Three and a Half.

Our little lady officially turned three and a half today! These pictures are from yesterday, but you get the general idea. And yes, that is the same dress she was wearing when I took her picture in front of the flowering hedge a few weeks ago. It's her favorite dress - she'll be wearing it until she busts every seam, or until it falls into rags. It already has a small hole in it, but every week, the second it's clean, she begs to wear it.

I find Ellie to be an impressive little lady. She's incredibly bright and inquisitive and talks like an adult most of the time. She's also funny and LOVES making us laugh, and she is sweet and snuggly too. The other night my shoulders hurt and I asked Tim to rub them for me, and she came over and told me that SHE would do it for me. We've started talking to her about going to Wisconsin for Grandpa Howie's funeral - I told her that we are going to say goodbye to Grandpa Howie, since he got very sick and is up in heaven, and her response was "we will visit him and make him feel better!" And of course, she continues to be the sweetest big sister ever. She's also impatient, whiny, and not the best at listening, but we get along okay (for the most part.)

This weekend has been another whirlwind of gatherings in our back yard. Jake and Dawn came over and Jake made us dinner on Friday night, and we were able to eat outside. Tonight we had Lexi and Whitney and their families over to eat, after Jeff used his truck to help Tim pick up Don and Eileen's old BBQ. Everyone enjoyed the new table, and the girls had a fun time with their usual bike riding, flower picking, and negotiating turn taking by screaming. Tomorrow morning Gigi, Grizz and Sara will come over and hang out for Easter brunch! I'm so glad to be entertaining so much, even if my dishwasher is getting tired.

Tomorrow morning the Easter bunny is bringing Ellie a scooter - I cannot wait to see her face. This is really the first thing that she's mentioned wanting over and over again. Any time we see a bike or a scooter, she will say that she wishes she could ride it, or wishes that she had one. And now she will! She's also getting a few other odds and ends. Adam is getting some books and a new lambykins (you can never have too many - this week he tossed one out of the stroller and we never found it. Ellie says a bunny took it to their burrow, which is plausible I guess!)

They are such sweethearts, my loves.