Ellie Turns 5...

This beautiful girl of ours is 5. She is such a ray of sunshine in our family and we love her to pieces. Her special day had lots of cousins (we even had a little spontaneous hay ride), an owl cake and lots of giggles!

5 things that we love about Ellie:

1- She loves her brothers so much. Ty lights up when he sees her and she will sit there and play with him and entertain him as long as I need her too.

2- She is so aware of other people. She notices things about people that many...kids and adults would completely overlook.

3- She has the best smile...her whole face lights up and one side of her nose will wrinkle when she smiles really big! I love it!

4- She says really meaningful prayers...she actually thinks about what she is saying and usually blesses "everyone in the world."

5- She is my little shadow. She follows me around and chats with me and stays close as she colors, paints her nails or cooks in her easy bake oven (those are her three favorite activities right now!)

We love you Ellie!

Ellie's First Fish...

Our kids are really pretty good at saving their money (they totally get that from their dad!) Brig is usually the one that saves with a goal in mind and Ellie just puts her money in her little jar and changes her mind on what she is going to buy...jewelry, nail polish and other girly things. So when we went to DandB for Brig to buy a spinner and Ellie set her sights on the pink Barbie fishing pole- Cory was convinced that it was "a good purchase and we should encourage that behavior."

So she brought her little bank in a few hours later with Cory and bought her very own fishing pole. With all their new gear, Cory obviously needed to take them fishing right away! So we headed down to the river and Ellie perfected her little push button cast. Cory and his dad (he met us down there) were both catching fish and letting the kids reel them in- but we were all shocked to see a splash on the end of Ellie's line. Sure enough- she reeled in an 11" bass that she also cast by herself. To say that we were surprised would be an understatement.

 

She still didn't want to hold it though. Good thing she has her big brother.

 

Ellie's Starts Preschool...

Despite my blubbering and hovering over Brig starting kindergarten, I like preschool.  We do co-op style with 3 or 4 other moms and take turns teaching. Its low-key, tailored to what we want, with people we know and love and lots of fun for the kids.

Ellie started her first year with 3 other girls...yes...4 girls, it is bound to be fun! Kali, Millie, Rosie and Ellie. We were pretty excited.

She looked so grown up and beautiful on her first day, I was amazed that it had come so fast. But I was so excited for her and knew she would love it.

And then. Then...two weeks into preschool I was driving her to the house and she told me that she wanted to walk in by herself. I was cool with that. It wasn't far or dangerous in any way! But then she got out of the car, walked her cute little self to the door, rang the doorbell and went in the house. Without me. She didn't even need my help! And I kind of started the blubbering all over again. How is SHE big enough to do that already?!?! I remember when she was born I would think of what she would look like when she was 3 or 4 and what she would be like. It was incredibly surreal for me to realize in that moment as she walked in the door to her preschool that the moment I thought about had arrived. She is more wonderful than I could have ever imagined as I held that beautiful newborn in my arms 4 years ago!

So, here is to these amazing people who are growing up before my eyes and I can't do a thing to stop it...

Ellie's 4th Birthday...

Somehow our little miss turned 4. She is such a sweet girl and her birthday was no exception!! 

Her birthday landed on a Sunday this year so amidst our normal hustle and bustle, I still whipped up some traditional birthday pancakes. 

We then headed to church. We all walked, the birthday girl wiggled into church. High heels and all. 

She loves to be fancy. 

I love how the birthday cake has become such a big deal at birthdays. This year Ellie wished for a "rainbow-rose cake". I was happy to oblige. And I also love how despite how unprofessional my cakes turn out- they always love them.

Ellie exclaimed with delight- "it's perfect!"

We had grandmas and grandpas and cousins and aunts and uncles come in the evening for cake and cupcakes and then played outside. It was pretty low key but still a fun time.

 

One highlight of the day happened while we were playing outside. Pursey the first (I posted a little about her earlier but she is going to need another post soon!) showed up! We have missed her and it's so good to have her home. (She went on an extended vacation😉) 

 

Four things we LOVE about our Ellie girl...

1- She loves to be fancy. Like I mentioned...she loves her high heels! She will only wear dresses and loves jewelry. She thinks her hair is the most beautiful when it's "just plain down."

2- She is pretty darn funny. She gets humor and she laughs easily. She also talks in funny voices all the time! 

3- She wants to be a mom with all her heart. It is her greatest ambition! And she follows me around wanting to help me almost all day long. 

4- She loves her brothers. Like, she adores them. In fact, just this last week while we were driving in the car she asked me, out of the blue, "Mom...can I PLEASE marry my brother?" I said "No. But you can still be best friends and call each other and see each other all the time. " and Brig said "Yeah! Ellie! Cuz we'll have phones!!" 

Oh how we love this Ellie girl and the sparkle and joy she brings to our family!!

Happy 4th birthday Ellie!

Heirloom...

This is a dress that my mom wore when she was a little girl and myself and most of my sisters wore at one time or another also. I have always wanted to have my daughter wear it...and since Ellie prefers to wear nothing but dresses- she willingly complied!

I love this independent, spunky, sweet, charismatic girl!

 

A Mama...

This little girl is so much fun. And she sure knows what she wants...and it goes beyond what dress she wants to wear everyday or how she wants to wear her hair. A couple months ago, we were decorating cookies and we were telling Ellie how some girls decorate cakes and cookies for a job and asked her if that was something she would like to do when she grew up. Without looking up at us, she simply shook her head and said, "no. I want to be a mom. A mama."

I was so proud. I hope she always has that be her primary career ambition!

Just a few weeks later we were watching someone ply the violin and I asked Ellie if she would like to learn how to play- she promptly nodded her head (she LOVES music) and then quickly asked, "Wait! Can I still be a mama?" 

Being a mom is the most fulfilling career (and hobby) I can imagine and I am eternally grateful that I am blessed to be "a mama."

Sis. Osbourne...

One of the things that we love most about The Riverhouse is our ward for our church.  We love all the people but we have a special place in our hearts for the nursery leaders. 

Meet Sis. Osbourne.

 She has been the nursery leader since before we moved into the ward and has been there the entire time Ellie has been in nursery (almost 2 years). She is so kind and helped Ellie to love church even more.  This adoring teacher has played, rocked, taught, manicured (Ellie LOVED that!) and loved our daughter. Ellie has had all the nursery leaders wrapped around her finger from day one...we hear nothing but doting and gushing from all her teachers. But Sis. Osbourne and Ellie have had a special bond right from the beginning. And for that we will always have a special place in our heart for her.

Ellie is moving into primary with the older kids now and as excited as we all are...especially Ellie and Brig...I can't help but feel a little sad that this era is coming to an end.
I am so grateful for the proverbial "village" that helps us raise our children.

Ellie Turns 3...

Little Miss Ellie is three!!!

Her birthday was super exciting since she would switch from over-the-moon happy to end-of-the-world distraught in the blink of an eye...just like usual!

She was so excited for her birthday pancakes but was suddenly heartbroken when her #3 broke. I thought the pictures would serve as a friendly reminder of the personality this girl has!

 

 

 

Her birthday was pretty low-key but one of the major perks of having so much family live close to us it that it always means a party! So we had cousins and grandparents come over for a princess cake.

 

 

She was pretty happy about all the attention she was getting.

 

 

 

This picture is super blurry but I wish that I could have snapped it just a few minutes sooner...like the moment that she opened the present to find the Elsa nightgown she had so desperately wanted-this was another over-the-moon moment.  What made it extra cute was that a couple days before I had gone shopping (with all three kids in tow)...well that makes buying presents a bit trickier. So when she was swooning over this nightgown, Brig and I joined forces...he distracted and I shoved it into the corner of the basket. I then told her we had to go and we weren't getting the dress...well, she looked in the basket and saw a little bit of blue and looked at me with a knowing smile and said "We're not getting it? Ok, mom."

She was still so excited to open it up. I'm going to have to practice my sneaky skills.

 

 

Three reasons why we love Ellie and are so blessed to have her in our home:

1: She is funny. She can really get us all laughing sometimes...and she knows that she can be funny.

2: She loves her brothers. Like a ton. She thinks Brig is "it" and especially is head over heels for him when he is affectionate with him. The other day she was heartbroken because he told her that he couldn't marry her. It was so cute.

3: Her smile. It is radiant. So much goodness and happiness shines from this girl's eyes.

 

 

We love you Ellie!

Into Her Own Hands and Out of Her Eyes...

Growing a girl's hair is tricky business I tell you! It has been our experience that the back grows faster than the front...causing the mullet, and it also has to be done every day...especially when your bangs grow straight down over your eyes.

 

 

I have to admit that most days we are slow to get started...if we even get started at all and it takes me quite a while before I get her hair pulled out of her cute little face...if it gets done at all.

Ellie, being the assertive and proactive little lady that she is,

decided to take matters into her own hands.

 

 

And her own scissors.

Just a little snip, snip and those bangs are no longer drooping over her eyes.

Problem solved.

 

 

Sort of.

Luckily, we can still pull them back into a little ponytail with the rest of her bangs...so we are just going to keep letting those things grow out.

It could have been worse...and honestly, it really did get her bangs out of her face:)

The best part...she was beaming with pride and thought it was the neatest thing ever.

 

 

Pursey...

It's probably about time that I let the 6th member of our family have a little time to shine on our blog.  Yes. 6th member.

Meet Pursey.

As in a purse. She is really quite a special member of our family and pretty much goes everywhere with us. Her "mom" takes super great care of her and makes sure to tuck her into bed and give her lots of naps, make birthday cakes for her, make sure her "hair" is done, put on her imaginary pj's and panties and ensure that she is included and getting the attention from all of us that she deserves.

 

 

Ellie is such a little mom. It is adorable and has been so fun to see her mother Pursey for the past several weeks. It has also been nice to have Pursey join our family so Ellie can direct her mothering to a willing candidate. A very common phrase that comes from little miss Ellie is..."I'm the mom, right?" and then it is followed by some sort of command to "kid." For example... "Kid, it's time to go so sleep." And while she still will frequently slip into mom-mode, Pursey has definitely occupied most of her time. Like I said, we all love Pursey- and we absolutely adore her sweet little mom.

 

Spunk...

I need to just take a moment and pause so we can reflect on this girl's spunk...

 

 

Ok. That was fun.

A Thousand Words Plus Caption...

I love what this picture encapsulates...

And I don't want to forget the teeny tiny details even the ones in the clothes they wear...

Like how I made Brig wear a collared shirt this day and five seconds after he put it on he was complaining about how it itches...just like his dad. 

Like how as long as something has pink in it- I can usually convince Ellie to wear it. Unless its a day where she wants to try to dress exactly like her brother. 

Like how Ellie has decided that one green croc and one flip flop are the way to go. 

Like how Brig rocks his cowboys boots with any outfit.

Like how Ellie only wants to wear "shirts that hold up" aka short sleeve shirts. 

Like how I tried to let things go as Ellie dribbled purple Popsicle down her white top and let her be little. 

Like how when I ask them to smile for a picture they automatically wrap their arms around each other. 

Like how I have to bop my self on the head to get a real smile out of Brig because his is now so rehearsed. 

Like how these two fight...but really they are best buddies.

Potty Training the Little Miss...

Finally!

This girl is potty trained.  I have waited quite a while to post this because it has been such a wild ride!!!! She started about a week before she turned 2. She has always been an incredible communicator so I figured she was ready. Plus, she struggled with MRSA for a year and the infectious disease specialist told us that potty training and getting her out of diapers (her infections were always on her bum) would help.  So we had motivation too!

 

Well, it was not the easy ride that I was expecting! She was not going to give in and be potty trained. Long story short...after about a month of diligent effort on my part and many many accidents on her part...we decided to just deal with diapers.

 

 

Then about 4 months later- she just told me that she was ready to be potty trained on morning.  So, we started again.  This time was way better- I wasn't as stressed and she was the one who usually would tell me she had to go- instead of me nagging.  She understood what was happening this time and I think that really helped!

She got the hang of it but would still have sooo many accidents and it was really frustrating.  Then about 2 weeks ago, Cory had everyone in the family set a goal to help our family be better and Ellie's goal was to not have accidents...and she was good to go! She rarely has accidents...for a while she was averaging 3-4 accidents a day and now she has about 1-2 a week. 

Yay Ellie!!!

 

This was her most recent chart. It is a little...abused. But she loved it. Her rewards were...fingernail polish, a visit to Grandma's, watch Cinderella, some pink bubblegum, a Happy Meal from McD's, and a four wheeler ride with daddy. 

 

 

This chart below is from the first time we tried potty training her... even with these awesome incentives...she could have cared less! She would earn a reward and then have an accident the next time. It was rough.

 

 

Again...this picture below is from her first attempt... she always would do great when we were out and about. She especially loved the little potty at Kohls.  She just didn't really care to stop playing while we were home and run potty. It was pretty much the same difference to her if I changed her panties or her diaper.

 

 

And my favorite potty training picture...this should have been a good insight as to what our experience was going to be like with this sweet, yet very stubborn girl of ours!

 

My Girl...

Brig was at preschool the other day and Jase was asleep...so Ellie and I took a few pictures.  This is about 1/8 of the ones I have but I just melt when I see this cute little, happy girl! She is such a blessing to our family. 

 I love how she is so quick to tell us she loves us.

 

 

I love how she is already a little mother...to her baby dolls and anyone else who is anywhere close to her in age or younger. And sometimes age has no bearing on her mothering:)

 

Despite the parenting challenges it sometimes presents, I love this girl's attitude and sass.

 

 

I love her sweet, sweet smile.

 

 

I love how she already has opinions on how she wears her hair and what she wears.

 

 

I love how she is all girl through and through but thanks to her big brother...she can get dirty, go hunting, climb rocks and is getting better and better at keeping up with the boys.

 

 

I love how when it's "just the girls" at home, she asks if we can paint our fingernails.

 

 

I love how well she communicates and how adorable she is when she tells a story...actually I pretty much just love hearing her talk. I love how friendly she is and how she makes friends with people all the time.

 

 

Basically, I just love this girl to pieces!