive manner, Ella selected Stewarts School of Hair as the location for her party. Updo's and nail polish were on the docket and the students did not disappoint the party goers as evidenced by the following smiles...

Once everyone was beautified, we all headed back to our house for cake, ice cream, presents and swingset playing... Ella thoroughly enjoyed herself and once her guests departed, she immediately donned her new favorite outfit and put on an impromptu fashion show... Lily, not interested in Ella's modeling, happily took off in the newly restored Jeep to take advantage of the beautiful weather and enjoy the remainder of the day... Sunday, the girls were thrilled that their hairstyles had stood up to the night of slumber and they were able to be fancy ladies for one more day...
Following Mass, we were off to the Whaler's for a Kolb clan Father's Day blowout. This was no run of the mill, boring old grill out. It was an all out carnival filled with motorcycle rides....
(And yes, that is Grace the former chicken but now ultra brave little girl who swore she would never get on the back of a motorcycle)

And pony rides...
A super intense game of kickball...
And equally intense games of tetherball...

Extreme playground playing...

Wishful thoughts of dog owning...

Dog races...

And smiley faces...

Throw in a touch of uncle snuggling...

A little bit of chicken cooping...

And just one part banana seat biking...

And you have a Father's Day celebration fit for a king~just like all of our kings deserved...

Father's Day~Country Style...

I could go on and on about what a wonderful dad I have and how very much I love him and how every day I smile thinking about something he said or did; but I have done that before, right here~http://http://thekolbfamilyadventures.blogspot.com/2009/06/daddys-girl.html and while I still very much feel the same way as I did one year ago when I wrote that, I really hate repeating myself. And so, in lieu of a traditional Father's Day greeting, I would like to offer this to my dad as an expression of my love...

Dad, I couldn't have sung it better myself (truly, I couldn't have) but I do love you more than anything in the world. Love, Your Baby Girl

Guess what we did last night...

Something very out of the box for us, we went to the Sugarland concert~just the two of us. On a date. We danced, we sang, we drank a few beers. And it was tons of fun.

Luke Bryan was surprisingly great...

And Sugarland was predictably awesome...

Best.Time.Ever.

Celebrating the birthday boy...

June 11th is one of the most important days of the year. In 1742 Benjamin Franklin invented the Franklin stove. The Iowa Territory was established on June 11, 1838. Mrs. Lois Palmquist, my Great Aunt was born on June 11, some years ago. The temperature only reached 31 degrees in Cleveland in 1972, making it the coldest June 11th on record. June 11, 1978, the movie Grease was first seen on the big screen and in 1982, the box office blockbuster, ET, was released. And on this day in 1983, the best rock ballad ever to be recorded, "When I'm With You" by Sheriff, peaked at #61 on the charts. Clearly all of these events are memorable, notable and oh so important.

They all, however, pale in comparison to the most noteworthy event to occur on any June 11th, to date~Jason's birth. The world welcomed an unbelievably fantastic individual and became a better place because of it. Little did anyone know just what an incredible man that beautiful baby would become. He became a father who more than earns his title with every heartfelt hug he gives his girls, the care and compassion he shows them every day and the laughs and wisdom he shares regularly. He is a husband whose understanding and love is more than any wife could possibly ask for, whose sense of humor makes every day special and whose devotion makes me know just how lucky I am. And he became a man whose honesty and integrity is unquestionable, whose willingness to work hard and give back whenever possible is an inspiration and whose positive outlook on life is astounding. Now if that is not a man worth a little celebration, I don't know who is!

Jason's not big into birthdays but we couldn't let the day pass without some pomp and circumstance. First up was the required photo on the front stoop...

And then we were off to a sumptuous meal at Red Lobster. The girls were in for a special treat when the hostess yanked one of the poor unsuspecting lobsters out of the tank and gave them a up close and personal viewing...
After supper, I claimed the spot behind the wheel and began driving aimlessly looking for something to occupy the remainder of the evening as it was simply too early on such an important day to just go home. The evening was beautiful and the Expedition took us to Falls Park which seemed to be the perfect place to relax, enjoy some leisurely time together and (of course) take lots and lots of pictures... The girls decided to take a moment to practice some primo senior picture poses...

And then we continued our stroll and contrary to what the next two pictures may lead you to believe, the girls did not push Jason into the Falls...

The perfect evening for my perfect guy.