Four

Ellie Jean is 4! I have quite a lot to say about this girl, mostly because I haven’t talked about her personality and how much she’s changed and grown since about this time last year.

Ellie has probably presented me with my most baffling parenting challenges to date. Avery has been hard, but I know exactly what she wants (me) and how to fix it (pick her up). Ellie, though, has a personality much like my own. I've decided it's an eye-opening experience to have a kid that's so much like myself. Sometimes the not-so-great parts of me rear up and slap me in the face in the form of a little 4-year-old acting just like I would have acted in that situation. Sometimes, though, I have these moments of crystal-clear empathy with the challenges she faces and the quirks in her personality and I just want to say, "I know exactly how you feel, kid."








 
If I were to describe Ellie’s personality in one word it would probably be stubborn. This girl has tested and re-tested all the persuasion tactics I thought I had down from being a parent for six years. What worked on Sadie like a charm is like hitting a brick wall with Ellie. Trying to get her to do something she doesn't want to do is practically impossible (unless I involve treats - but then I'd have to admit I bribe my kids with sugar...)

She’s also quite the introvert. If given the choice, she often prefers to stick by my side. I would say she's shy, but that doesn't quite describe her. She’s usually very willing to try new things, even if she’s not very social while she’s participating. For example, she did swimming lessons this summer and had no problem going right over to her class every day. She gave her first talk in Primary just a couple of days ago and she grinned and spoke right into the microphone the whole time. So "shy" doesn't really cover it. It's more like she knows exactly who she does and does not want to socialize with and what she wants to do for fun. If she makes up her mind that she doesn't like a situation for whatever reason, there's no talking her into jumping back in again. And ooooo boy, does this girl have a temper when things do not go her way. She does NOT get that from me, by the way (coughcough).



Probably the biggest area where we've fought Ellie’s stubbornness is the dinner table. She pretty much hates any and all dinner food. We've tried just about every tactic we can think of, to no avail. She just doesn't like dinner. Sometimes I can get her to eat her vegetable if it’s not “fancied up” in any way. On the other hand, she LOVES breakfast food. And just about every fruit under the sun. You can imagine that we have breakfast for dinner a lot at our house.

My favorite trait of Ellie’s, though, is that she’s a ham. This girl can make us laugh like nothing else. And when she gets giggling about something, watch out – there’s no stopping her. Sometimes it's just the way she says things that gets me laughing. She's got such a unique way of speaking and the things that come out of her mouth are just downright funny. Right now, she claims the spot as family comedian.

I love this girl like crazy. Despite the twists she's put into my whole parenting experience, I can't imagine life without her. Happy Birthday, Ellie!

And of course, a few pictures of her big day. These first few are of her little party we had the night before her birthday with the grandparents.

Since Ellie is our die-hard watermelon girl (it's her favorite food in the "whole wide world!") I decided to give her her heart's desire. A cake. Made out of watermelon. When she saw the finished product she said, "that is AWESOME, mom!"

And watermelon-decorated cupcakes for everyone else that felt like a little more sugar in their diet.

The morning of her birthday, she got to open up presents first thing in the morning before daddy had to go to work. This princess karaoke machine was a big hit. They can hook up the iPod and sing...

Frozen songs. To their little hearts' desire.