Ella's Birthday & Kate's Comments

Happy 5th Birthday to Ella!  Ella & I went to a Pinkalicious Play on Saturday.  It was so cute!  She requested breakfast for dinner on Saturday night - Ella's favorite thing to do!  And then cake & ice-cream.  She took cupcakes to the babysitter to share with her friends on Wednesday.  Up until the weekend she wasn't sure that she wanted to have a birthday.  She said that she really liked 4 and 5 just seemed so old.  But at the last minute, she decided to try 5 and so far, so good.  When she got up on Wednesday, she confirmed that she was indeed 5.  I asked her if she felt different and she said that she didn't.  Although while eating breakfast she told me she didn't think that she wanted to be 6 next year, seems a little old :-)  I would have to agree!

And Kate insists that she is 4 (she's only 2.5)  She tells everyone that she is 4 - if I correct her, she cries and says that she's 4...she's a stinker.  On a separate note, we were swinging last night.  A truck went by and Kate commented that it was a "BIG truck".  I agreed that it was and told her that it was a UPS truck.  She said, "I don't like UPS trucks, I like cheeseburgers".  Not sure why they go together in her head, but it made perfect sense to her.

A story for us to remember about Ella...Ella goes to school where Aunt Annie works so we get some stories.  Miss Sandy came into her room to take one of her friends for therapy.  He didn't want to go.  Ella then proceeded to give Miss Sandy some tips.  First she told her that if she lets him finish with "lunch" that Ella was getting him in the pretend kitchen, that maybe he would go then.  That didn't work.  So she told Miss Sandy that if she sat down and played with them that maybe he would get to know her better and would go then.  Miss Sandy found this humorous - that Ella, at 4 would be able to figure out how to do Miss Sandy's job that she was been doing for 30 years!  She is such a nurturer at school!

And in an attempt to get me to lay with her longer at night, Ella was trying to make me feel sad for her...she told me that she's just not good at sleeping.  She said that she's awake until she falls asleep (in the saddest voice you can imagine).  I told her that I have the same problem!

First Day of School...and lots more!

Ella had her first day of pre-school today!  I guess technically it's her 2nd 1st day of pre-school being that she went to the same school last year for pre-school.  Ella will be 5 next month and times sure does fly!  She is definitely ready to start school again - she can read!!!  She also can write and sound out most words to spell them.  Miss Laura (her teacher) told us not to correct spelling at this point because it's good for her to try to figure out the sounds without discouraging her.  She is definitely going to be one of those kids that can't wait for summer break to end so she can get back to school!

Kate really wanted her first day of school to be today!  She was determined that she was going to school too.  Of course she couldn't go, so instead she settled on wearing Ella's shoes to the babysitter.  Kate is doing well too - knows most of her letters and numbers, all of her colors and basic shapes.  She loves to read books and sing songs.  It's really hard to believe that my baby is nearly 2.5 years old!

Here are some pictures from our summer...

Reds Game - Ella, Kate & Lauren

 Working on their masterpieces

 Swimming lessons - Ella (Kate took them too, but the water was too cold so she wouldn't get in for the last 2 lessons and so we have no pictures of her!)

 Mommy's Birthday

 Kate's 1st Nap in a Big Girl Bed!

 Lauren, Ella & Kate

 T-Ball

 Ella & Kate (& Uncle Ted Bear)

 Holiday World

 Holiday World - Kate

 Holiday World - Ella

 Brand new baby (2nd) Cousin - Kale

 T-Ball

 Dance Class - Ella

 Dance Class - Kate

 Kate, Lauren & Ella

 At the Zoo

 Dress up time!

 And finally - First Day of School

 1st Day of School - Kate wearing Ella's shoes!

Like Mother, Like Daughter

Kate is sick today and Daddy stayed home with her.  When I know that Pete will be there in the morning I cannot get out of bed because I convince myself that things will go so much faster with Pete there helping me.  So after much prompting from Pete, I finally got up - about 45 later than I should have!  When I got downstairs Ella was already up, but laying on the couch watching cartoons.  I asked her what she wanted for breakfast and she told me that her brain just won't wake up and she can't decide.  Finally she did make the decision.  I told her to come over and eat and she said, "Mommy, my head is really tired this morning.  My brain must be tucked into my tummy."  Pete and I both laughed out loud.  I told her that it sounded serious.  Poor girl!  She' s not a Monday morning kind of girl either - she couldn't possibly get it from me though!

Busy, busy, busy

Well, we aren't really that busy, just don't find a lot of time to update our blog...obviously!  The girls are growing like weeds!
 Ella is loving school and is growing up way too fast.  She is really eager to learn to read and is able to read some basic words by herself.  She's like a little adult and we can have a "real" conversation with her.  I keep trying to convince her to stay 4 forever.  She has now decided that she will because our babysitters grandson told her that in Kindergarten you have to lay down and rest.  She isn't having any of that so she will just stay 4 and in preschool for the rest of her life.  Fine by me!
Kate is talking non-stop and we can understand nearly everything that she says.  She is learning her manners too - we were in Gap the other day and she was walking past a man.  Instead of saying "excuse me" she said "excuse you" just as plain as could be.  The man laughed.  He was very understanding because he had a 7 and 10 year old girl - just about the same age difference as Ella & Kate.
Other that that, we are getting ready for Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, and SPRING!  I'm ready for the warmer weather and playing outside!

Feeding Baby Lauren aka Baby Lulu

Ella in her Princess Witch outfit

Playing outside - December!

We can't have a box around without it turning into a boat

Kate's new phone

They both loved Santa. 

Kate's first day in pigtails

Grammy & Ella making dessert

Kate & Grampy

Our Princesses

Story Time

Kate loves to help with the dishwasher

Aunt Annie & Lulu playing at Uncle Zac's work

Ella  - looking good!

Daddy & Kate

Ella's Friends

A little background regarding this post...
Ella has 3 imaginary friends - Sam, George & Sarah.  She knows that she is the only one that can see them.  She talks about them constantly and if you didn't know better, you would think that they are real.

A couple of weeks ago Ella told me that she needed to put lipstick on because she was getting married to Sam.  I asked if you had to wear lipstick when you get married and she said yes.  We had some more conversation her wedding and she came back to the lipstick again.  She said that she had to wear it in case Sam wanted to kiss her on the lips since they were getting married.  I told her that we don't kiss boys on the lips.  Boys are yucky.  She agreed, but stated that Daddy wasn't yucky, well, except his armpits.

And then Pete was putting Ella to bed last week.  She told him that she was marrying Sam in 16 months and Sarah was marrying George in 18 months.  She said that she had to pick out her pretty white dress and Sam had to get some handsome clothes because the picture that they took looked gross.  His shirt was stinky, dirty, and had holes.

Ella will be 4 on tomorrow (/9/21).  We can't believe that 4 years have passed already.  She is such the little storyteller.  We generally can't get a word in!  We don't know what we did without her!  Love you so much Ella!

Ella & her best friend, Tiffany

Things to Remember

Just a couple of things so we can remember Ella & Kate at this age...

Ella:

She starts preschool at the end of the month.  I can't believe it.  She is so excited to go to school where Ann works (although I do believe that she thinks Ann is a student as well)

She is getting to be such a big girl.  She loves her sister and *nearly* always looks out for her.  We went to the library to get some new books.  Ella LOVES "The Pigeon" books and so do I.  Our doctor actually recommended the series and we got one last time.  It was really cute, but I wasn't sure if she liked them or not.  We went back to the library and she wanted all of them!  We both laugh when we read them.  She wanted Daddy to read them to her so he could see how silly the Pigeon is.  She also insisted that we get Kate a couple of books while we were there.  She picked them out and "read" them to her when we got home.

Ella has such a great memory - she remembers logos for stores, places, restaurants, hotels, FedEx, anything.  If we have ever been somewhere, she knows it.  She apparently also remembers what people wear.  Her new cousin, Lauren, is going to the same babysitter as they go to.  Ella insisted that the babysitter change Lauren's clothes because she wore them when we went downtown a couple of weeks ago.  Ann confirmed that she did.  Apparently it was a fashion faux pa on Ann's part - come on Ann!! 

She loves to sing, dance, and have fashion shows.  She makes me or Daddy be the announcer and we have to introduce her and state what she is wearing and she struts her stuff across the living room and then she strikes a pose at the end.  She could do this all day!

She is at such a fun age (when she isn't tired!) I asked her if she could stay 3 for me forever.  She told me that she wanted to turn 4 and 5 and 6, but that maybe Kate would stay 1 for me instead!

Kate:

Oh Kate.  Ella was/is a high energy, type A child.  We thought that there was no way that we could get one with more energy than Ella.  We thought wrong. They both make us laugh constantly, but they are definitely limit pusher...

I went to pick her up at the babysitters and I will shorten the story, but Barbara was making lunch and Kate was in the kitchen with her (like most days).  She turned her back for a minute and turned back around to find Kate with a chair pulled out, table cloth on the floor, Kate standing in the middle of the table reaching for the chandelier.  Barbara thought I might be upset that she wasn't doing her job - but this is just a day with Kate.  You can't take your eyes off of her for a minute or she is going to be doing something.  And my Grandma always tells me how easy girls are because they just sit in one spot and play with babies!  Not my girls!

Kate loves and I mean LOVES Moose A. Moose on Nick Jr.  When she wakes up in the morning I hear her saying "Mom-my"  When I get to her room, she asks for "Dad-dy" and then "Moo".  She knows the ending songs to most of the shows and can hear them from the other room so she knows when she needs to get moving and says "Moo, Moo"  as she runs to the TV.  (For those of you that don't know Moose, he is the MC of sorts of Nick Jr and is on every half hour between shows)  She does this all day.  Yesterday she started crying when she asks for him and we don't turn him on.

And Kate loves her big sister.  She can't say Ella so she calls her Na Na.  She likes Ella to help her get her babies in and out of the stroller and help her do puzzles.  Mommy or Daddy can be sitting right there and she will yell for Na Na for help.


Here are some pictures from the weekend...

"Touch a Truck" event - lots of our community trucks come together and the kids get to sit in them and blow the horns...it was LOUD!!!

Ella getting her picture taken through a pipe with a camera and Kate wondering what she is doing...

Police officer Ella

This is generally what happens when we try to change Kate's clothes - she's gone!

Being a police officer at home.  She was calling "Officer Kate" but she was slow to respond!

Officer Kate was busy with this buckle all day.  She can snap it, but can't get it open again!

And finally our Sunday evening self photo shoot.  Daddy, Mommy, and Ella were cracking up - Kate wasn't so interested.  That darn buckle still had her attention!

This was the first one - I told Pete he had to hold the camera because he has long arms and I didn't want to have a double chin.  We laughed when we saw the picture because he was so serious - trying to concentrate!

Summer is almost over...

We've been busy this summer.  Ella has had soccer, VBS, playdates, birthday parties, parties and has been to amusement parks.  Glad that at least she has a social life!!!  She starts preschool as the end of the month.  It's really hard to believe that she is old enough!  She can't wait!

More pictures to catch up!

Lauren's baptism - Ted and I are the lucky Godparents

Kate

The Grandkids - Poor Kaiser is the only boy!

Ella is a tiger!!

Checking out the tiger at the Zoo.  He paced in front of us for quite some time.

Daddy & Kate waiting for Ella at our Church Festival - it was HOT!!

Ella & Hudson at Holiday World - again it was HOT!

Ella & her new friend, Camryn - they played the entire evening.  It was amazing!

Grandma & Grandpa with the girls

Ella & her best friend, Tiffany.  They haven't seen each other since February!  They didn't miss a beat though!

Getting ready to ride the horses

Our little princesses