I just had to post this photo of Alex. It just makes me laugh every time I look at it!

Merry Christmas!!!

We had a wonderful Christmas this year! We had a great holiday, my brother Joe his wife, Jane and his step girls Stephanie and Anna came Friday-Tuesday. We had a wonderful vist with all of them and Ella really enjoyed them as well. It was a whirl wind of a trip for them but I am so glad they came. We didn't do much on Chrsistmas Eve except do some shopping. We usually go to Mom and Dad's church Christmas Eve service at 9pm but this year we decided to just have a quite evening at home. We did some shopping that afternoon and got home around 5pm but I realized when I got home that I didn't have my purse...UGH! I drove the 20 miles back to the mall in small hopes someone turned it in. We had so much going on with the kids and packages when we were leaving I was getting everything out of the stroller and think I set it down but had all the packages in my arms and thought I had my purse on my shoulder but I think I left it sitting on the floor. So far, it has not turned up. BUT it could be much worse....I don't keep my wallet with credit cards etc. in my purse for that very reason so I didn't loose it and I had my cell phone in my pocket I did, however, loose a really nice digital camera. I had just put in a new disk so I only lost a handful of photos. I hated to loose it but glad I didn't have to worry about canceling credit cards, getting new ID or loosing several gift cards. At least I now know what I will be spending my gift cards on!!

Ella really enjoyed Christmas this year although she is not, nor has she ever been a fan of Santa. She won't even look at him in the mall, so I don't fight her on it. I did ask her the other day how was Santa going to know what she wanted for presents....her reply, I already have enough toys, I don't need more presents. How do I argue that point??? But she had fun baking cookies for Santa. She woke up around 7:45. Mom and Dad were already there to watch her open gifts and she liked opening them. She opened a gift and looked it over, and took her time. In fact about 1/2 way through she took her two favorite gifts so far into her room, shut the door and started to play. She does love her room and to play on her own. She came out after a few minutes and finished opening her gifts. Alex just chilled on Dad's lap. He mostly just watched all the action going on but he did get his first hot wheels car!

We went to Mom and Dad's around noon for the day and had a great lunch with my Aunt Jean and Grandpa. My Grandpa is doing great at 96. He stays in SC during the winter and golfs about 3 days a week with Dad! We had a nice lunch and then Ella and Alex had some gifts to open there. It was really nice and warm (high 60's) and just a nice day with family. This time last year I was very down as I didn't think we would be able to have any more children...we had been trying for over a year at that point so it was kind of a sad time for me and I had pretty much given up the hope of having another. Little did I know that in a few weeks God would be forming Alex in my womb....and now he is here!

Stephen's Dad and Dorane will be coming in today from KY for the weekend. We will get together with Stephen's famiy Saturday night at our house so that will be nice. Stephen's Dad has not seen Alex yet and he has not been here for Christmas before so it will be a nice time. We still miss Stephen's mother...she would have loved to have seen Alex and to know that Stephen has a son. This is our 2nd Christmas without her. It still doesn't seem real that she has been gone that long. We miss her.

I hope all of you have had a wonderful Christmas and will have a blessed new year. I hope we all remember the reason to celebrate, Christ Jesus and all He gave for us.

.................Christmas Fun!!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

......................Back to Reality

Well Monday I go back to work....I have been off for 12 weeks and have loved every minute of it. I am fortunate to have been able to take 3 months off because I will never have that opportunity again. I have been trying to cherish the days but they just have gone by so fast. It has been wonderful. Monday I will take Alex to day care, and Ella will join him after school. His day care is amazing but they aren't "Mom". I will be ok though, it will take a week or so of adjustment. Sabrina, who sits next to me, will just have to deal with my emotions.....she sat next to me during my preganacy so I don't think anything could do her in. Bless her she was so great during some really difficult pregnant days....thanks Sabrina you are the best! She is also the same Sabrina who is a photographer on the side (just another little plug for her) :-)Speaking of work, I didn't make it to the Christmas ladies tea this year but I included some photos in my slide show (taken by Sabrina, another plug...you owe me LOL) just because the decorating is just, well, there is no way to describe it, you have to see it. This year the theme was Audry Hepburn-Breakfast at Tiffney's.

We had Alex's baby dedication last Sunday. My parents and Stephen Sister, Mary Kay, came. It was a really nice day.

Well we finally broke down and bought a Mini Van...I still can't believe it myself. We have been looking for a few weeks and I came across a Kia Sedona van on the net that looked great, it has really low miles and the price was unbelieveable. I researched it online and the price was way way below Kelly Blue Book, so I thought there was a catch or it was listed incorrectly but we got there and the price was correct. It has all the bells and whistles that we never thought we'd be able to afford...leather seats, DVD entertainment system, power everything and I got a suprise the other day I was walking to the van, pressed a button on the key remote thinking I was unlocking the doors and the van started up!!! How cool is that?? So Mom and Dad are in Ohio so I have not told them yet, they will be happy for us. Dad would be happier with an American made van LOL...no he will be very happy for us too.

My brother and sister-in-law and my step neices are coming next week. I am excited to see them as it's been a year and they have not see Alex yet. It will be a fun time having them here.

Ella is still doing great and loving school. She is telling everyone that we have the biggest giantest car so she is excited as well. She is excited about Christmas but can't stand Santa, she won't even look at him. Every Christmas she is frowning sitting on Santa's lap...I don't even think we will get a photo with santa this year.
She is 4 and some things just aren't worth the battle : )

Holly

.....................Giving Thanks

I know it's late for a Thanksgiving post but so it goes....We had a great Thanksgiving this year. We went to Mom and Dad's and my Aunt and Uncle Ricki and Ron joined us. My brother was coming from Louisiana, while his wife Jane and his step children Stephanie and Anna went to NY for the Macy's parade and shopping. However their dog was not doing well so he stayed in LA. We missed him but they are all coming the week before Christmas so that will be great to have all of them here. It was a great day, lots of food and laughs. Ella played outside in the leaves and Alex, well he just chilled out on the bouncy seat and slept. Some things I am thankful for this year: Stephen-I don't know what I did to deserve such a wonderful husband, my girl Ella-she is just amazing and keeps us laughing and on our toes all the time, my boy Alex-one year ago I was trying so hard to be at peace with the fact that we probably would not be able to have another child and here he is. My parents that are the most giving people, my job-although I am loving being on maternity leave and would love to stay at home, I do love my job. A lot of people can't say that about their career but I do just love it. I feel so blessed that since I can't stay at home, I love where I work. I am thankful for our home and where we live, it's so easy to want for more but we have all of our needs met and that is plenty. Finally, I am most thankful for a God who loves us all, enough to give his Son that we may have life.

Since Thanksgiving we have put up our tree, we got a real one this year. This is the first real tree since early in our marriage and it's beautiful and smells great. Ella enjoyed decorating it. She is still enjoying school, not enough to hop out of bed in the moring...I still have to drag her out of bed but she does love it. Alex is doing great. He is 10 weeks old this week and still not one sleepless night woo hoo!!! He is growing so much and just smiles all the time and started laughing last week, which is just so much fun. He is reaching for things and is facinated with the lights on the tree. We take him back to the Children's Hospital on Monday to get a check on his Cystic Hygroma, it's larger than what it was but he is dong fine. Stephen has been busy landscaping all day at work and then coming home and working on our own yard. Little by little we are getting the yard the way we want it. The back and side of the house is pretty good now we are tackling the front. We started with just the one side of the house and will complete the rest of the yard by next fall. He dug up all the shrubs and planted a new bed. It looks great and I can't wait until the rest of the yard is done.

Christmas is around the corner and I am trying to get everything done before I return to work which will be here before I know it. I go back on the 15th. I already told Sabrina, who sits next to me, to have tissues on my desk ready. It will be an emotional day. After a week or so I think we will all be settled. Well, it's early in the moring and I need to get Ella up and ready for school....another day, another battle.

Holly

..................Mimi's are Great!!!

Last night my Mom (mimi) and Dad (poppi) kept both Alex and Ella for the night. When I came back home it was strange to not have any kids in the house, strange but nice. Now I can't say that it really enabled me more sleep because Alex is the champion of all sleeping babies. He slept 9 hours the other night! But it was nice to get some things done and try to start putting photos together in albums. I am the queen of procrastination. I got an album for Ella when she was an infant and have 4 pages done. So I went through a lot of photos and put them in different catagories and am going to work little by litte to put some scrapbooks together. I am not going all crazy mom scrapbooking or anything (I am not creative enough and frankly just too ADD to put a lot of time into it). But I want to do it for us. I know once it's done, it will be easier to keep it up to date and I will be happy that we have them when we are older. Funny thing is I have so much more fun getting all the things I need and going through all the photos than actually working on an album. By the time I have everything out and pulled the pictures, I am bored with the whole thing. But I still try.

Alex is 8 weeks old already and just growning and his little cheeks are filling out so much I could just take a bite of them. He had his baby well appt. with 3 shots. He did pretty good, cried for a few minutes but then was ok. That evening and the next day he acted like he was hurting and cried a little but for the most part he did great, much better than Ella. Poor girl after every set of shots she ran a fever, was fussy and a few times threw up a lot. She just didn't handle them well at all. Alex is up to 11 lb 14oz and 23 1/4" long so he has grown a full 4" in 8 weeks, that's a lot of growing. I call him my cuddler as he just nuzzles himself in my neck. I hope I never forget that feeling.

I am looking forward to Thanksgiving, my brother is driving up from Louisana, his wife Jane and her daughters are going to NYC for the holiday so it will just be him. It will be so good to see him again and for him to meet Alex. Ella will like playing with him too. The only thing about Thanksgiving is that will officially star my countdown back to work. I haven't thought about going back much but now that time is quickly approaching. After the Thanksgiving weekend, I will be just two weeks from going back (Dec. 15th). It will be so hard. I love being home and forgot how hard it was to go back to work after I had Ella. I was on maternity leave with her for 16 weeks and will have been for 12 weeks with Alex. I do love my job, I enjoy what I do and the people I work with. I will be happy to sit across from Sabrina again and have great conversation and laughs. I will look forward to getting back to some projects and to travel again. Still, I will miss the days at home just spending time with Alex watching him grow and do new things. I will miss picking up Ella from school and going to the library. These are precious days that are too quickly going by. This is my only time to be at home with my children and I am trying to treasure it as much as I can but it just seems like the days are going by so fast and I am screaming and pleading for them to slow down.

Well how was that for a complete downer??? Really I am ok with working, I have made my peace with not being able to stay at home. The Lord provided me a job that is family centered and if I ever need to work from home I can, or if something comes up it's never a problem. I can have a Bible at work and we have company-wide devotions every Wednesday morning. I get to see and actually be a part of thousands of children all over the world have the opportunity to play sports in a great environment and be told about Christ. I get to work in the Global Department and travel to different countries and experience different cultures and meet so many wonderful people who have the same desire. I couldn't imaginge being happier working anywhere else, for that I am so deeply humbled and thankful. It makes it all worthwhile!

Holly H

.................Family Photo's by Sabrina Lewis

A few weeks ago we had an amazing photographer come out to the house to take some family photographs. She is AMAZING and we are thrilled with the shots she got. The photos in the slide show are a some of the photos she took. She comes highly recommended and you are welcome to ask me about her or contact her yourself. We work together at Upward so I can tell you with all my heart she is wonderful and will do a great job! Her links are listed under my "Link's" section on the right. You can also email her directly at sabrina.lewis@yahoo.com.

Holly

.........................History is Made

This week we elected the first black president, Obama. Like it or not, agree with him or not, Democrat or not.........it is progress. I, for one, am optimistic. I think that it can't get much worse in the US and I hope and pray that it will get much better. Of course, my devotion is to Christ, not to man but I pray for Obama and our nation. Many think that you can't be a democrat and a Christian because they are too liberal. I don't agree with everything in either party but try to look at it objectively, what is going to be the better for the majority of America. I hope and pray that Obama is just that!

The other day my Mom and some of her prayer sisters came over to see Alex. They are a group of amazing ladies that have been prayer sisters for over 30 years. It was wonderful to have them over for lunch, conversation and prayer. I so apprecaite all that they have done for me and I just love them and am so thankful for them.




Well, Alex is now 6 weeks old and up to 11lbs!!! He is doing great and I can't say enough how good of a sleeper he is....it's almost unnatural! He has his routine down pretty good. He wakes in the morning for a bottle and will doze off and on for a few hours. He will wake again and eat and then be awake until around 1pm. Then he goes down until 6pm and stays awake until 10ish and then is down for the night. He usually wakes for a bottle around 4:30 or 5am but then goes back down until 7am and we start all over. He is an easy baby and just loves to cuddle. He has always smiled a lot since he was born but this week he began to truly smile in response. It's the best feeling in the world to see him smile back at me. I could just nibble his little cheeks off! Alex had his first bath in the tub this week too. I have ben giving him a sponge bath. He didn't seem to mind at all.



Ella is doing great and loves her little brother so much. She is doing great in school and loves her teacher. The other day I picked her up and asked her what she did in school that day and she said "oh Mommy, you wouldn't understand" I also got the "it's not fair" line for the first time. She is four but you'd never know it. I had to include a couple photos of Ella with the mice, she loves all animals and I thought these photos were so cute.

..................Happy Halloween

Ready to trick or treat!


Ella went as a dog and Alex was a Bumble Bee (for a few minutes anyway)

Ella and Alex

----------------------Fall is Here!!-----------------

I love this time of year, cool but not cold leaves changing. I love living so close to the mountains, they are just beautiful. Last Thursday I packed up Ella and Alex and went to Mom and Dad's house. Ella had Friday off from school and it was Dad's birthday. I hated that Stephen had to work and couldn't come but I think, well I know he enjoyed having a night in the house by himself who wouldn't??? We went to a pumpkin patch and got pumpkins Ella loved running down the rows and picking out ones for all of us. Alex just wanted milk. Alex is doing great, eating and sleeping like a champ. Friday night and last night he went down around 10pm and slept until 5am and then back to sleep after a bottle!!! Other nights aren't that bad either, he sometimes wakes around 3am for a quick bottle and then goes back down. I have to give God the big high five for giving me such a good sleeper. I have not once felt sleep deprived. And actually Ella was like that too. On the very rare occasion she would be awake for a couple hours at night but not much. Now she was fussy every night from 5pm-9pm. I wouldn't call it full on colic as I am sure parents of a full blown colicky baby would have loved to have her fussy spells. But she just got fussy. She had a hard time eating too, she was a spitter, almost every bottle that milk would come flying out of her mouth....I was just waiting for her head to start spinning around. I think everyone in the family got it at one time or another. But all in all she was a great baby and Alex is just as laid back as they come.....he takes after his daddy and I can't complain about that one bit! Health-wise Alex is doing well. Growing in length and weight, he loves to eat that's for sure. I am just trying to relax bewteen noe and his next appointment with the surgeon in December.

Holly

Alex's Dr. Appointment Update

We made it through the day! I never thought this day would get here...it's been a long week. We went to Children's Hospital and met with Dr. Chandler with Pediatric Surgery. He looked Alex over and right away was able to confirm that it was a Cystic Hygroma or Lymphatic Malformation. I thought for sure he would say that they would plan for surgery in the next couple of months but he actually said that he would like to see Alex every couple of months and hopefully they could wait until he is around 1 to try a new treatment. It will be an injection that will hopefully disintegrate it completely. Of course things could change between now and then. He said that he would keep a close watch on it and if he needed surgery because of infection or because it may continue to grow then he could always go that route. But he would prefer to wait as long as he can and would prefer the treatment over surgery. He also said that Alex has the type of CH that is the better kind to have. I can't remember the types but one is multiple cysts that is harder to treat and Alex has the type that is just one.

So, how do I feel??? I feel good about the Dr. he seemed to know a lot about CH even though he said that they only see about 1 case a year. That's hard to imagine, at a big hospital only 1 case a year. I knew that this was very rare but that really put that less that 1% into perspective. I feel relieved that we know for sure what it is and that the Dr. is confident that it is treatable, although with CH there is always the chance of it coming back no matter what treatment you have. I feel somewhat frustrated that we will still just have to do the wait and see what happens potentially for a year. I am worried about what the medical bills are going to look like. I feel mentally and physically exhausted, all the wondering and waiting plus still trying to deal with the complications I have had from the c-section, I am tired but functioning! However, I feel blessed that I have a savior that already knows the outcome and carries me...even when I don't know it or how much I fight it and try to carry it all myself. I know that God will provide all of our needs: from calming me from the stress, taking care of Alex, meeting our financial, mental, physical and emotional needs. I am thankful for the most wonderful husband, what a gift he is to me and our children. I am also thankful for family and friends who uplift me. One day I might even be thankful that we had to endure this, there is a reason and a purpose. I don't know what that is right now and frankly I wish we didn't have to go through it, but I have faith enough to know that God's plan is divine and this is just a part of His plan.

Thank you all for your continued prayers for Alex and all of us!!!

Holly

Only Two Weeks!!!???!!!

Wow, it's hard to believe that Alex is only 2 weeks old. Well 2 weeks and 4 days to be exact. It seems like he should be much older by now. I mean it really seems like ages ago that we set off at 7am to the hospital and 4 1/2 hours later he was born. I guess a lot has to do with the fact that we have already had to deal with so much. With my complications, which are still ongoing, and then finding the lumps and not knowing what was going on with him. I am sure that it will take forever for next Friday to arrive. We go to the pediatric surgeon to find out more about Cystic Hygroma, and what they will do for Alex. I am just anxious. It's the unknown that is so hard. At least when I know, no matter how hard it is to hear the news at least I know what it is I have to deal with. I need patience and a lot more faith! I think right now I am just so numb, it's hard to even comprehend what is happening. Plus, there is Ella. She is still adjusting to having a baby brother in the house. It must have just turned her little world upside down when he came home. She is calming down and adjusting. The first week or so she was good but a little more hyper than normal and acting out more. She is settling in ok. She is just my sweet girl. We try really hard to make sure she understands that while we now have Alex in our lives she is just as special and loved. She does love her brother. She wants to give him hugs and kisses all the time. I am just so blessed with this family, I have been entrusted with. I hope I serve the Lord well by being the kind of wife and mother He has called me to be.

Holly

Cystic Hygroma

Here are some photos of Alex's neck and back and what we think is a Cystic Hygroma. Never did I think that my first weeks of having this baby would be spent going to so many Dr's and so much uncertainty. I guess no one does, no one sees things like this coming. I have my good moments just full of faith and trust in God that this is just a bump in the road. Then I have those dark moments.....fear takes over and I only think of the worst things it could be, if it's not CH and even if it is in fact CH, many many complications can arise. I don't like those dark moments, it's the most horrible feeling right in your heart. I guess it's all a part of being a parent, just living life for that matter. We never know what will come our way. I am so blessed to have a God that knows my heart, comforts me when I am in the darkest of places. He loves Alex more than I do.....it's so hard to even comprehend how that can be. I am also so blessed to have Stephen. He is just so amazing as a husband,father and a follower of Christ. There is no one I would rather walk this road with than him and Christ one on each side of me.

Holly

Update on Alex

As you know, from the previous post Alex has a mass on his neck and shoulder. We went to our family Dr. who ordered an ultrasound. Alex had the u/s this morning but they really didn't know what it was, so they sent us over to the pediatrician at the hospital where Alex was born. We saw the same Dr. that looked over Alex when he was born and discharged him from the hospital so that was good that we were able to see the same Dr. The pediatrician feels like he is 90% sure that Alex has a Cystic Hygroma, which is not life threatening or cancerous….thank you Jesus!!! He will have to have surgery though. The Dr. talked to the pediatric specialist at Greenville Children’s Hospital and sent over the images from the ultrasound as well. The Dr. in G’ville agreed with the preliminary diagnosis but will see him next Friday Oct. 17th to confirm. He said Alex will likely have to have surgery but that they would prefer to wait until he is 3-4 months old before doing the surgery depending on the confirmation and severity. I thank you all for your prayers. I feel so much more at peace and calm but the past few days and especially the hours and hours spent going from one Dr. to another with most of them saying, “I really don’t know what this is” today has had my nerves shot! I ask that you continue to pray as the diagnosis still has to be confirmed and no one likes to see their baby have to have surgery! I did some research and the fact that we found it after birth is actually a good thing and not associated with a chromosome issue. Many are found while still a fetus and if that is the case it's usually Turner's syndrome or other abnormalitis like Trisomies. But his was found after birth meaning that it probably developed in the last month or so before birth, which means it's not associated with a chromosome abnormality. So anyway, I feel much better but will be anxious to get a confirmation and will be glad when the surgery is over. The research does say that even wiht surgery it can come back. So we will just have to wait and keep praying. Thanks you guys for your prayers and support. It means the world to me!

Holly

Prayers Needed for Baby Alex

Last week we found a lump on Alex's neck. We went to the Dr. and she ordered an ultrasound for Monday at 9:30. She thinks that it is probably nothing to worry about but wants to be sure. He is only 11 days old and I just keep praying over and over that it's nothing. I don't know how I would handle something serious. Please lift him up in prayer. Overall I am dealing with this ok, but I have my moments where I just totally breakdown too. I will just be glad when it's over and we know what it is and can deal with it.

I attached a photo of Alex and Ella both at one week....can you tell who is who???

Holly

It's A .......BOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here are some photos of our new addition Stephen Alexander Howard "Alex" He was born Wednesday 9/24/08 at 11:20 am 7lbs 8oz, 19 1/4" long. He is healthy and just beautiful. I am doing ok. A few health complications..had to have a blood transfusion that Friday because of anemia and then my BP shot up on Saturday. It is still up and down but we are keeping an eye on it. Stephen is great and so proud to have a son. I will post again soon the story of the birth as it was quite eventful. Ella is a great big sister and loves her baby brother! She is having a time of adjustment but is enjoying her brother.

All set for 9/24/08!!!

Well, it's Sunday night and all is set for delivery on Wednesday. I went to the Dr. on Friday and my BP is back down to normal and he said I was doing great. I am doing much much better than I did at this stage with Ella so that is good and I feell good. I get tired and can't do as much as I'd like but I am able to do more and feel better than I thought I would. I still can't believe that it's almost here....after a year of trying, and a miscarriage along the way, our baby will be in our arms soon. I am excited, but when I think about this pregnancy (and it's probably the last one) there are things I will miss as well and some things I will not miss about being pregnant. I will NEVER miss going though the 1st trimester again!!! I will miss the first flutters of movement when you are not even sure if it's the baby or not. Then the kicks that are unmistakeable. In a strange way, I will miss my belly button poking out and being able to enjoy having a belly. I will miss people walking by and looking at my belly, tilting their head and smiling. I will NOT miss complete strangers walking up and feeling my belly or telling me their personal delivery story and all the horrors they went through.....I will miss my friends feeling my belly and me being able to watch their faces when the baby moves and they feel it. I will miss the strange reactions I get when people ask what we are having and I tell them we don't know, it's going to be a suprise. Some think it's great. I get the feeling that others think it's crazy and are frustrated with not knowing, but when it comes down to it, it's about us and no one else. I will miss Ella giving my belly hugs and kisses for the baby. I will not miss fat ankles and getting up 4-5 times a night. I will not miss having to practically get out of bed just to turn on my other side. I will miss my family of three, but at the same time, I am sure I will not miss my family of three because my family of four will be so much more than I can even imagine. Thank you God for this gift.....I look forward to meeting this little life that you have planned for us!

Holly

Ella Open House and saying the pledge...

Here is a link showing a video of Ella saying the pledge. Really cute.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6071597643964450568&hl=en

Last night was Ella's first school Open House. It was really fun for her to show us her room and her projects. We just love her teacher and her teacher assistant. Ella is loving school and has been learning a lot!

Ella and Soccer

So Ella is enjoying playering Upward Soccer, which is a good thing since I work for the Upward organization!!! Well, she loves it for the first 30 minutes and then she is more interested in pouring water into a snowcone cup from the cooler and picking weeds than playing. But all in all she is having a fun time. It's a joy to see her play and not care which direction or even if it goes into the goal. She just loves chasing the ball. What joy there is in childhood! God bless her I just love her so much, I can't imagine that in 2 weeks I will have another child that I will love just as much.....I know I will but I don't know how I will have that kind of capacity. God makes room I guess :)

As Ready As I will Ever Be.....I think

Well, 19 days and we will have a new family member. I went to the Dr. yesterday and she said that all is well and she thinks the baby may have dropped a little. I can't really tell though. My iron is really low but other than that everything else is going well. Ells is doing great and loves her big kids school and teacher Miss Vaughn. She is coming home with books to read for homework and singing songs she learned in class. I am glad she enjoys it and is getting a head start to Kindergarten next year. We had a nice Labor Day holiday although we didn't go anywhere. We did go to the Labor Day festival in Simpsonville. Ella loved it and enjoyed the rides and the pony's. My highlight of the day was a very good corndog....they are just not the same anywhere but at a festival!! Anyway, we had a nice time. Ella continues to enjoy her soccer and does a really good job. She is getting better with kicking it in the right direction now so that is good.