A Sunbeep

With the many changes that will be coming in our family in the next few months, I've been thinking a lot about how I have a small amount of time with Ellie as the only one at home. It makes me kind of sad that she'll have to share time with her brother. Sad in a good way. I know she'll be an amazing sister, but I'm going to miss these one-on-one moments we have every day. I'm so grateful to be her mommy. She teaches me daily about what's really important and I know there are many more lessons in the years ahead. So here's some Ellie-isms that I want to always remember.

-She loves to sing! She sings along with us now and loves to fill in the words when we stop singing. Some of her favorites are Book of Mormon Stories (this is one she does with Danny that turns in to a version of the Haka towards the end), Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam (or sunbeep), Rudolph, Miss Mary Mack, Lady with the Alligator Purse, A Cow and a Pig, I Am a Child of God, and lots of others. She loves to grab our hymnbooks and sing. I love it!

-She still loves to read, but is more about arranging her books in cool rows and patterns than actually sitting through a whole book. But Christmas looks like it's shaping up to be a good moment in the book business for her, so maybe that'll change.

-She loves nursery. If we are leaving, she always asks if we're going to nursery. Thankfully we've passed the days where a no to this question brought tears and tantrums! She always gives her teachers big hugs and kisses. Such a sweet girl!

-She's way in to Disney. Princesses, Winnie the Pooh, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse crew, and a lot of movies. She can name all her princesses and sometimes quotes movies. Yep, she's all mine!

-She's got her colors down. We've been working on her ABC's (she can point out some) and her numbers (she can count to 10, but it's often something like "3,4,5,6,8,10!"). I love seeing her learn new things.

-She usually devotes a good 20 minutes a day to dancing. Spinning and doing ballet moves with her arms is what this time consists of. But she can get pretty dizzy, which has led to a few run-ins with the wall.

-Unlike either of her parents (sarcasm), she tends to want things a certain way. Examples: before eating breakfast, lunch, or dinner, she always places whatever she's playing with on the couch so it doesn't get dirty while she eats. She makes sure her princesses and books are put away before a nap or bedtime. She has to have at least 4 blankets on top of her plus 3 stuffed animals (Betsy the Giraffe, Bunny the Bunny, and Chico the Turtle) before she can fall asleep properly. 

-She has such a cute sense of humor and I'm loving seeing this side of her come out. We have some fun inside jokes and we love to make fun of Danny when he sings at dinner. Ellie always shrugs her shoulders when he starts. Pretty cute!

Anyway, I hope I can cherish these moments with my precious girl. I hope she knows how much she is loved and adored. What a gift she is to us! And now on to pictures...

She finds random benches, like on top of our plates.

First movie in the theater (that she sat through anyway). Frozen. Loved it. Ate more popcorn than Danny, which is saying something.

My little Black Friday shopper.

Nana sent her a Nemo bookmark.

Most of my dr's appointments are in the morning.
So this is how she looks when we pick up Danny.

Playing in the "snow"...in pajamas.

It was a tight squeeze in the crib that night.

New dress from Nana.

Since we're going to CA for Christmas, Santa
decided to bring Ellie's kitchen early. She loves it!

Enough said.

Ellie's turkey.

Olive Garden Pumpkin Cheesecake. Pretty sure
my face looked like this, too.

Helping with the dishes.