Birthday party

Ella and a group of her friends gathered at Million Dollar Lanes today for to celebrate her seventh birthday. She had lots of fun, and commemorated the day with a gift from the bowling alley of a special bowling pin!

Cutting her cake

Ella and Abbie having cake

Having some cake and goodies

Little bowlers

They say it's your birthday...

Today's the day - Ella is seven!!!

Her party isn't until Saturday, but she got to open a few special gifts from out of town.

This one was from Gran and Granddad in New Zealand. As she was pulling open the paper she said, "I'm so excited, Gran's gifts are always good!"

A baby doll for a baby doll

A baby doll and all the accessories - just what I wanted! The baby's name is Jane.

Happy Halloween

Cameron, Ella and Maia show off their Halloween costumes before going out for the evening to take in the All-City Halloween Party.

Cameron is the bad guy from Scary Movie, Ella is Elizabeth from Pirates of the Caribbean, and Maia is the dead bride.

A little background on Maia's costume - apparently she became a member of the undead when she decided to try to lick the frosting off the bride and groom on the top of her wedding cake, but choked on it and passed on.

Ella's art

Ella made this "bowling ball" with her iron-on beads, but decided a photo was better, because then she could reuse the beads.

Long distance interview

Maia's teacher recently assigned her the task of interviewing "the oldest" person in her family. Since Granddad Richard is 108, she of course thought he was the perfect choice. Only problem? He is in Whangaparaoa, New Zealand, and she is miles and miles away in North Dakota.

Enter the internet.

Maia and Granddad were able to hook up via instant messenger, webcam and yahoo phone - a full package allowing them to be face to face (sort of), hear each other's voices and interact through the interview.

She had a long list of questions, including what he liked to do when he was her age, how much things cost when he was her age and where he grew up. The process was so interesting it grew a crowd - not long into it, there were three very interested children sitting on the edge of their chairs, one of them frantically taking notes. She could barely keep up, but she loved every minute of it!

Big thanks to Granddad for such a special evening.

Third grade health fair

Maia took part in the Mercy Medical Center Health Fair, an annual event for third graders. She had lots of fun (even though it was educational!!), learning about the health risks of smoking, local emergency workers and much more.

Plus she got the cute t-shirt.

Miss North Dakota

This has been a very exciting week for Maia. This week, she took part in the Little Sisters program during the Miss North Dakota Scholarship Pageant. As part of the program, each girl is matched up with a contestant to be sisters for the week.
Maia was matched up with an incredibly sweet 17-year-old big sister named Megan. She loved every minute of their time together!

Allison Irgens, Maia's personal hair dresser, helps her get ready before the show.

Maia and her big sister, Miss James River Valley Megan Ockert of Cathay, N.D. What a gorgeous pair!

Maia (green dress) and Megan (black dress) unwind after Friday's preliminary competition with some dancing at the Miss N.D. gala.

Joining in to do the Macarena with the other contestants and Little Sisters.

Getting ready to go on stage - Maia smiles for the camera next to her spot in the dressing room.

Maia presents Megan with a rose during the evening gown portion of the competition.

Maia (yellow hat, second from left) and the other Little Sisters play dress-up during their special musical number during the pageant.

Gloves, necklaces, bracelets and heels - what fun to play dress up for the crowd!