Gearing Back Up for 2014!

So, I knew I couldn't really keep up with the monthly Ellie updates forever.  That was a nice little stint, but I'm just not cut out for something that structured.  I do want to catch up at some point with at least a post about the holidays, but I have to try to assemble pictures from our "real" camera.  My phone flaked out and had to be reset completely, so I've lost a ton of my pictures a videos on my phone from sometime in October until mid-December.   A great loss indeed, but I have some pictures and not others and can't quite figure out why.  Ellie changed SO much in those 2 months that it makes me very sad.  I had several notes on my phone too of things I wanted to remember...our first "conversation" and several funny quotes of hers.  I will try to highlight a few updates on what our little munchkin is up to before any more time flies by...pictures first, then a few stories:

Shenanigans in the closet! 

Running around one afternoon in the yard was one of my favorite times with Ellie so far...her playful spirit was so alive, and the weather and lighting couldn't have been more beautiful! 

Arms back and full on RUNNING up the driveway.  I love when she has her wings out to fly! 

Possibly my favorite picture ever. 

Opening a surprise delivery from our dear friends The Winstons...so thoughtful and fun! 

 Our little "raff" getting ready for a pre-Halloween trunk-or-treat!

Happy girl headed home from the event eating cheese balls after a night of gathering candy, oh boy!

Aunt Ashley, Ellie, and I met my mom in Chattanooga for her birthday and had a great day at the Tennessee Aquarium and going out to lunch!  I'm SO glad we made time to have a special girls day!!! 

Ellie and Nana are best buds :) 

Nana gave Ellie a few toddler songs CDs for Halloween, and Ellie was beyond herself listening to Old McDonald in the car! 

Pure joy! 

First time out to ice cream just the 3 of us! 

 And then our sweetheart got sick...she got hand foot mouth and had a high fever for 7 days!  We obviously took her temperature a lot, so she got really into it, too! She also had to check bunny's temperature, of course!

We stopped by one of Daddy's work Halloween events, and she fell asleep in the car at 5:00.  This girl hardly EVER sleeps in the car, but she did not feel good at all....so sad! 

 We could barely get her to eat or drink anything...not even a Mt. Dew slushie!!!

 She got better just in time for Halloween day, thank goodness!

Family walk and fun playing by the creek!

                                                     Look at that little belly...too cute!

Cookie decorating date with her buddy Landon

She looks so old in this picture!

Fun afternoon playing outside!

Celebrating the 3 McBride November birthdays!

Ellie and Nana enjoying some birthday cake!

I absolutely love this sweet series of pictures. 

Another new favorite! 

Fun night out with my handsome hubby!

Boat ride down to the UT vs. Auburn game!  

Sweet picture :)

 Big smiles :)

Silly girl!

We always have the best time out on the boat!

James made his big break directing the Pride of the Southland!  He was amazing!!!

Mommy, Ellie, and Monkey had a blast jumping in Daddy's leaf piles :)

2 little monkeys jumping in the leaves...

First haircut!  Ms. Cindy handled Ellie and her being a total spaz very well :)

Lots of laughs with Ms. Cindy and Beth!

Ellie was all about walking like a big girl at the zoo with Ernie and Kelli.

• We have a talker folks.  Ellie is a little chatterbox (just like her mommy), and it seems like she can say just about anything now.  She is talking in a lot of sentences the past few weeks, mostly 3-4 words, but sometimes 5 or 6!  Some of her most frequent phrases these days include "Mommy painted toes", "Diaper change bear/baby/Pooh/Elmo/monkey/etc.", and "Play dishes/princess Mommy!"  She has learned how to make requests of where she wants you to be and what she wants you to do, but we have to watch her being a little *cough cough* bossy.  She likes to request, "Sit in chair Mommy/Dada!", "Lay down Mommy/Dada!", "Come downstairs Mommy/Dada!", so we are trying to get her in the habit of adding "please" :)  One of my favorites is when she just exclaims what she's doing such as "I'm playing _____ Mommy!" or "I'm reading books Mommy!"  She is starting to wander to a different room or even level of the house by herself some, which I'm really excited about!  She will go upstairs to her room and read books behind her glider or climb up in her little rocking chair and entertain herself for about 15 minutes at at time.  Now, that's not to say that when we go check on her she hasn't emptied her 2 pajama drawers or gotten into who knows what, but for the most part she's pretty safe and minimally destructive :)  Today during lunch, Mike walked up to his office from the family room, and Ellie was so excited to tell him, "I'm eating cottage cheese Dada!"
• Our "first conversation" that I had written down in my phone was at the dinner table was around 20 months and went something like this (and I hope I never forget it!): 
• Mommy: "Ellie, what did you do at school today?"
• Ellie: "Friends"
• Mommy: "Who did you play with?"
• Ellie: "Candace, Destiny (her 2 teachers)....Charlie, Davidson" (she always talks about the 2 boys in her class first, oh boy!)
• Mommy: "What did else did you do at school?"
• Ellie: "ABCs" (with the biggest smile ever on her face!)
• About a month ago I would say Ellie officially mastered her ABCs, most colors, and counting to 12 pretty accurately.  She continues to love anything related to ABCs and pretty much has every letter/animal association on her Leap Frog laptop memorized.  She loves to play the "guess the animal game" and can push the correct on the laptop letter after seeing the tiniest corner of an octopus, vulture, yak, etc. appear on the screen.  She's absolutely nuts.  I am certain she inherited Ma-Maw's memory, which should serve her well in life!    
• Ellie is starting to be able to talk about things she did that day and even days and weeks prior.  For instance, I'm pretty sure she will never forget Abby painting her toes over Thanksgiving.  She is SO proud of that and obviously cherishes the memory---so sweet!  She also has been asking to "see horses" (from the Dixie Stampede) and "see peacocks" (from my cousin Matthew's house).  A few days ago we went to Taturus open gym with our friends the Phillips, and right before bed she was out-of-nowhere talking about "jump in blocks...fun" and "orange slide...climb up ladder".  She had a melt down on the big blow up slide, and she talked about "Big slide...no like that." a few times throughout the day, haha!  She talks about jumping in the blocks at least twice a day since then!  
• Ellie continues to LOVE books and now frequently requests her favorites: pumpkin book, fall book, I love you book, moon book, gorilla book, our house, Jesus book, or manger book.  She has been waking up nice and early lately (typically right around 6:23), so we bring her into our bed, and she reads books until we are ready to get out of the warm cozy covers!  
• Ellie is learning more and more songs and is starting to sing a few on her own!  She can sing parts of "ABCs", "Twinkle, twinkle", "Jesus Loves the Little Children/Jesus Loves Me" mixed together, "Itsy Bitsy Spider", "Rock-A-Bye Baby", and her current favorite "Away in a Manger".  It may be the cutest thing I've ever witnessed.  I just can't get enough. 
• Ellie loves to draw, especially on her magnadoodle or the chalkboard.  She likes to requests certain animals be drawn...her most frequent request is "draw a hippopotamus" haha!  
• Ellie still loves the color brown, but her other new favorite is PURPLE.  Anything purple makes her just light up, and she gets so excited about it.  
• Playing with her baby dolls and a few choice stuffed animals (bear, monkey, 3 different Pooh bears, 3 different Elmos, and Scout) is still a favorite activity.  She talks about changing their diapers all.the.time. and thanks to Rebecca's mom who sewed adorable cloth diapers for her and my mom who bought her a precious little diaper bag with all the fixins' for Christmas, we change her friends diapers all day long :)  She asks for help to put the diaper on, and then almost immediately she says "I take it off", and then wants to do it all over again!  She also pushes them in the stroller, car, and new shopping cart, puts them in and out of the baby car seat and crib, and rocks them to sleep.  She really is very nurturing and sweet...until she chucks them across the room ha!