2 1/2 and 4

Well, I have been meaning to do this post for at least a month now...Ellie turned 4 at the end of Jan., Emmit hit 2 1/2 at the end of Feb. - the title of this post is the very reason I am just doing it now. At 2 1/2 and 4, the kids are about as busy as they can be, which leaves this Mama with little blog time. It's usually later in the evening when I can gather my thoughts and actually sit down to do this (once they're in bed), but that's usually the point when I have to choose between blog, adult conversation with Colin, sometimes work, just some peace and quiet for myself...I usually get about an hour a night before I need to get to bed myself, so fitting it all in just isn't an option. But enough about me...I know my loyal readers just want to hear about the kids =)

Ellie at 4

Let's start with Ellie first. At 4, Ellie is witty, smart, sassy, manipulative, caring, loving, and curious. She continues to amaze us with the things she says, and what she is picking up on. I know that her vocabulary is pretty advanced already since she's been talking what seems like forever, but some of the words she uses just baffle us. She is learning to spell a little, and do some simple addition. She can memorize song lyrics with the best of 'em, and loves her shows. She absolutely loves Max & Ruby and also Scooby Doo, which is somewhat of an odd combo, but those are probably her two favorite. She likes to play games on the computer (Nick Jr.com) and on Mom's and Dad's phones too. Angry Birds and Cut the Rope are her favorite games to play. I signed her up for 4 yr. old kindergarten next Fall, and I know she will just love it. She is VERY excited to ride the bus =)

Ellie's also very imagininative. She is a loving little Mother and cares for her dollies all the time. She loves to set them ALL up around her blanket and have a picnic. Every now and then Emmit will be her 'baby', and she will mother him just like her dolls. She also likes to play princess and the dragon - she is the princess, Emmit is the prince, Daddy is the dragon, and Mama is the rescuer...this is a typical evening activity for our household. Ellie likes to ride her bike, play catch (she can catch a basketball pretty well!), go for walks with Mama, and just run around crazy. I signed her up for her first race - a 0.5 mile run with me in late May =) Ellie's also still really into arts and crafts - she loves to draw and color.

Ellie insists on dressing herself now and comes up with some interesting outfit combinations. She wears shorts a lot - even when it's cold, she'll put shorts on under her pants. She still puts her shoes on the wrong feet all the time. At her 4 year check-up, Ellie was 42 1/4 inches tall (90th percentile) and 42 lbs (75th percentile). She is taller than most of her friends, and when playing with older kids, can seem older than 4 herself. When she's around her brother or younger kids though, she tends to 'act down' to their age which can be maddening at times. She can totally instigate bad behavior from her brother, even when she KNOWS she's doing something she shouldn't.

Ellie likes her quality time with both Mama and Daddy. She loves bedtime with Daddy most nights as he tells silly stories, and her and Mama do the weekend errands and running around together a lot. She's become a good little shopper =) There's a part of me that can't believe she's 4 already, but then another part of me that just loves it because she is so fun right now =)

Emmit at 2 1/2

At 2 1/2, Emmit is so loveable...he has the softness, most kissable skin, and says and does things that just melt your heart. He frequently gives me kisses - on my nose, my cheeks, fish kisses on the lips, my eyes...he is little lover. He tells me 'you look pretty Mama', 'I love you', and 'I miss you'...he says so many things that just make you want to say 'ahhh'....But then in an instant, he can turn into a 2 year old terror. He is such a mess-maker, into mischief, and constantly bugging his sister. Ellie's picnics that she so nicely sets up - Emmit's favorite thing is to run through them and kick everything over. He is such a little tornado at times. He climbs onto EVERYTHING - counters, chairs, jungle gyms...he doesn't let the fact that he's ONLY 2 1/2 stop him from getting into anything. He is constantly pushing the kitchen chairs to get to whatever he wants.

He loves trucks and tractors and airplanes and choo-choo trains and motorcycles and anything that goes. He's getting into basketball lately and likes to play on the Little Tykes hoop. His little body just doesn't go as fast as he wants to sometimes so he gets his share of bumps and bruises. Just last week he went flying head first into the concrete step in our garage (BAD!) and ended up with a HUGE goose egg on his head. It eventually turned into a big bruise and two black eyes...that's been the worst one in a while. He's generally a pretty tough kid though, and plays like it too. He also loves to sing and dance to music and play games on Mama's phone. He has a Cars Memory Game app that he's pretty good at now! His favorite shows are Bubble Guppies and Max & Ruby. (Why our kids are so obsessed with Max & Ruby is beyond me; it's seriously the most boring show!)

At his 2 1/2 year check-up, Emmit was 35" tall (25th percentile) and 31 1/2 lbs (90th percentile). I just had to laugh at this...he still has quite a bit of baby chub, but I can tell he's thinning out by how his pants fit. I noticed just the other day that he can reach the light switches now. He's starting to show some interest in the potty, and has peed on the toilet a handful of times. No rushing this though, we're just getting started. Emmit talks all the time, and we can pretty much understand what he's saying. He's picking up on funny words too (many from Ellie) - he told Daddy he was 'cool' today. He also said he was 'handsome' =) Emmit also has a temper and can show his '2-year-old-ness' when he's mad.

Emmit's most favorite things are his puppy, blue blankie, and nummy. Yes, we have another nummy addict. I think we are down to 3 or 4 in the house now, but he still sucks himself to sleep every night. He also loves Ellie and doing whatever she's doing (whether she wants him to or not!) Emmit loves 'working' with Daddy - building stuff, doing something in the yard, shoveling, whatever...Emmit loves to 'work' with Daddy. The rest of the time though he is on my hip. He is Mama's baby through and through. I don't think I baby him, but I don't know, maybe I do? Bedtime is a total process right now, and I don't even know how it got this way. He used to go to bed so well. For the last few months though, Emmit and Mama read stories, rock, sing songs, and then I lay with him until he falls asleep. Some nights it's a bigger production than others. Most nights (say 5 out of 7) he gets up between midnight and 2 am, and comes to my side of the bed to say 'Mama, me sleep with you'. Most nights I sleep the rest of the night with him in our guest bedroom. Bad, bad, bad I know, but you do what you have to for sleep, right? Usually when he does NOT get up at night it's after a long day of outside play, so I'm hoping this habit breaks itself comes summer when we're outside more. Until then, I will deal. Colin thinks I don't want to break this habit sometimes - it is a love/hate thing...obviously who likes waking up at 2 am every night, but then in the morning when he's so sweet giving me kisses, what Mama wouldn't love that? Emmit is our little lover right now and as frustrating as his two-year old antics can be, I do love this age he's at too =)