EVB: 4 Years + 9 Months Old!

Ellen is inching closer and closer to the big 5-year mark and she definitely looks like such a big kid these days. (Since she still has one more year of preschool, I have a feeling she's going to look SO grown-up when it's time for her to start kindergarten next year!) As a lover of all things outdoors, Ellen has been making the most of her summer days, which sadly are dwindling ... Here's what our little turkey has been up to lately:

• Bending it like Benscoter: Ellen played soccer in July and did a fantastic job! It seemed to be a better fit for her than T-ball since she was able to run around the whole time.
• Building on her biking skills: Ellen is increasingly more comfortable on her bike and even requested to try biking without her training wheels recently. EVB quickly figured out that she wasn't quite ready for a two-wheeler, but it was good for her to test it out. Maybe we'll try again before biking season is officially over.
• Whistling: Ellen has finally figured out how to (sort of) whistle and, oh boy, is she thrilled about this accomplishment!
• Continuing to show increased confidence in social settings ... We recently caught a kid-friendly performance at a local park and Ellen was all about participating and even went up stage (all on her own) to dance with other kids.
• Solo swimming: Ellen has been getting lots of practice swimming without her floaty in the shallow end of Omma & Boppa's pool and it has been so fun to watch her improve her skills. She's super proud of herself and we're very proud of her, too.

Ellen and a few soccer buddies

First attempt sans training wheels

EVB on stage (third from the right)

Little Fish!