Happy 5th Birthday Ellie!!

Happy 5th Birthday Ellie!! 

Ellie told us tonight as she went to bed that she had the best birthday ever. We definitely did everything we could to make the day special for her. First I let her have cake for breakfast (she didn't eat that much and then asked for a banana, so mature). She took cookies to school to share with her friends and got to sit in the teacher's chair (such an honor!) while her friends sang Happy Birthday to her. Her teachers and friends called her the birthday girl all day instead of her name which she said made her laugh. I picked her up from school a little earlier than normal. She got to pick the restaurant for dinner and no surprises she picked the "gnocchi restaurant" that's located right by our house. After getting birthday wishes from her grandparents and aunts it was time for cake and presents. 

Ellie had been requesting a very special cake for a while, well since she started thinking about her birthday. She wanted a three tiered cake that was pink and white. It had to have flowers, roses preferred. She wanted her name and the number 5 on her cake as well. she had very particular ideas about her cake. By definition I was able to make the cake she asked for...however, I'm not sure it was exactly as she had envisioned it. But she said she loved it and was very excited about it. 

When it was time to eat cake, she was a little reluctant to dive right in. I wasn't exactly sure how to cut the cake. So we each grabbed a fork and dove right in...

What a year it has been for Ellie. She really has matured to be a 5 year old...definitely not a little kid anymore. Now that she is five she gets to do carrot work at school where she has to clean and peel carrots. A week ago I let her cut up an apple, now she is peeling carrots. Definitely a mature little girl now. She is more opinionated, stubborn, and hard headed than ever. But I can't complain. She knows what she wants and how to get it. She is a great swimmer and can swim across the pool using freestyle and backstroke. She got to go down waterslides while on vacation this year and loved it. She reached some major milestones both becoming 40 inches tall and getting to ride the big kid rides at Disneyland and then this past Monday while at Universal Studios with Nick she hit a height of over 42 inches and got to ride more of the big kid rides there! She asked about taking ballet classes for months and once I finally got her enrolled, she has thrived and is doing so well. She is easily one of the best kids in class, always being called to be the example student. She enjoys dancing so much and asks to practice at home. She is learning by leaps and bounds at school this year. She is writing sentences, in cursive. Although she has all the books memorized at school, she is reading them as well now. She says she likes to do math work and is practicing hard so that she can do addition and subtraction in her head. She has surrounded herself with 3 best friends, but has emerged as the leader of the group. The four little girls are inseparable at school. She is creative and loves to draw; drawing people and princesses in different scenes is one of her favorite things. She will spend quality time playing with her Playmobil family and her dollhouse creating scenes and stories. Red blankie is still one of her most prized posessions and has to be in her bed for her to sleep, but Baby Sister is a good friend that she holds dearly and plays with. She is hilarious with a terrific sense of humor...definitely has her dad's laugh. She's over the moon to be a big sister to Chaos and already loves "her baby". She has become more and more independent as the due date grows near; brushing her own teeth, picking out outfits and dressing herself, wanting to make her own breakfast, cleaning up after herself...because she says she has to do things herself, "because my baby brother will need more help than I will to get dressed and eat". We love spending time with her not only because we love her but because she is fun to be with making us laugh. Nick and I truly are lucky to have such an intelligent, funny, caring, strong-willed daughter who will be the best big sister ever. 

Happy Birthday Ellen!! We love you!