EVB: 4 Years + 3 Months Old!

Miss Ellen added another stellar month to the books ... Here's what she's been up to:

• Making believe. Ellen has always been great at independent play and can easily entertain herself, but she's recently added more imagination to the mix. She no longer takes things (mostly Mom's suggestions/ideas) so literally, e.g., "No, Mom, that is not a magic wand; it is just a pencil" and instead thinks outside of the box. One of my favorites is how she pretends our front closet is an elevator. :)
• Working on the little "e" and "n" in her name. Ellen has been a master of "E-l-l" for quite some time and now we're seeing big improvements in the "e-n" portion of "Ellen."
• Spending more time in her kitchen. Ellen and June's play kitchen has evolved into a restaurant managed by a very bossy cook/server. Ellen dictates what food is available (even if you know with certainty the specific items she has stowed away in her fridge) and she allows you to order only one item from her menu.
• Dressing up. Ellen likes to model various princess dresses and shoes. She's not the most graceful thing, but she has fun feeling fancy. :)
• Continuing to blossom at preschool. I had an opportunity to volunteer in Ellen's classroom recently and I noticed that she is much more outgoing than she was when I volunteered earlier in the school year. I observed her initiating conversation with a number of friends and responding more to questions posed to the group by her teachers. She also proved to be a good listener and rule follower. (Yea!)

JEB: 22 Months Old!

Holy cow, just two more months until Junie Bug is 2! I have a hard time believing that she's as old as she is since, to me, she still looks like such a little peanut. (I think a big part of that is due to the fact she still does not have a whole lot of hair. While she did finally have her first haircut, June still has less hair than a lot of kids who are much younger. And, when Ellen was June's age, she was able to wear her hair in full-fledged pigtails ... ) Despite her appearance, June is turning into a big girl right before our eyes. As of late, she talks more like a big girl, plays like a big girl and is even staring to sass a little bit like a big girl. Here's what she's been up to this past month:

• Working on her 2-year-old vocabulary. June has given us a few previews of the challenges I'm sure are to come in the next year or so by using phrases such as, "No, that's mine," "No, I don't want to," "No, I don't like it" and  "I'm mad!" We have big sister Ellen to thank for a few of these ... Luckily, for now, they're mostly just a good source of entertainment for us.
• Mimicking Ellen. In addition to some new phrases, June copies just about everything Ellen does: the way she walks, makes silly faces, how she plays with certain toys ... Needless to say, we've been stressing with Ellen the importance of setting a good example.
• Wanting, desperately, to be included in everything. No matter what anyone says, June wants to make sure she's a part of it ... even when we recount something we did when she wasn't present. For example, if I say, "I want some more coffee," June is quick to say, "I want coffee, too!" Or, if Adam says, "I had a busy day at work," June will scream, "I had a busy day at work, too!" 
• Getting in more practice on the potty toilet. June has shown interest in sitting on the toilet here and there. Mostly, I think she just likes to page through magazines/books while she's sitting there.
• Doing things all by herself. June likes to put on her own hat and mittens and try to do most things all by herself these days. We hear a lot of "Look at me!" and "I did it!" throughout the day.
• Still loving books. June's current favorites are "Caps for Sale," "Llama, Llama Nighy-Night" and "Lady with the Alligator Purse."
• Saying "Guess how much I wuv you?" followed quickly by "Moon and back!" It's the sweetest thing ever.

In other news, June is still a great sleeper at night and has been taking extra long naps lately. (I think she must be going through a growth spurt.) I just added all of the 2T clothes to her dresser and closet (some items are still rather big on her, though) and our next diaper purchase will be size 4. (I realized the other day that June has been wearing size 3 diapers since she was 7 months old! This girl has nothing in the way of hips/buns!) True to form, June is STILL working on her four incisors. I'm hoping they pop through soon since I've been planning on using the arrival of these four teeth to phase out June's beloved paci. :)

June's First Haircut

It took almost 22 months, but June finally had her first haircut. It happened sort of on a whim ... We had an appointment for Ellen to get a little trim and while we were there, I casually asked the salon owner/stylist when she thought June would be ready for her first snip. Well, next thing I know, June's up in the chair wearing a cape like a big girl. It happened so fast I don't think she had time to realize what was going on or get upset. She didn't shed a single tear or squirm even the slightest bit. She did great! And, she looked pretty darn adorable sitting alongside her big sister at the beauty shop. JEB now has a sweet little bob to solidify her transition into a "big girl."

EVB: 4 Years + 2 Months Old!

Ellen looks like a giant lately. OK, maybe not an actual giant, but giant compared to the little person I think of her as in my mind's eye. She looks like a school-aged kid ... so tall and grown-up looking. You almost have to strain to see any remnants of the squishy little baby/toddler that once inhabited our house. I feel simultaneously sad and proud to see her growing before our eyes. At times I wish I could keep her little forever, while at other times I all I want to do is encourage her to learn and grow more because she'd turning into a pretty great big kid (of course, she still has her moments ...).  Here are a few highlights of the past month with EVB:

• Ellen is developing into the best big sister. She is (for the most part) so kind to and patient with June.
• EVB is showing more responsibility in terms of listening, helping around the house, etc. Heck, she even attempted to clean up her own barf (or "bark" as she calls it) in the middle of the night during a recent bout with a stomach bug. (We advised her that, in the future, it's best to let Mom or Dad manage the cleanup!)
• Ellen has shown a lot of maturity lately in terms of maintaining an even temperament in spite of odd/new schedules. We were blown away by how well Ellen handled all of our social engagements during the holidays ... She was always in a good mood and did a great job cooperating with all the coming and going, socializing with new/different people, being in unfamiliar places, etc.

Hooray for another great month with our Elle-Belle!

Heading out to play in the snow on what of the few warmer days

Ellen & Dad's snowman

Christmas 2013

Christmas 2013 is going to be a tough one to beat. We had a great time gearing up for the holidays in recent weeks (with the exception of a little stomach bug for Ellen) and the big day itself was so much fun. Ellen & June are at awesome ages for holiday fun. Everything is magical to them and we couldn't help but feed off of their excitement. Here's a review of our Christmas festivities, in pictures:

Ellen's preschool Christmas program

She didn't sing a single word of any of the songs, but she did a great job standing there!

Benscoter/Johnson Christmas party

Scarlett & Ellen at our Christmas celebration with Grandpa Bob/Gpa

Christmas Eve day celebration with Omma & Boppa and the Laughlins

Christmas Eve

June & Omma reading Christmas books

Sisters in their Christmas dresses

Sisters in their matching Christmas jammies

Coming down the stairs on Christmas morning

The loot from Santa

Sheer joy

New toys!

June investigating her stocking stash

Ellen LOVED opening presents

June working the new grill

Cinnamon rolls for breakfast

Yum!

Adam enjoying his Christmas morning breakfast & coffee

Christmas Day afternoon with Grammy & Grandpa and the Lukes

Madelyn & Ellen

June unwrapping a new toy (with a little help from Daddy)

June & Grammy

Scarlett & June

What's Christmas without a little dress-up fun at Grammy & Grandpa's?!

JEB: 21 Months Old!

Life with June Bug just keeps getting sweeter and sweeter. She has a ginormous heart and is turning into quite the little comedienne. Junie brings us so much joy everyday ... We love this little girl to pieces! Here's what Sweet June has been up to as of late:

• Talking more & more (e.g., "reading" books and, my favorite, imitating Santa by saying, "Ho, Ho, Ho, Merry Christmas!")
• Requesting to "snuggle Mommy"
• Promptly informing us when she's pooped and then requesting a change. (June sometimes will go as far as to bring us a clean diaper and wipes.)
• Trying out the potty chair. She's had a few successful visits to the bathroom, but she's still a ways away from any serious toilet learning.
• Playing (and wrestling) with Ellen. These two have become great buddies in recent weeks and, for the most part, play very nicely together. (I often feel like a third wheel.)
• Working on her incisors. This poor girl has had a heck of a time with teething, basically since birth. We're hoping her four canines finally pop through so we can have some reprieve until her 2-year-old molars come in.
• Enjoying naps/bedtime. June loves her crib and getting "cozy, cozy" with her buddies: a stuffed mouse named Squeakers, a stuffed monkey named Bananas, a stuffed rabbit named Hops and a little stuffed doll named Teeny, Tiny Baby. June also must sleep with two small "owl blankies," a stripped blanket and a polk-a-dot blanket. And, of course, her paci, which we're hoping to get rid of in the next month or two.
• Eating well. June still loves eating anything with red sauce and waffles.

Size-wise, June is still wearing size 3 diapers, size 5 shoes (though she's probably ready to start wearing some size 6 shoes) and size 18-24 months clothes (though a few size 12-18 months items still fit her).

EVB: 4 Years + 1 Month Old!

Ellen is proving to be a rockstar 4-year-old! We're just one month in, but I have a feeling that 4 is going to be a great year for EVB. She has been doing a wonderful job being a better listener and managing her frustrations when things don't go her way. It's so nice to see Ellen exhibit a sense of maturity I wouldn't have thought she was capable of just a few months ago. We are so proud of our little lady! Here's what else EVB has been up to:

• Perfecting buttons ... still working on snaps
• Asking lots of questions about death and heaven, which we do our best to answer
• Being a big helper to Mom & Dad (setting the table, picking up after herself, getting dressed without too much dawdling, etc.)
• Talking a lot about her next birthdays, going to kindergarten ... and high school ... and college. (She couldn't believe it when I told her that most people who attend college choose to LIVE at school!)
• Working on her flossing skills (Ellen loves the awesome pick flosses she got during her recent visit to the dentist.)
• Requesting to take more soccer lessons. (Ellen just finished her first session of pee-wee soccer, which she loved!)
• Excelling at swimming lessons (Ellen received a glowing mid-session report card!)
• Getting excited for CHRISTMAS!