EVB: 4 Years + 4 Months Old!

Ellen had another fun-filled month of being 4! She's continuing to grow like a weed and is having a blast exploring the world around her. Here's what Miss EVB has been up to:

• Writing. Ellen is getting better and better at printing her first name and now prints June's name, too!
• Agreeing to watch (certain) movies again. Ellen has been on a movie strike for several months, insisting that every movie under the sun is "too scary" to watch. Well, a few weeks ago, I somehow convinced Ellen to go on a date with me to see "Frozen" in the theater. SHE LOVED IT! (So did I!) Ellen was brave through the few scary parts and couldn't get enough of the main characters, Princesses Elsa & Anna. She now talks non-stop about "Frozen" and even attempts to belt out a few of the songs from the movie. 
• Hosting Prayer Bear. Ellen recently was chosen to take "Prayer Bear" home from preschool. Each child gets a chance to spend time with the stuffed bear and then journal about their adventures with him. Ellen was beyond excited and Prayer Bear went everywhere with her for the few days we had him. It was a great lesson in responsibility for our little lady since we had to be certain Prayer Bear didn't get dirty or lost. :)
• Hiding things. Ugh ... Ellen has a new habit of placing random objects in random locations. Our lives right now are filled with missing shoes, puzzle pieces and small toys. Countless items go unseen for days until we find them underneath rugs, behind couch pillows, buried deep in the stuffed animal bin, etc. It's cute, I suppose, but it sure makes it difficult for us to stay organized. :)
• Loving her role of "oven checker." I recently showed Ellen how the oven light works, so she has declared herself the resident checker of food cooking in the oven. It's her job to check on the melting/browning status of our meals to ensure everything is cooked to perfection.

JEB: 23 Months Old!

We still have one month to go before the big day, but June is already acting like a full-fledged 2-year-old. Independence is the name of June's game ... She is all about doing everything on her own, whether it's something she can do (e.g., put on her hat and mittens) or something she is not yet physically capable of doing (e.g., climbing into the child seat of the Target shopping cart by herself). Needless to say, we hear a lot of "No, I do it myself!" from Miss June and while she's usually pretty mad and/or frustrated when she says it, it mostly just makes us laugh. Here's what else Miss Independent has been up to lately:

• Staking her claim on everything. However, instead of saying "mine" like most toddlers, June says, "That's special to me!" to deter you from taking or even touching whatever it is she has deemed important to her. We're learning that lots of things are "special" to June, including toys, forks, articles of clothing, the wet diaper she's wearing ...
• Exhibiting generosity. June likes to offer things like toys, napkins, etc., to others by saying, "A [item name] for yooooooooooooou."
• Going to "school." June and I recently started an ECFE class, which has been great. June has fun washing her hands, eating snack like a big kid and playing with her teachers and friends. June especially likes circle time where we sing songs and dance. She loves to tell everyone she encounters (most recently the sales associate at Hirshfield's), "I go to schooooool!" while throwing her arms up in the air in excitement.
• Galloping. It's June's new preferred way of getting from point A to point B.
• Giving compliments. In addition to her frequent "I love yous," June showers me with compliments like "Pretty hair, Mommy," "Pretty eyes" and "Pretty pink slippers" all day long. She sure knows how to warm my heart!
• Requesting to use the toilet. June's success rate isn't the greatest, but June likes to give the whole potty toilet thing a lot of practice.
• Gearing up to ditch her paci. We've been talking to June a lot about not needing her pacifier anymore since she's a big girl. The first thing June says when we get her out of the crib in the morning is, "I don't need a paci; I'm a big girl," but we're still working on putting this sentiment into action. Hopefully we can kick the paci habit before June's birthday!