5 years old

Ellie celebrated her 5th birthday on January 31st. I don't know what it is about 5, but this is her first birthday where I'm like 'wow, she's really growing up!' At 5, Ellie is independent, she's witty and smart, she's caring, she's emotional, she's less and less a baby, and more and more a little girl. She absolutely loves school and playing with her friends. Ellie's two best friends are boys - Grant and Ethan. She talks about them non-stop. She wants to marry them both. Her comfort level with boys at school (and all her boy cousins) makes me wonder if she'll have the inkling to be an engineer like her Mom, but considering her most favorite thing to do right now is draw...well we'll see where that goes. Ellie has said she wants to be an artist or a pet sitter when she grows up =)

Since starting school this year, Ellie has really expressed an energy for learning. She loves to look at books and play games. She is a master at using the iPad/iPhone and can easily navigate her way around 'her apps' or ask Siri to 'search the web for (Scooby Doo, princesses, or whatever she's interested in)'. She's getting really good at counting and writing letters and words. She likes to play outside in the snow, go sledding, and swing - she will swing and swing at the playground.

She's still SOOO into Scooby Doo. Scooby Doo anything - Ellie loves it. We're going to make Scooby Doo Valentines for her friends later today. She also likes Barbies now - dressing them and fixing their hair. Ellie likes pretend play in general, and has gotten Emmit into it too. They play 'Mommy and Daddy' a lot where they get clothes out of our closet and dress up. They'll also play 'Dr. and Patient', 'Puppy and Petsitter', or 'Mommy and Baby' too. In all of these games, Ellie is the caretaker...she's really conscious about taking care of things. Colin hurt his ankle playing basketball last weekend, and Ellie was all over it, getting him a blanket, an ice pack, and a drink of water. She likes to help with things like setting the table or cleaning up her room.

At her 5 year well-check, the Dr. said Ellie is a healthy 5 year old girl. She's still high on the growth charts (90th percentile), so we'll see if she gets some tall genes that her Mom and Dad did not get! I love the conversations we have together now...I love seeing things through her eyes. She's starting to ask some tougher questions that have caught us off guard. I am excited to see what new adventures we have with Ellie this year - I think 5 will be a really fun year! =)