Our sweet little two year old :)

It's been two weeks since Ellie-Kate turned two years old, and she's really pushing her desired status as a "big kid" :) She continues to get braver and braver, pushing her boundaries and trying new things. At playgroup, she climbs on a bike and cruises around the gym-- yes, she glances over to make sure that I'm still there, but she seems to feel quite safe as she ventures beyond my side. She even worked up to diving into (and off of) the large inflatible in the gym. Moreover, she keenly watches the older girls, and she wants to experience whatever they do-- from sledding to drinking out of a big kid cup to eating off of a spoon "just like Mommy's" to shooting a basketball "just like Emmy."

Even as she seems to imitate "big kid stuff," she seems all the more cuddly over the past few weeks. Her face lights up as family members return from a day at school or work; she bursts into laughter as she shares a joke (even when she can't possibly get it!) at the dinner table, and she has started consistently referring to me as "Mommy," with a sweet and loving twinkle in her eye. (Before, she called me "Mama" and referred to Emmy as "Emma. She's really picked up the "ee" sound now.)

A few milestones... Ellie-Kate's favorite number is "8." (How many two year olds have a favorite number?)... She loves to play with calculators, especially Chelsea's graphing calculator :) ... Her hair is just now long enough to go back in a pony tail or up in pigtails... She can hit baskets (in her little tykes basketball hoop) from across the living room, using pretty good form to boot!... Her favorite toy is Pei Wei, a Build-a-Bear panda that I made for her in the December after we locked in on her but before we traveled to China... She LOVES to sled, and she's very excited about watching skiing on tv, given her reactions to Olympic commercials... When she wants to do something too, she pats her chest and says "Ellie!! Ellie!!" and points at the object of her desires :) She can say how old that she is, count to 10, say the first five letters of the ABCs, and knows the words to her favorite songs-- such as Twinkle, Twinkle. She remains the center of her family's affections, and her sisters love to fix her hair, dress her, play with her, and engage her in activities :)

Meanwhile, Britti continues to wait for the Disney decision and to work on her thesis... Chelsea just received some great grades after a rough first semester (mono at the beginning and then losing her beloved Uncle Robbie right before finals), and she's enjoying her status as the girlfriend of the starting center of an area high school basketball team--even if that team is a rival of her own high school... Emmy is also getting some great grades now, and she's enjoying all of the snow days that we have had recently, even though her basketball game on Saturday was cancelled... I have been struggling with sinusitis and bronchitis, but I'm slowly starting to feel better... Roger's been busy with our animals and the girls, especially when I've been down for the count. Praise God for His divine provision in our lives!!

Thanks so much for caring about our family!! Please enjoy all of the pictures that I'm about to post :)

Fondly-- Christie