Eloise at 4

Has anyone seen the Zootopia preview with the sloths that laugh uncomfortably slow? That's how I feel about the speed of which I have been posting. Haaaa........haaaaa.......haaaaa (as slow as humanly possible). Since Eloise turns five in less than a week I must summarize her fourth year in a non-sloth fashion.  It might make more sense to write about Eloise at the end of being four to capture what being four was actually like.

The year prior, Eloise was often heard saying "it's hard to be three." That's when we realized the importance of upping the ante on our speaking in "code." There was never a more true statement though & I think of it fondly now as she is growing & changing everyday. It was definitely easier to be four & I know that five is the magic number. We cannot believe that it's been FIVE years since she was welcomed into our arms. She brings much delight to our souls...

Eloise is by far the most caring person in our home & we have much to learn from her concern for others. She shares anything & everything with the most joyful heart even if it is her entire cookie or most prized possession.  She has larger than life facial expressions when she is telling you something & it is hard not to giggle when you are the listener. You might think she gets ready for her day by standing in complete darkness & reaching into her drawer to grab clothing including socks that don't match & that you might not wear with tennis shoes. She brushes her hair parting it perfectly imperfect then dons her camouflage Bass Pro hat & she's ready to go. She could not be any more adorable with her dimples & sweet smile.

Eloise & I differ greatly in the area of creativity. I love to "create" but I really REALLY like directions. The old saying "One man's trash is another man's treasure" holds true for this girl. She could be given a box of junk & turn it into a tower with a zipline & a house for her animals. Half way through the year I was making every attempt to involve her in even 20 minutes of our school time. She had no interest & once I gave it some thought & was reminded by others that encouraging her to create is absolutely one of the most important parts of her development at this age & really any age. So, when Char & I would sit down to do our afternoon lessons I would "assign" Lolo to make something with whatever I handed her. She never ceases to impress me.

That last picture is with her family of snakes that included grandparents all the way down to some newborn babes. They even hissed as they introduced themselves.

My parents bought her a Goldie Blox set which is a STEM (science, technology, engineering & math) toy that is specifically for little ladies. There are instructions to make specific designs such as a catapult or a spinning playground toy. She has made use of those but is usually making her own design. AWESOME toy especially for Eloise.

Once we hit the halfway mark through the year she became interested & was participating in the handwriting portion of our day. She learned how to write her name & in all seriousness has probably written it a thousand times. This picture was in the early days of practice. She can write it almost the same way I can now. She is a lefty & can also write it backward perfectly. So interesting but that's our girl!

She finds the best places to work....

I love when the drawing takes off & turns from scribbles to family portraits....

Robby helped with some ears for a few of us. My favorite parts are cyclopes Eloise, Charlotte with legs coming out of her head & Arlo in my belly.

Eloise finds great value in a good night's sleep. Sadly there are only a few of those in the Nest right now. Sometimes she's stretched out in my bed as the sun comes up.

We are never sure where we might find her. Sometimes she's in Charlotte's bed, on the floor with a pallet, halfway under the bed....who knows? That's been the case forever though. This was the child that was found sleeping in a baby bathtub she dragged into her room when she was about two. She appreciates a snuggly bed bubby..

She also likes to have Bella nearby or sets up stuffed animals around her before she goes to sleep. We almost had a heart attack when we walked past her room this night....

Some things we don't want to forget about this cutie...

• always wanting to help in the kitchen & if I tell her it would be most helpful if she could set the table, she tells me that she does not want to help anymore. She also hates to touch dirty silverware.
• claims to make the best mashed potatoes adding butter, sour cream, salt & milk without any measuring. She makes sure to watch each persons face as they eat & ask if they think she is the best potato maker.
• often reminds me that she is a great problem solver & she is
• when we play the rhyming game she changes the first letter to "H" EVERY time usually making nonsense words & it's hilarious
• favorite food is salmon & she could eat a whole pound in one sitting...we have to cut her off
• she will try ANY food you put in front of her & likes about 95 % of it
• wants to be a fire chief when she grows up
• extremely interested in bugs & has put her bug-sucker & observation container to good use
• will wander around in the backyard or at the park looking for little creatures, digging for treasures or collecting 100 roly-polys
• loves dancing in the kitchen to a good rockin' song & plays the best air guitar I've ever seen
• when I was pregnant with Arlo or when I am carrying him around she goes out of her way to make sure I don't have to lean over or tries her very hardest to lift me off the ground. She insists on carrying a ridiculous amount of grocery sacks from the car to the kitchen & surprises me every time since she is VERY strong...

Sweet talkin' over the past year...

• "segrets" for secrets
• "booty trap" for booby trap
• "botatoes" for potatoes & tomatoes
• "snickie doodies" for snickerdoodles
• "clippord" for Clifford
• "kitty cat nap" for cat nap
• "mometer" for thermometer
• "cavva-cake" for patty-cake
• when Owen & Anson are acting like maniacs she has said "I'm sorry I wild them up" instead of riled them up
• at the doctor one visit I had told her that they might ask her some questions. She was staring at the picture of a human skeleton, looked at me & whispered "am I going to have to tell her all those bones?"
• one morning she said "I didn't sleep last night. Well, I may have slept for a little bit then I stared at Charlotte all night while she slept"....creepy!
• when she talks to Arlo in the morning she says in her baby voice "did you have a milk party all night long with your milk mama last night?" She also stares at me while I'm feeding Arlo contemplating how that all works. Her latest thought was "so you drink milk & it goes to your breast right?" Soooo close ; )

• forever she would say "the last day" for anything in the future
• she went through a stage where she would randomly put her hands up in the air & proclaim things like "I love God more than my family!" or "Jesus is God!"
• anything we would say as a compliment to her such as "you are so strong" or "you are funny" she would say "but God is the strongest or funniest" or insert your own adjective.
• a preface to the story- there is a movie we like about a horse called Spirit. We had a conversation one afternoon that went like this. Eloise- My teeth are pretty but God's teeth are the most beautifulist right mommy?" Me- Well God doesn't have teeth because he is a spirit & doesn't have a body like us. Eloise- So you're saying God's a horse? We need to watch that movie again.
• I have overheard her on more than one occasion teaching the boys how to pray & reminding them that it is just talking to God

We know that the Lord is causing her heart & mind to consider his greatness. It comes across in simple phrases like "Jesus is God" or in conversations from the backseat about what sin is & that Jesus came to save sinners. We continue to pray that he would change her heart in his time & allow us to shepherd her well.

All that to say, she's sweet & spicy wrapped up into one utterly loveable almost five year old.

Eloise at three

Eloise Hope is three! She is hilarious, spunky, dramatic, chatty, helpful, silly, sweet, a little lot on the wild side & absolutely precious to our family. Elo has been the baby girl at the Valentine Nest but is seeming more like a big girl every day with her vocabulary, assertiveness in taking on new responsibilities to "help" around the house & desire to express her likes & dislikes very clearly whether asked to do so or not. 

We are thankful to be sharing our life with this sweetheart....

STATS:

will fill in Friday after our appt. 

Busybody:

• Always seems to be saying "Watch this!" while she hangs off something with her head back & leg up or some other strange & adorable pose. 
• She likes scissors but cannot be trusted with them unless your hand is pretty much on top of hers. When used appropriately she cuts the paper or whatever else she is "working" on ; ) 
• LOVES to watercolor & chooses the most beautiful color combinations.  She doesn't miss a beat when asked to share about what she made. Her descriptions are somewhere along the lines of "it's a pizza party for all the animals in the forest" or "it's our family standing on a hill in the rain while we eat our yunch." Basically it is never what I see when I look at the picture which is why I love her descriptions & glimpse into her imagination.
• Serves imaginary food to us like we are in a restaurant. It is usually pancakes (her fave) or ice-keem & she reminds me not to make a mess. She would be a great waitress with her speedy return to the "table" but I have a feeling she would spill a lot of food with her wild arms delivering our food ; ) 
• Likes to throw a ball back & forth. She has great aim & is getting the hang of catching a ball. Her latest interest has been learning to bounce a basketball like her big sis. 
• Does somersaults with ease & excitement. 
• Her imagination runs wild & she's says interesting things like "Jesus is in there drawing a picture."
• Likes to sweep with her broom & even more with the big mommy broom. She also likes to help Grammy do the dishes. 
• Loves to sing but has a heck of a time remembering the words to ANY song
• Counts to ten without fault most of the time but then gets stuck and says "eleventeen" a yot of times.  
• Enjoys anything art related  & even drew a picture of herself for the first time last week. 
• Even being a busy girl, she is always requesting that someone hold her & boy can she cuddle!
• Watching her we know that she is always planning her next move....

Bear Necessities of Life- Eating & Sleeping: 

• This girl might be the best eater & sleeper in the whole family besides mommy & daddy who are capable of being good eaters & sleepers but are hindered by the rest of the roomies if you know what I'm sayin' : ) 
• Just about everything she eats she exclaims "I yike it mommy!" even if it something we have fed her a million times. Zest for life. 
• Some favorite food items- pancakes, any berries, Chick-a-Lay, milk, any type of juice, dipping her finger into coffee, when we are enjoying an adult only beverage & we say Elo, this is a beer she says "I yike beer" so...add that to the list ; ) she loves anything to dip her food in such as BBQ sauce or salsa, red meat, macaroni & cheese, salmon, spaghetti cous cous which we all call "goose goose" & pretty much anything we offer her she tries & ends up loving 99% of it. Above & beyond all the typical foods, this girl LOVES chocolate which I will address in another section. 
• She eats her three meals a day plus two snacks but always seems to be asking for more "sacks!"
• Night time sleep for this chickadee is usually 8-7 with one trip to our room followed by being returned back to her bed or curling up on a mat on the floor of our room. She is allowed to crawl in bed with us once the sun is coming up which right now is around 6:20. If you snuggle her real good she falls back asleep & may stay that way past 7. She also has a hard time falling asleep without her best buddy Charlotte. 
• She still rubs her belly button & covers her mouth with the back of her hand. She also still wants someone to pat her when it's time to go to bed. 
• Afternoon nap is usually from 1-3:30 or 4 depending on how much activity we have in the morning. She is also capable of skipping the nap now if we are out & about or spending time with someone we would rather hang out with than take a nap. On those days by bedtime she has a hard time holding it together & falls asleep closer to 6:45 or 7. Every now & then we have to try to wake her a few times from her nap if she is totally zonked. 

I love her precious little face in this picture.....somewhat serious but equally sweet. 

Heart:
Eloise is really changing lately. We are beginning to see more care & concern for others, especially for her sister.  If Charlotte is going to climb onto something on the playground that Eloise has deemed unsafe, she completely panics saying "no, no, no Char! Be careful! Don't go!" If she is standing near a street, Eloise grabs the back of Charlotte's shirt & lays on the ground screaming, "Don't go in the street!" She also panics if Bella seems "stuck" in the ivy up against the fence. It is so sweet & has been a good example to help the girls understand their role in caring for & protecting one another. Robby was in the room with the girls one evening in the midst of an Elo-freakout due to Charlotte wanting to perform some trick that including jumping off the bed which was probably . He said to Char that even if it seemed safe for her that she should consider not doing it because Eloise was SO concerned about her well being. He reminded them about how much they love each other & that concern is something that should not be taken lightly when coming from someone who loves you.  She also cares deeply for Owen & Anson but usually shows this in a dangerous manner. Lots of things to work through....just like the rest of us!

When we are consistent she is capable of answering some of her catechism questions. Consistency is something I am struggling with right now in this in between time while we wait for our rent house to be available....I have grand plans for July 1st ; ) She does love to listen to the Jesus Storybook Bible & can help re-tell a story after we have read it.  She asks lots of questions following Charlotte like "Why did Jesus die?" so there is lots of explaining going on & re-asking of the question even though we thought we just answered it & then someone saying "I don't understand." Another reminder that God is the one who will open their hearts & minds to understand & grasp the truth of the Gospel when He sees fit.

This precious girl is so very sensitive & takes off to her room in tears when corrected.  She needs some explanation, hugs & kisses to return to the "scene of the crime" if you will. She can tell you the answer to "How do you obey?" which is "right away, all the way & with a good attitude" but we are sensing there is some disconnect ; ) The "right away" part is the hardest for this little dreamer who seems to be living in Lolo land.  She is quick to say she is sorry but once we have talked in private seems to be beginning to really feel sorrowful when she hurts someone.  She is also quick to forgive Charlotte but only if Charlotte asks for forgiveness in the way Eloise wants her to which includes the offense. We have them do this anyway but if Charlotte forgets, Eloise will correct her & say "no Char, you say please forgive me for kicking you in the head, not my arm." This makes me laugh because when she says she is sorry & asks for forgiveness she usually gets confused & says "Please forgive you?" Again, we are in the background trying not to smile.

Finkles, Farkles, Fankins & other Eloisms':

• The sp sound comes out as an f which makes sprinkles, sparkles & spankings come out as finkles, farkles & fankins.....oh my, it is hilarious & cute as can be. 
• We were at the park a few weeks ago & Eloise saw a hula hoop up in the tree. She asked what it was & once I told her about it she told Charlotte to look up at the "Huly poop" she saw in the tree!
• I was talking with the girls about something I could do with each of them that was special. Charlotte's answer was something about an art project we could do together but when I asked Eloise the same question, What do you want to do special with mommy? She smiled sweetly at me & said "I wanna eat chocolate with you mommy."  That's my girl!
• While on the chocolate train of thought, she was at the grocery store with her Daddy & he asked her what kind of chips we should get to go with our burgers. She quickly replied "Chocolate!"
• One last one....it was time to get out the door on a Sunday morning & I asked "what sandals, pink or brown?" Eloise said "Brown because they look like chocolate." LOVE her!
• When you ask her a question that she doesn't know the answer to she does her eyes to the side, gets a crooked little grin & says "I can't know dat"
• If you tell her "Eloise, you are so beautiful (or funny, or sweet!)" She says "No I not! I Fecial!" which is "Special" if you happened to miss the first bullet point of this section ; ) 
• Much like her older sis we are still trying to understand the concept of yesterday, today & tomorrow. Apparently it is pretty confusing. It makes for some good conversation with people though when she is clearly talking about today but says something like "We have so much fun at the zoo tomorrow!" when we have just returned from said place. 
• she says "a yot"& "a yittle"
• When asking for a number of something she usually holds up four fingers whether it be pats or cookies & says "I want dis many"
• She often crawls into our laps & says "I really yike you" or "I yuve you" and.....we melt. 
• Many times when I ask her if she likes/dislikes something she says "sometimes I do, sometimes I don't" & if I think she is going to finish at just the "sometimes I do" followed by a long pause, she always says the rest really fast with a smirk on her face since she knows it always makes me laugh.

Born to be wild:

• Dances all the time whether there is audible music or not. Her favorite tune is when Daddy does his own rendition of Smooth Criminal & she gets down in her room.  She has some pretty cool moves that I am guess were inherited from me. 
• Can often be found hiding behind something coloring her hands with marker. When she is found out she immediately exclaims  "I saw-ee, I saw-ee, I saw-ee, I go wash it!"
• Always on the go when in a setting she is comfortable in. 
• Can scream extremely loud & loves to do so in order to get her brothers to join in. 
• Often acts like a lion or tiger growling as she crawls around & swiping her paws across your face...not our favorite thing  ; ) 
• Attempts to ride Bella on a regular basis....also sits on her brothers until they cry. 
• ALWAYS has a silly face for you but it usually comes when you say "Eloise, smile!" examples to follow....

Oh my this girl keeps us laughing & quite worn out ; ) Three is a fun age but I do remember it being a challenging year with another precious little girl. That being said, I look forward to what lies ahead with a realistic view & a thankful heart to experience the changes from three to four with little Lolo.

Looking at her still slightly chubby hand showing off the flowers she picked for me I imagine all that her hands will do as she grows.  We pray that they will be hands used to serve God & bless others much like the way God uses her hands holding a thoughtful surprise for mommy to bless my heart.  

Happy third birthday to our sweet Eloise, we love you more dearly each day, beautiful girl. 

Eloise at two & a half

Eloise Hope hit the halfway mark between two & three at the end of November. I look at her & I just smile knowing the sweetness of who she is coupled with the shenanigans she is capable of. She looks so calm in the picture above holding the flowers ever so gently....she can be calm but not for long.  Elo is on the go all the time!  We love this girl & are thankful to have her sandwiched in the middle of our "whole family of kids." I use that phrase frequently. It was taken from an Ellis home video of me at age 7, Scott at age 3 & newborn baby Kyle all snuggled on the couch together. look at my mom & say in a nerdy way "look, it's a whole family of kids!" I look around my house sometimes & think "who lives here... a whole family of kids?" I load the dishwasher with an entire upper rack of kids silverware, bowls & sippy cups & think "yep, a whole family of kids has taken over this dishwasher!" 

Anyway, Eloise is right smack in the middle of a big sis, baby boas & she couldn't be any cuter...

She is just under 30 pounds & fits most comfortably into 3T clothing although we still have some 2T items in circulation. She wears a size 8.5 or 9 shoe.  She has officially "caught" her sister in shoe size since Charlotte's feet have not grown in two years! I never had a sister to share clothing/shoes with but so far, not so good, Elo always wants to wear Char's shoes & someone is not excited about that.  

Eloise has recently received a new nickname....or five. We love nicknames around here : ) Our friends, those in the Ziel family have always called her Lolo so we started saying it too, we then added Lo, Loli & Lolita. Rob even made up a whole song about Lolita & how she is chiquita & bonita. It's great. 

Here are some things this spunky little Lolita is up to at two & a half:

• runs full speed, jumps up & down, crashes regularly
• has really gotten the hang of kicking the soccer ball & loves to run down the sidewalk kicking it over & over as it bounces off the grass on either side
• still rubs her belly button & holds the back of her hand over her mouth when sleepy or unsure
• can stack lots of block into a tall tower, can destroy tall towers rather quickly 
• can count to ten but only when she wants to
• knows the letters O, A, C, E which are the first initials of the kiddos around here
• has not had an accident in a LONG time....knock on wood ; ) 
• loves to eat blueberries which she pronounces "boo-bies" she also loves pancakes, turkey & cheese chunks, Cheetos, raisins, almonds & any sweet treat
• sings many of her own songs
• tells stories that don't make a lot of sense but are very long & usually include a monster and or Jesus shooting people with the "shooo" sound effect...not sure where that came from
• she likes to sit on Bella's back
• yells at the babies to not bite mommy while nursing
• calls Anson "chubby bubby" & thinks of him often. She lays in our bed when the sun is coming up & says "Mommy, I want to go get that chubby bubby."
• cannot for the life of her, no matter how many times we show her, get her panties on without being inside out & backwards...its hilarious
• colors rather crazily with markers on paper, tables & herself
• requests multiple times a day to be held & spun around or dance to music
• sleeps in random places & positions ie in an infant bathtub or on her belly hanging off the side of the bed with both feet on the ground
• still loves to have her bottom patted & many times convinces her sister to do it
• knows a few more colors & shapes
• loves to prepare "food" for us from her kitchen & says that most every item is a pancake when served

Mamasita: One thing I adore about Eloise is that she is a mini mama. She cares for Owen & Anson the best way she knows how which proves to cause a lot of crying on their part but they are getting tougher as they become accustomed to her affection. She is precious with her baby dolls & stuffed animals making sure they are fed & have clean diapers on. We all know Eloise rarely wears clothing although we are not sure why that is......we (me & Rob) agree that we love seeing her little body streaking through the house so we let her stay "cool" in her birthday suit plus some undies. Here she is feeding her baby owl.

I love that she wears shoes with undies only & then wants a baby or two strapped on....

Sissy talks a lot: A sissy talks a lot is definitely not on the Christmas list this year since we already have one ; ) This little lady has lots to say & happens to have the cutest little voice & expressions to accompany her fast growing vocabulary. Here are some frequent phrases we hear day to day:

• When doing something she is not supposed to do such as jumping off the back of the couch or climbing onto the counter she says "Mommy, I be brave." I tell her I am not looking for her to be brave, just obedient ; ) 
• If she doesn't want to eat her dinner she says "My tummy ache hurts." She also tells us "I wah yayipop, make my tummy ache feel better."
• If she has two of anything she says "I have two ones!"
• When it is time for a nap or bed & she is trying to stall she says "I need tell you something." We say, "yes, Eloise" & her response is always quiet jibberish with lots of "leelalula" in it.
• When the girls are playing together & I overhear their conversation as Char asks Elo if she can use something Eloise usually responds with "just 40 minutes." Charlotte always asks "is that a long time?" Char asks that about every length of time we say so it makes me laugh that she asks Elo who has no idea how long that really is & she says "no, it's not a long time."
• Today at the doctors office she got our pediatricians attention & said "You know what?" she leaned closer & whispered "49." ??
• She knows a crazy number of her catechism questions. We were only working with her on maybe #1-12 but she knows most of the answers up to #30 just from listening in on when we review with Char. She mostly gets them right but cracks us up when we say "Eloise, how many Gods are there?" The answer is of course "one God" but she ALWAYS says "two sons" which is from something else we learned that talks about how many sons Isaac had. 
• This girl says "I sorry" a lot which sounds like "I saw-ee." She is definitely a quick apologizer & is saying "I sorry I sorry I sorry I sorry" immediately after whatever just occurred that was her fault. We got to laughing last night when Robby was doing an impression of her saying "I sorry I kicked you in the face mommy, I sorry I bit your finger Charlotte, I sorry I body slammed you Owen!" I am glad she wants to say sorry but I think sometimes she thinks she can do whatever she wants as long as she apologizes right away & over & over ; ) 

"There were never more devoted sisters": One other sweet gift I enjoy is watching a special relationship develop between these two...

They really love each other & can get to giggling so hard we cannot even get their attention.  Right now they are ridiculously silly when someone burps or toots. They just dissolve into a fit of laughter. I thought only boys thought that was funny ; ) I'm in for it though considering boys may find that even funnier than girls!

Eloise does not like to go into her class at church or Thursday at school without Charlotte walking her to the door & making a big show of hugs & kisses to send her on her way. It is pretty adorable. These two spend lots of time together day & night sharing a room. Elo prefers to sleep in Charlotte's bed for nap time every day & does well climbing up and down the ladder. She snoozes for a couple hours & every now & then for three hours when she is totally wiped out. She goes down when the boys do around 1. Many times when she wakes up, she pops her head out of her room & says "Peek a boo!"

Mischievous behavior: There is a lot of mischievous behavior from this cutie patootie. I really feel like I can't take my eyes off her for very long although I do & I can't say I always regret it because I usually end up laughing hard. Here are two recent stories:

1. I was in the kitchen & turned off the water in the sink when I heard water still running coming from the kids bathroom. I grabbed my phone & started recording. I came around the corner to find her up on the counter with sopping wet washcloths & water pouring down the mirror as she got it "all keen mommy!" She is such a helpful girl isn't she?
2. We got home from school one Thursday & it is always a marathon to get everyone fed & down when they are that tired. I was feeding babies in their room with the door shut to keep the chaos out. I was gone for about 10 minutes when I heard Eloise yelling "help help!" I came out to find that she had climbed up on my craft table & found some pink embroidery thread that she unwound & ran ALL over the living rooms & playroom with. It was wrapped tightly around her foot (that could have been bad) wrapped around furniture, toys & the best part was that she had tied up Bella to where she was lying still in the middle of the floor! Haha! I had to cut the thread off of Bella & Eloise to free them & then we collected the rest. Here is the pile when we were done...

This girl is keeping us on our toes in thus far, the busiest season of life! I love her & her cuddles...

Happy two & a half years Lolo! You are sweeter than sweet!

Eloise at 2 years

Eloise, our little baby Elo is going to beTWO years old tomorrow! The past few months have been a whirlwind of celebrations, sleepiness & laughter. Eloise has definitely transitioned well into her new role as big sister #2 & continues to draw much attention to herself on a daily basis with her crazy stunts & non stop action. I know, those of you with boys are laughing right now thinking "oh you just wait till the twins are on the brink of two!" For now, Eloise is just about the craziest kid we know & we couldn't love her any more!

STATS: 28 pounds- 75th percentile 

             34.5 inches- 50th percentile 

             Size 2t clothing & size 8 shoes

A day in the life of sweet Eloise...in random order. 

• Elo got upgraded to a big girl bed a few weeks ago.  This deserves a post of its own & it will get one in due time but long story short. I sold her crib while she was asleep in it via Craigslist all in the matter of a couple hours. Poor girl ended up on a mattress on the floor in her room that evening. I thought she would be really sad but instead she started jumping up & down shouting "BOUNCE HOUSE!!" She did awesome staying in her bed & has since been promoted to the blue toddler bed Char was sleeping in. 
• She is on sissy's tail when they come to our room in the morning. She repeats exactly what Charlotte says with the exact same inflections. She crawls into my bed & says "me, snuggle? me, snuggle you?" Who could resist that? Definitely not anyone who sleeps in that bed ; ) 
• Every morning we hear the chant "I wah eat potcakes! (pancakes)" She really wants pancakes every single day & requests them for each meal. We do make sure she gets her fill of them at least once every couple weeks...and I never correct her "potcakes" pronunciation.
• To say she loves O & A would be a vast understatement. She cannot get enough of them (I wish the feeling was mutual between the boys & Elo but sadly, it is not). She tries to lay on top of them, poke their eyes out & jab their pacifiers really far down their throats...all in love of course. When it is a bit more calm, she will play so sweetly with them singing songs & patting gently but she is unpredictable and can turn on them in a second. Sometimes when she is laying on top of them saying "shh shh shh" it looks like she is doing chest compressions. If they are crying, Eloise is stuck on repeat saying "baby soi-ing & soi-ing & soi-ing!"

Eloise & Owen

• She says "10 minutes" about everything. You say "Eloise, let's go outside" she says "I comin!" as she walks toward you & then adds "10 minutes!"  or you say "Eloise, you can hold Owen for just a minute then he is going night night" to which she replies "No, I hold'em 10 minutes." SO cute. 
• She sings all the time. You can say at any moment "Eloise, sing me a song!" & she will come up with some rendition of Jesus Loves Me mixed with all sorts of other words. 
• This girl values sleep & still happily naps twice a day a few days a week & sticking with an afternoon nap the rest of the days. Night time sleep is usually about 7:30-6:30 but some days lately the girls have been up & ready for the day at 5am!! She is currently only requesting her "baby you-see (Lucy)" to snuggle with. She still likes to have her bottom patted & sometimes requests that I pat "you-see's" as well. I usually do & then Eloise & Charlotte both giggle when I tell Lucy that she better be a good girl & stay in her bed all night. 

She must have rubbed her belly button just right & fell asleep while watching a show...in a crown. 

• She loves to sit at the table & draw. She draws squiggles & says "sake sake!" for snake & then she draws anything else & says "Yook! I draw "E"! Yea Eloise!" cute part is....it never looks like an "E." She has a really hard time keeping her drawing utensil on paper & has been found coloring on the table, chairs, plastic bins & on the wall behind the clothes in her closet.  I will chalk that up to a little less supervision at the current life stage than the eldest child had. She loves to roll out play doh & use cookie cutters to make shapes. Basically anything she makes out of play doh she calls a "potcake" & happily serves it to us. She is really good at pouring from one container to another especially water from a teapot or flour into a bowl when we are cooking. 
• Mondays & Thursdays are her favorite days of the week. Any guesses why? I will just say it since NO one would ever guess. It is when the trash man comes! For months Eloise has enjoyed sitting outside & watching the trash man empty the bins on our street. We have done this so many times that we know one man on our route by name. They always honk & wave at the girls. A few weeks ago when Uncle Scott was in town we were sitting in the grass when the truck went down our street. They go down the other side, around the cul de sac & then make their last stop at our driveway. Our friend Frankie dumped out our bin & then rolled it towards us while crouching down to talk to the girls. Eloise immediately jumped up, ran as fast as she could & threw her arms around the man's neck for a huge hug. She TOTALLY caught him off guard & he kind of hugged her while laughing & saying "I'm sorry, I'm so dirty" to me who was completely amused & could care less about the garbage that had touched him. It was hilarious. Also, this girl will sleep through a barking dog, a lawn mower & two screaming babies but if she hears the faint sound of the garbage man coming down the road, she jolts out of bed screaming "chashman!" as she runs to the front door.  I wish I had a picture of her with her friend Frankie!
• She can be heard saying "hol me hol me hol me" about a million times a day as she reaches up.  This is hard. My hands are usually full of babies so I do try to free them up to hold Eloise too. She is still my baby even though there are two more around these days. 
• Eloise is motherly. We went to Chuy's & the waitress gave each of the girls a tortilla dough ball to play with like play doh. Eloise rolled hers up & said "See mommy, it's my baby. Pat my baby." So I did for a moment & then she made me roll on the floor in a fit of laughter when she said "baby hungee" as she lifted her shirt & proceeded to feed her dough baby from her belly button. At least she is consistent...that's where she "pump milk baby" too!

• Eloise is a chatterbox & we are amazed with how well she is talking. Don't tell her sister but she can pronounce "Charlotte" better than Charlotte can pronounce Charlotte : ) She says things like "Mommy, I angry. Charlotte not share me." The other things she says all the time is "That scare me." For awhile she really hated if Charlotte did any animal sounds that were growls.  Charlotte found this funny so she would randomly growl at Eloise. Poor Eloise would come tell us "Sissy scare me!" So we would get on Charlotte about treating her sister kindly. My my, we could now call Eloise "the girl who cried wolf" because she says "sissy scare me" all the time to get out of being disciplined for whatever offense she committed! She also says "ayone me" when she wants you to go away so she can 1. be independent or 2. be naughty. 
• She calls Gaga on her "phone" all the time. She has full out conversations so much that Charlotte asked me the other day in the car if Eloise was really talking to Gaga! Haha! Speaking of Gaga, after 4 months together, this girl LOVES her Gaga. She talks about her all the time. Just a few examples: When I tell her I can't hold her that very moment she says "Gaga hol me all time" & she did which is why Eloise says "hol me" all day long ; ) If you tell her to not go potty in her panties she says "Gaga funny" which is hilarious. We have no clue why she says this! One more, she frequently says that Gaga lives at the airport & the cutest thing she says is "Gaga yuve me, Gaga miss me!"
• Discipline- a firm tone still goes a long way with Eloise but she is choosing to disobey much more frequently. She does really well when hearing what the consequence of her action will be & will say "I sorry for ____, please give me" for "forgive me." She always hugs & kisses to make up with Charlotte after an altercation. 
• Elo loves to be outside, loves to chase lizards & look at worms. She & Charlotte had a straw outside on the back porch while they looked at a worm.  Long story short, the straw became a murder weapon...I felt so awful for not paying closer attention! Those two are quite the pair & Charlotte thinks Eloise is pretty darn funny!
  
• When it's time to do business in the bathroom she says "out please" & will not go #2 until you exit the premises. This is all well & good until you leave, she closes & locks the door then empties an entire wipes container into the toilet. 
• Her absolute favorite thing to eat are "foodies" known to the general public as "smoothies." Anytime we are in the kitchen & I am preparing something, she immediately says "I help you" as she slides a chair over to the counter. She has a COMPLETE melt down if you tell her you don't need help. 
• She is getting the hang of identifying colors & shapes, can do most any animal sound.
• Elo climbs, jumps, dives & crashes to the ground with much force every day & rarely gets hurt.
• She enjoys helping to clean house with her favorite tasks being dusting with a rag & sorting silverware although she doesn't really have the hang of sorting yet ; )  

Eloise is a ham!

Eloise is a mess!

Eloise is stylish!

Eloise is precious!

Our dear Eloise, 

Two years have passed since the moment you were placed on my chest & I fell in love with a brand new baby girl all over again. You my precious girl have brought your mommy much joy & laughter over the past two years. Your sweetness is immeasurable & I feel like I will always remember you at age two with your devious little grin & your eyes cut to the side while you wait for me to giggle with you about how funny you are. It never fails, I always giggle.

You are growing & changing so fast. We love your personality Eloise! You are confident & fearless which is sometimes scary for us when we are near the street ; ) You are compassionate & loving with your family & friends. You are energetic & snuggly at the same time which can be dangerous when your baby brothers are in mommy's lap. You are happy almost every minute of every day which is one reason our home is filled with joy & laughter.

We are thankful that you are ours. We love you, we treasure our time with you & we look forward to seeing how God will shape that little heart of yours as you grow.

Love,

Mommy

Eloise at 21 months

This little lady is 21 months old & full of spunk! She could still be nick named "Mellow Elo" when we are talking about her being able to simply go with the flow but she can be quite the rascal! She keeps us on our toes as will the whole crew in the coming year but for now...even if for just one more week, Elo Pancakes is the baby of the family & we love her dearly! 

I have not been to the park at all since my mom arrived nearly 7 weeks ago but this pregnancy coming to a close, I have had sudden bursts of energy & this morning was one of them.  We went to a nearby park & let the girls run free. I found myself a sunny spot & enjoyed watching them climb, yell & giggle as they played.  My favorite spot was at the bottom of the slide where I could see Eloise's little face with a huge grin all 30 times she came down. I wish you could hear the giggle that comes with it! 

She then did some trick moves down the slide turning about or going on her tummy. She was slightly stunned when she arrived at the end of the tunnel this time.....

21 things about Eloise at 21 months:

1. Elo is pretty much fearless on the playground or at home keeping up with the big kids. Her favorite place to climb on at home is the back of the couch which is a little to close to the tile if you ask me! She gets to the top, throws her hands in the air & says "da!" which is "ta-da!"
2. She has just begun attempting to dress herself although is usually found putting shirts on her legs & shorts on her head.  I got her up from a nap a couple weeks ago & she still had the same stretchy shorts on her noggin haha!
3. Eloise is telling us when she wants to go potty sometimes & if you are quick enough to get her on she will go! If I weren't gigantically pregnant I think I could potty train her very easily over the course of a few days.  That is on the to do list for May along with making the switch to a big girl bed. 
4. Precious little girl loves to lay down on her tummy with her tush up in the air when it's time to go to bed. She says "pat, pat, pat" meaning she wants her bottom patted. If I stop & walk to Charlotte's bed Eloise will pat her own bottom till I return....& you bet I set her up to do that as much as possible ; ) 
5. She loves to color & draws all over the page then points at her squiggles & says
   "sake" meaning "snake." That's pretty much her favorite thing to draw. 
6. Speaking of "sakes," Elo thinks any worm as small as a dime is a "sake." She pretty much had a complete breakdown on the back porch with Rob the other day because she saw a "sake!" which was no larger than the typed word "sake." She was really scared though & was thankful for her daddy's protection!
7. I have no doubt that Eloise will forever be a dog lover! She & Bella spend a lot of time together. She LOVES to pet anyone & everyone's dogs. If they are little, she squeezes their necks so hard we are afraid she will break them.  The hilarious part is that once we are back home talking about the dogs we met that day, anytime we mention the name of the dog she grabs her wrist & says "bite." I say "That doggie didn't bite you Elo" & she grins & says "noooooo."  Her favorite dogs right now outside our house are Chestnut & Holly. 
8. She continues to be really into books & loves to snuggle up for a good read. Her favorite series of books by far are the "Carl" books about a lovable Rottweiler who is often put in charge of babysitting while the mommy is away.  There are very few words in the book so we get to make up the story as we look at the pictures. Very cute books!
9. Her favorite shows to watch right now are Babar & Curious George. When she requests Babar she says "I wah Baby Babar" meaning the episode where Babar takes his first step.
10. She also frequently requests to see a video of Frosty the Snowman on my mom's ipad. She gets SO excited & says "Fos-tee! Fos-tee!"
11. She continues to build her vocabulary at a rapid pace surprising us each day with new words & phrases. She is super polite saying: yes please, thank you, excuse me & you're welcome with her adorable pronunciation. 
12. Eloise can hardly wait to have her brothers out of my belly. We still don't think she has any clue that there will actually be two of them but that will be a huge plus according to her. This week she walked up to me, patted my belly & said "I wah hold baby." I think I melted. 
13. She is happiest when outside running free which can thankfully happen nearly every day of the year here in Orlando. 
14. She has quite the arm & can throw the ball accurately. She has also been known to kick it a couple times in a row like a soccer player. She is working on catching but it has proven to be tricky. She threw a fork directly at my head at the dinner table one night. It flew SO fast about an inch away from my forehead. Daddy took care of that one.
15. She responds to discipline really well & has so far not required more than a handful of swats to the tush. A stern talking to sends this girl into tears requiring mommy or daddy to hold her until she calms down. 
16. She has become an INCREDIBLE eater since my mom got here. She turned into a carnivore enjoying all meat we put in front of her. She will scarf down all fruits, most veggies, pasta, etc. She is still a milk monster that would drink a couple gallons a day if I kept her sippy cup filled to the brim at all times. She is a growing girl that's for sure!
17. Elo still self soothes with a finger in her belly button & her hand over her mouth with her palm facing out. The best part is that she calls her belly "body" & when she is frustrated with a car seat strap or a tricky layered skirt you can hear her saying "body, body, body!" 
18. The mellow side of Elo still enjoys a morning nap & an afternoon nap on most days. We talk about phasing it out & on some days we skip the morning but there is something so relaxing about having that less chaotic hour in the morning. Her usual sleeping is 7-7 overnight followed by naps from 9-10 & 1:30-3:30. If she skips the morning nap she will sleep for a good 3+ hours in the afternoon.
19. She loves her sissy Charlotte & can pronounce her name very clearly. She follows her around, repeats what she says like a little parrot, swipes her toys & runs off SO fast we all struggle to catch her & is affectionate giving sissy lots of kisses & hugs whether they are welcome or not. 
20. Eloise likes to count along with us but says "five" over & over & over. She loves the songs sung at story time at the library & frequently requests them at home. We got some jingle bells so she can sing "shake'em up high, shake'em down low" that turns into a marching in a circle song.
21. She is learning new things often. She can identify a "C" & an "E," a star & a heart & thinks everything you show her is the color blue. 

So with number 21, I have had some good laughs thinking about the countless hours I spent working with Charlotte on letters, numbers, shapes & colors by the age of 21 months. Poor little Eloise's education has been on the back burner but praise the Lord, she can still learn : ) I read this book called "Juggling Twins" in preparation for my next circus act (current circus act is just acting as a side show).  I honestly don't think I would have liked this book had the twins been my first pregnancy as I was a little uptight about routine & had lofty goals, some of which were attained & some not. There is something so freeing in having a second (or third or fourth) baby. Even though it is busy & getting busier, I feel like it has made me chill out....really good for me & for the kiddos. Back to the book, I laughed out loud so many times as I read through the chapters & must share an excerpt that directly applies to number 21.

"Be forewarned that there is always one mother at the playground who will smile placidly at the baby in her stroller while announcing 'he's really an easy baby...he's already sleeping through the night," when you know for a fact that the child is so young that the woman is still wearing pants that have an elastic panel in front. Don't be alarmed. First of all, she is probably lying. If not, then what she really means by "through the night" is that they slept through the crying the other night and eventually the baby fell back asleep without eating. (my fav part) Bear in mind that she is also the mother who will later be telling you that her kid is doing phonics when yours is out-of-her-head proud when she stacks 3 blocks into a tower. If it helps, you can feel very confident that she paid big, this braggart, because the hour after the "through the night" stretch was likely a nightmare of famished, manic meltdown from which it was difficult for her baby to return."  

This made me laugh & was a good reminder that comparison is not beneficial. Eloise can for the record stack more than 3 blocks but we have lots of learning ahead as we help her understand that not everything is the color blue & there are other numbers than "five."

Here are a couple more pictures of our active little girl....

She does slow down every now & then to give her mommy's belly some attention...

21 months of joy filled days watching God reveal more about this little person in our care. We love you Elo!