All You Need Is Love: Welcome Back, and Ellie's First Birthday!

Well, hello there!
Welcome back to the ole blog :)

I'm here after a loooong hiatus (will write more on that later), and I'm so excited to get back to sharing our life and adventures with y'all.
In a nutshell - life is good! So much has happened since I've blogged last, and I honestly just needed to take some time off. Time to be present with family, to embrace this season of life, and change my focus a little bit. I have missed blogging, and I'm always thankful for this little outlet that I have.

We are gonna kick this post off with Ellie's birthday weekend! This little squish is ONE!
I don't know how, but a year has gone by. God has given us the most precious gift in Ellie - one that has filled our family with the greatest joy, light, and laughter. I don't know my heart grows every day with love for this child, but it does. Every. Single. Day. I love her more.

For Ellie's birthday, we invited the whole family for a day at Dabney Nursery's Harvest Day, and then back to our new (!!) house for cake and presents. We were blessed with perfect weather and everyone had the BEST day! At the Harvest Day, the kiddos loved the petting zoo, train and wagon rides, turtle races, delicious BBQ lunch and more!

Back at our house, we played in the sunshine, decorated crafts, enjoyed yummy cake and cupcakes, opened gifts, and made the best memories. It was truly one of the sweetest days ever. Big ole thanks to everyone who came, and to my parents who always go above and beyond with their help and love for us. And thank you to my MIL for teaching me the tricks and tips of cake decorating! I had SO much fun making Ellie's birthday cakes and cupcakes - it was so special!!
(Though I hated to have to cut through the pretty icing at the party!)

Ok - enough intro, here are the many pictures from the day!!