EVB: 4 Years + 5 Months Old!

Big Girl Ellen continues to grow like a weed ... The poor thing grows out of her clothes on what seems like a weekly basis and I just realized that her toes are crammed in her too-small shoes. (A trip to the shoe store confirmed that her feet are nearly two sizes larger than the size I've been having her wear; I feel awful!) So, aside from growing and waiting for some new shoes to be delivered by the UPS man, here's what Ellen has been up to:

• Writing more words. In addition to her name and June's name, Ellen can now write Mom, Dad, Omma, Fox, Cow, Benscoter and just about any other word you help her spell or she's willing to spend enough time concentrating on to write. Ellen is officially the new card signer for our family.
• Swimming. Ellen has been doing a great job as an Eel at the YMCA. We'll probably take the rest of spring and summer off in terms of official lessons, but she should have plenty of time to improve upon her skills at Omma & Boppa's pool during the next few months.
• Enjoying special one-on-one dates with Mom or Dad. EVB's weekly swimming lesson is typically followed by a stop for a treat with whichever parent accompanied her to her lesson. Ellen & I also went to Sky Zone for the first time recently and she LOVED jumping on the trampolines!
• Obsessing over "Frozen." EVB loves the characters and songs from this movie and requests to watch it quite often now that we own our own copy. (I hear the Easter bunny is on a mad hunt for "Frozen" products, which seem to be sold out everywhere ...)
• Overcoming her fear of "scary" movie and book characters by laughing her way through scenes or simply facing her fears head on. (See photo of Ellen's library book selection below)
• Adopting some of Mom's OCD-like tendencies. (See photo of Skittles below)
• Getting antsy to be outdoors. Like most Minnesotans, Ellen cannot wait for spring/summer. She's constantly asking when she can ride her bike, play with her T-ball set, run in the backyard, etc.
• Prepping for summer sports. Speaking of T-ball, Ellen is super excited about playing T-ball in June and soccer in July with Dad through the Parks & Rec pee-wee program. (I'll make sure she's wearing tennis shoes that fit!)

Dad, Mom, Ellen, June

 

Benscoter

Ellen needs to work a bit on lowercase "e" and "s," but I LOVE her "B."

Ice cream after trampoline jumping!

Overcoming her fear of scary snow monsters via school library book selection

Ellen sorts her Skittles just like I sort my M&Ms!