All About Ellen, June & Frances: Ellen is 3!

Holy moly, Miss Ellen is 3 year old?! How did that happen? EVB kicked off her special day with a yummy takeout breakfast from Panera. (Ellen loves their "muffies.") We celebrated with just the four of us during the morning hours and then headed to Grammy & Grandpa's house for the big par-tay. Ellen chose the theme of her party (Minnie Mouse) and was super excited about her cake and the party decor. EVB had a blast playing with her cousins and opening some very generous gifts from her family members.

So, what is Ellen up to at the three-year mark? Here's a brief list:

Talking non-stop (still). Ellen has always been verbal and she's showing no signs of slowing down. She's like a little sponge the way she absorbs the words, phrases and inflections from the various conversations she's exposed to ... She talks like a little adult. :)
Sassing and defying Mom & Dad. While this is often time funny (sometimes in hindsight), it certainly is not fun. Ellen is one stubborn little lady who loves a good power struggle and having the last word. While I'm sure this behavior is somewhat normal for her age, we're trying (desperately) to nip it in the bud ... especially since it tends to segue into a tantrum.
Embracing her artistic side. Ellen is starting to gravitate to art projects and coloring more than she has tended to in the past. She's been practicing using scissors, glue/glue sticks and paint brushes, which has been fun.
Flossing her teeth. Ellen has discovered a love for "dentist floss" and loves using it on Mom's teeth as well as her own. I'm glad she's a fan because we plan to visit the dentist for the first time very soon. :)
Playing with her sister. Ellen and June continue to interact more and more. Their "conversations" seem to increase at the same rate as June's mobility. It's a lot of fun to observe!
Potty training. I'd say Ellen is potty trained during waking hours. She wears big girl "unders" at home and for shorter errands, but Mom & Dad are still working up the courage to leave the house for extended periods of time without Ellen wearing a Pull-up. :)
Still working on writing her letters, primarily the letters in her name. (Ellen has nearly perfected the "E-l-l" of her name and is working on making the "e-n" more legible.
Still counting to 20 or 30 (depending on her mood). She does this almost flawlessly, with the exception of forgetting 13 or 14 every once in awhile. (I think Ellen can recognize numbers up to 10 or 11.)
Making phone calls. Ellen loves to dial the phone by herself. She has memorized Omma & Boppa's number and scolds me if I try to help her with the number when she calls them most mornings.
Showing more independence when it comes to daily tasks (helping herself in the bathroom, clearing her dishes from the table, putting her dirty laundry in the basket, etc.)
Waking up too early. We struggle to get Ellen to remain quietly in her bed/bedroom later than 6 or 6:30 in the morning. We're planning to get her her own digital clock to help her with waiting until a more reasonable time to wake up for the day. (Ellen continues to nap for at least a couple of hours each afternoon and turns in for the night between 8 and 9 p.m.)

So, I guess this list isn't necessarily brief, and I could probably continue to add to it, but I think I covered the big things. Oh, and at her recent 3-year-old checkup Ellen weighed 31 pounds and was 36 inches tall. :)