January 26

Pictures from Ellie's birthday photo shoot at the bottom.  My friend is amazing!

Today is Ellie's 26 month birthday.  Here is an update on my baby:

• Ellie continues to be about the cutest thing ever.  She still takes 2 naps a day and sleeps well at night.  Pretty much every night between 9 and 10 she cries for a few minutes (up to 10) and then goes back to sleep.  If you go in to comfort her, it  makes it worse.  So we just deal with it.  She loves her blanket and often tries to get it out of bed with her, but is good to leave it in her crib when I remind her.  One day I came upstairs to find her and put her to bed and she was in the kids' room laying on one of Cade's blankets.  If she is tired, she will come over to me and give me hugs over and over again.  
• She is kind of a picky eater.  She loves fruit, bread and cheese.  I figured out if she has a fork, she is more likely to try things and eats more. She still loves her milk at each meal.  She knows where to find crackers in the kitchen and will try to get things by herself.  Or she will go in the kitchen and push her chair around when she is hungry.  She drinks a lot of water.    
• Ellie loves to get down and walk around in stores, but is still very happy sitting in the cart or stroller.  She is not shy and will run away if given the chance.  She is not very good about coming back when you ask her to.  I had to take all three kids to the bank this week.  Luckily, the lady gave us suckers right off.  I gave one to Ellie and she stayed by me for the most part. 
• Ellie likes to give hugs to certain people.  Like a lady sitting on a chair at church.  Never seen the lady before, but Ellie sure liked her!  She also loves to sit on laps.  It doesn't matter who it is, she loves to sit with people.  
• Ellie knows where her head, tummy, mouth and toes are.  She can tell you what a bear says and what a cow says.  We're working on monkey and mom and dad.  She signs more and all done occasionally.   
• Ellie loves her bath and if I mention it, she will go upstairs to the tub as fast as she can.  
• She loves to make us laugh.  If she hears the other kids get excited, she starts yelling too.  If she knows she is being cute, she will keep going.  
• She loves to find treasures and carry them all over the house.
• We recently switched her to a forward facing car seat and she thinks it is great!
• Ellie loves to throw her diapers away.  Unfortunately, she throws toys away sometimes too.  Usually when this happens, it is like 6 toys at once and we find them.  
• Her hair is getting long enough it needs a pony tail every day.  She is about 10 months ahead of Cami when it comes to hair.  
• She is a great kid.  I love her!  I am excited to watch her grow up and at the same time, already missing my baby.  

Cami

• Cami is a sweet girl.  She loves to help me, Cade and Ellie.  She will set the table, sometimes without asking.  She has so much fun playing with Ellie.  I love watching them and hearing them laugh.  She loves to play and be crazy.  Sometimes she gets a little too crazy, but she sure has fun!
• Cami is getting braver about going places.  She likes her preschool group and her friends there. 
• Cami loves her dad. 
• Cami loves to draw.  She mostly draws people and includes curly hair, eyes, mouths teeth, arms, fingers etc on them.  She just figured out how to write her name.  
• She knows about 18 letter and their sounds.  It definitely doesn't come as easy to her as it does to Cade, but she is a smart girl.  I think she is really good with numbers.  She can count to 30 and recognizes numbers 1-10 most of the time.  
• Cami still has trouble wetting the bed at night.  Each night when she goes to bed, though, she tells me she will try really hard and not wet that night.  I know she has good intentions.  
• She loves ponies, princesses, castles, bows, flowers, dolls, fancy dresses, twirling, braids, ribbons, painted nails, special shoes, and night gowns. 
• For her birthday she wants fancy shoes that are not for church, a rainbow party and a princess lego set (but that might just be Cade telling her that.)
• We had a fancy lunch one day last week.  Cami was in heaven.  They got to use glass plates, eat at the play table, with fancy cups and a chocolate mint for dessert.  She even liked celery with peanut butter on it because I told her it was a party food.  I think I want to do some kind of fancy dress up lunch for her birthday party with her friends.  
• Cami can't wait until she grows up and can go places by herself.  She decided this is when she is 12 or 13.  She is a cutie and I can wait for her to grow up a bit.  

Cade

• Still my handome guy!  He is now 5 1/2.  He weighs 49 lbs and is over 4 feet tall.  He likes sports and learned a lot about football in the fall and now likes basketball.  
• He is getting so much better at reading.  He is learning quickly and can recognize words without having to sound them all out.  
• He LOVES legos.  He can build his Star Wars space ship sets by himself.  He likes to play around and build his owns sets too.  His favorites are his guys though.  He has an Obi-Wan with a light saber, a clone trooper and a battle droid.  Hard as we try, they have all gotten lost and found again.  but when they are lost, it is a sad day.  
• He loves finding animals when we drive.  He is good at spotting hawks and ducks and geese.  We have been seeing bald eagles occasionally too which is fun.  We ordered some books for Cade about big cats and birds and he is excited to get them and start learning.  
• He is always trying to figure out  how things work and how I am going to respond.  When he is upset, he starts bargaining:  I will only put my shoes on if you promise to play legos with me later. or I will only go to the store if you will buy me a new toy.  He listens to everything we say and asks about random things later.  He loves books, especially chapter book and non-fiction.  
• Cade loves to play with our neighbor Liam.  They go to preschool together and will go to Kindergarten together too.  They have so much fun playing ninja, knights, bad guys, legos and who knows what.  Whenever Cade gets invited to their house, they invite Cami too and she has a great time playing with stuff too.  
• Cade asked me the other night:  Where does steak come from, anyway?  My answer:  Cows.  Cade:  What, do they poop it out or something?  I wish, kid.  Then it would be cheaper!
• Cade is still a talker. If he wants me to do something for him he will start "Mommy, after you do the dishes and help Ellie and Cami with ____ will you come do this for me?  He knows that I have things I have to get done and will list those off so I go help him after.  He loves to explain how his guys have special powers and fight the bad guys off (like shooting tiger teeth out of their hands).  He is very creative.  He explains each part of his space ship.  
• Cade takes good care of his sisters.  He enjoys pushing Ellie around on her car or building towers for her to knock over.  He loves playing with Cami and they make up all kinds of things.  Right now they are really into building hide-outs  and setting up houses.  
• Cade told me the other day he wants to go to BYU.  I told him that was a great idea.  Then he said he wants to play basketball at BYU.  We kept talking and I almost started crying.  I can't stand the idea of my kids growing up and leaving me.  One day my dad said something like "I'm glad we didn't have any more kids because all they do is grow up and leave."  I love each of my kids and want to keep them around for a while!