2 1/2

These pictures were taken a few months ago by Melanie. We love them, and since they were taken closer to Ella being 2 1/2 than 2 I'm going to count them for this post!






(I really wanted to get these thoughts down so through the years we can look back and have these memories of our girls as they go through different milestones. )

Ella hit the 2 1/2 mark this past week. She is growing up so fast. She always amazes us with how smart she is and how much she picks up on. I guess it is time we have to be more careful with everything we do and say. She is extremely shy in any new situation, but if she feels comfortable she is so fun and outgoing--really a totally different person. She will sing songs to herself, to Brad and I, or to Maggie all day long, but will never "perform" for us and hates being the center of attention. She knows all of the words to many songs (and all of their verses)--our favorites are I Am a Child of God and Families Can Be Together Forever. She also can recite many of her favorite books word for word, which has made our jaws drop often.

She has a sweet temperament and really wants to please everyone. She feels horrible if she thinks someone is upset with her. She is a great big sister and will always sing Maggie a song to make her feel better if she is crying--especially during car rides or when they are both going to bed. Of course, we appreciate this so much. She is learning to be an even better sister now as Maggie is extremely mobile and can get to any toy Ella may be playing with. We hope she will develop patience as she tries to share with her little sister who is constantly grabbing at everything she has her hands on. She still loves to be cuddled, especially when she wakes up in the morning, and we hope this doesn't change anytime soon.

She has a lot of determination to figure things out if they are hard for her at first (she shows this a lot when working on puzzles). Likewise, she has a lot of determination to let us know just how she wants things to be done or not done (I guess that's true of any 2-year-old though).

She loves to read scriptures with us and likes to say prayers when she has pretended to make her own dinner, but won't do it if she thinks anyone else is listening. Her favorite things to do are read books, do puzzles, and fix us meals in her kitchen. She has also just started showing an interest in princesses. She LOVES friends and gets so excited at the prospect of playing with other kids--even if she acts shy at the onset of each play date.

It is so fun to see these little quirks develop as she grows and know that they all make up our little Ella and encompass who she is. It is so fun to watch her grow! We love you Ella. Thanks for being such an extra special part of our family!