EVB: 2 Years, 8 Months (32 Months) Old!

Wow, Ellen is a goofy 2-year, 8-month-old ... She provides non-stop entertainment. With 32 whole months under her belt, EVB is continuing to exercise her independence (and stubborness). Most of the time, it's her way or the highway of meltdowns. She insists on doing everything by herself (turning on lights, putting on shoes, dressing/undressing herself, taking off/putting on her diaper (!), flushing the toilet, etc.) She has a specific routine or ritual for every daily task and if it doesn't go exactly how she envisions (but doesn't always verbalize) the way it should go, well ... be prepared for a tantrum. There have been lots of outbursts of frustration followed by repeating an entire task simply so she can do it herself or do it how she wants it to be done. According to my parents, I was the same way. Well, karma sure is a b*@#$. Tantrums aside, Ellen continues to be a sweet little girl. We are so proud of every new thing she accomplishes and we are in awe at the speed at which she seems to be growing up. Here's what EVB has been up to this month:

• Continuing to make progress in the potty training department (we're devoting more time to it after taking a break due to packing/moving). Ellen seems to be motivated by doing the things that go along with using the bathroom (turning on the light, lifting the toilet seat lid, flushing, washing her hands) by herself, so hopefully that leads to continued success.
• Swimming. EVB seems to be enjoying the pool more this year than last year and is building her confidence in the water.
• Reading. Ellen continues to love books and in addition to "reading," she now likes to pick out all the letters she sees in her books. She has mastered identifying every letter, both capital and lowercase versions.
• Repeating what she overhears from adult conversations. I think it's done in an effort to feel included, but Ellen will casually repeat what she hears Adam and I saying to each other as if she's a little parrot. It's cute, but a reminder that we need to watch what we say around her. :)
• Being a champ at transitioning to our townhouse. Ellen did a great job saying goodbye to her "regular" house and appears to be adjusting just fine to living somewhere different. Hopefully the transition will be just as smooth when we move again later this year!

Finally, a few recent Ellenisms:

• "pritzle" = pretzel
• "yourn" = your (e.g., "Can I have a bite of 'yourn' pritzle?") 
• "mine" = mine (e.g., "You are 'mine' sunshine, 'mine' only sunshine ...")
• "breakfast pump" = breast pump
• "much good" = very good 
• "granilla bar" = granola bar

Ellen's frog hat from last summer has resurfaced (and it still fits!)

Ice cream on the front step of our house the night we said goodbye

Just like mom ... EVB carries her baby in a carrier!

Miss Froggy (again)

My little Coppertone baby :)

Farewell to 925

It's official ... We closed on the sale of our house on June 25. It was hard to say goodbye, but we're looking forward to moving into our brand-new home in Woodbury (with a brief layover in Eagan) later this year. All I have to say is, Best. First. House. Ever.

JEB: 3 Months Old!

Little June is 3 months old! It's hard to believe she's been around for three whole months already, yet at the same time it's hard to remember life without her. June is a very sweet, very happy baby who seems to have a wonderful disposition. At 3 months old, here's what June is up to:

• Smiling all the time. She has THE sweetest little grin!
• Loving bath time ... She kicks her legs like crazy; it's almost like she's pedaling a bike as fast as she can
• Rolling over from her tummy to her back when she wants to ... She's THIS close to flipping from her back to her tummy
• Eating every three hours during the day
• Sleeping 8-9 hours at night (at least this has been the trend for the past few nights!)
• Still wearing size 1 diapers, but she could probably wear size 2
• Cooing like mad ... June's little voice is so cute!
• Wanting to stand (when you hold her on your lap) ... Her legs are very strong!

Our (first) big move is coming up next week. Once we get settled in our new place, the goal is to get June on some sort of nap schedule. Fingers crossed!

JEB: 13 Weeks Old!

Ellen's Butterflies

Ellen recently had two butterfly chrysalises that she watched carefully until two beautiful butterflies emerged. She wasn't interested in naming either anything other than "butterfly," but she loved releasing them and giving one of them sugar water to give him/her a little pep. And as if releasing them weren't exciting enough, we saw one a day later fluttering around our neighbor's garden!

Green chrysalis before it turned black.

Beautiful monarch shortly after emerging from its chrysalis.

This guy needed a little sugar water before flying off, but the butterfly that emerged a day later took off so quickly we didn't even get a chance to take its picture!

JEB: 12 Weeks Old!