Poppa came to town to play with Noelle all day on Friday so that I could run errands and get ready for Noelle’s Tinkerbell Tea party!  He brought with him LOTS of plastic worms and lizards from his last fishing trip, and Noelle was very impressed!!!

What does a princess carry in her purse?  This one carries WORMS!!!

Fairy table decorations! 

The table is set, the decorations are in place, and we can’t wait to celebrate Noelle’s 3rd birthday fairy-style!

Arrival activities – the excitement is building!

Cousin Linda made purple star rice crispy treats for all the fairies for the party favors.

Anna Kate got a little sleepy after Aunt Sharon helped her tummy feel better.

I couldn’t resist this picture of our fairy with her worms!  Good night sweetheart. See you at the party!  

Anna Kate was so interested in learning about Google Wave with Daddy.

Noelle saw me taking their picture and wanted in on the action.  She is a total ham and sucker for a good pic!

It was the coolest feeling of freedom celebrating the beginning of home ownership on a day dedicated to those who have made our dream possible!  What an honor and what a blessing… thank you to all of our troops who have gone on before us and who are still in harm’s way.  We are so proud of you and your sacrifice to our country!

We are building our very first house!!!  We have waited so long for the right opportunity to come along, and have saved and saved and it’s finally here!

We went to play on the lot on Memorial Day… our foundation is going to be poured some time next week!!!

Noelle saying "too much grass" "we must cut the grass" as she was pulling it all out and I just love this expression on Anna Kate’s face.  Although our sweetheart has colic, she always has the sweetest look on her face and in her eyes.

Noelle’s spontaneous "picnic." 

Dad and Noelle kicking the soccer ball on our new lot!

Picnic time!

Last hug and kiss!

Bye bye lot… 

Anna Kate’s not so sure about all this princess business.  For now, she’s just going to monkey around with Tim’s gorilla!

*Someone looks like her Mommy!

If you guys wonder what we Ponds do to have a little fun, it usually involves singing, dancing, shopping, and coupons!

Seriously why won’t our little performer do this on video!?!

I wish you could hear this picture!  Hilarious!

After some song and dance, we headed over to the Parks Mall to buy the Belle jewelry Poppa had promised over the phone.  Thank you Poppa for making all of Noelle’s dreams come true!  

After a little shopping, we went to ride the carousel with our new jewelry.  Noelle waved like a princess the entire time.  (we got to ride for free with a coupon – that’s where the coupon comes into play)

Like Noelle’s new fake smile?  After our ride, we used our buy one get one free Sonic burger coupon and had hamburgers!

When we got home, Noelle couldn’t wait to put on her dress and shoes to match her new jewelry.  Don’t forget the wand and "tiara" (not crown after reading Fancy Nancy) as well!   🙂

She literally said, "Hi Anna Kate, I’m Belle.  You’ve never seen a real life princess before, have you?"

We all participated in the Walk for Life to raise money for the Arlington Pregnancy Center this weekend.  I am a volunteer counselor there and love this ministry so much!  Mike and Michele did the 5K run together in the pouring rain!  What troopers!  The left pic is before the race and the right pic is after!

I wish you could see all the rain in the background… it was a downpour!

Mama Kay, Anna, Drew, Noelle, and Anna Kate camped out here until our runners returned!  We had planned to do the "fun run" with the kids, but we ended up having fun under the pavilion instead.

We’re going to miss you so much Ebert gang!  See you for the wedding in October!

If you would like to donate to the Arlington Pregnancy Center as we minister to teens who are in an unplanned pregnancy in our area, go to: http://walk.friendsofapc.com/apcsweet/participants.asp 

Thanks!