Ellie is 2!

So Ellie turned two years old on August 29th!  We took her to the doctor on the 30th and she is 38 inches tall, which is like the 150th percentile, and 29.2 pounds, which is the 70th percentile.  She is just a growin'! 

Let me tell you though, I cannot believe how time has flown by.  I was going through our older posts just for fun and I can't believe how fast she's grown!  For real!  I know everyone says time flies when your kids are young, and I know it does, but it still always takes me by surprise.  I'm never ready for it.

It really feels like 3 months ago she was a baby, and now our little baby girl has turned into this adventurous, independent toddler and my heart is getting ripped out already!  She's not even a teenager yet!  I just don't ever want to see her grow up, yet at the same time I want to see who she's going to become.  I know she will be great, I'm just not ready for it yet!

Looking back at the older posts, I never really talked about any of the funny things she did.  She's such a funny girl and I'm worried we won't remember it all, so I'll write down a couple of the things she is doing right now to help us refresh our memory in the future.

-She says 'for a while' after pretty much everything.  Especially "I'm gonna go sit on the princess toilet for a while." :)
-She can giggle like nobody's business, and at the most random things.  It's very contagious!
-She had her first real conversation on the phone the other night with Grandpa Petersen.  She got her little Barbie cell phone and said that she was calling Grandpa so Clint took a picture and sent it to his dad.  So Grandpa called to talk to Ellie.  Clint gave her the phone and off she went!  She put the phone up to her ear, then let go and held the phone with her shoulder and her arm clear up in the air, and walked into her room just talkin' away to Grandpa.  She told him everything that we were doing, including "Bug went round and round and daddy killed it and mommy feeding Levi and I take a bath."  She is such a big girl!  Who knew that she would know how to talk on the phone like that already!
-She is deathly afraid of bugs.  (wonder who she gets that from...)
-She LOVES princesses.  LOVES them!
-She is such a girly girl.  She loves clothes and shoes and hair bows and nail polish and the whole she-bang.  We went to a missionary homecoming one Sunday and sat by Clint's youngest sister Carly and Ellie goes over and says, in the middle of Sacrament, very loud, "Cute shoes Carly!  Cute shoes Carly!"  Then last Saturday I was sad and crying, and Ellie looks at me and goes "Cute shirt Mom!"  She's so funny.  And she loves getting her hair curled or just done because it's 'sooo pretty.'  We tell her it's Princess Hair and then she's fine to sit there all day if she has to-until it's time to comb it out, but that's a different story...  And she LOVES getting her nails painted just so that she can eat the nail polish off the very same day.
-If someone is crying she'll go up and to them and wiggle her fingers in their face and say "I so sorry, I so sorry, k?"  Then she usually walks away pretty quick!  :)
-She is unbelievably smart.  She talks so well for her age and can carry on conversations like you wouldn't believe.  And she figures things out that I don't even hardly notice.
-She's very impatient. :)
-Her wits aren't always the best thing for mom and dad! ;)  She hears you when you're getting mad at her, and she knows when to ignore you or when to change the subject so that she can do all that she can to avoid getting in trouble.  Naughty, smart girl!
-She likes to help in the kitchen anytime I'm cooking or baking.  We have to get out the stool so she can stand there and see what I'm doing and help add the ingredients.  When we were baking goodies for Levi's blessing she wanted to be the best helper ever.  I left the kitchen for a bit to feed Levi, and the next thing we know the chocolate chips and butterscotch chips are all combined in one bowl, and she brought out a whole handful to the living room so that she could eat them with a measuring spoon while she watched a movie. 
-She loves the outdoors.  She would be outside all the time if she could.

 

I know there are so many more, but this is a pretty long post already.  But I will say, I love Ellie so much.  Clint and I both do, and so does Levi!  She has been the best older sister anybody could ever ask for and she makes me so proud.  We were worried about how she would react to having a little brother around, but she has done great.  You can tell they had a special bond before they came here to earth because they love each other so much.  You can just see it in the way they look at each other. 

Ellie has become this beautiful young girl and I couldn't have asked for anything different.  Yes, she has her moments, but I love it.  I am so grateful to be able to stay home with her and to get to know her better everyday and to watch her grow.  I don't want to be anywhere else.  I love you so much Ellie!  I hope you will always stay true to who you are, the fun loving, crazy, smart, wild, beautiful girl that you are.  Thanks for being you.  Daddy and I are so proud of you!

Anyway, now on to the big day!

 Showing off her fun Birthday decorations

 Kenna and Navarro brought their gift over to her in the morning.  A homemade sleeping bag for when she sleeps over at their house!

 Then we went to Arctic Circle with Grandma and Ben so that they could play on the toys.

 Luckily Daddy was able to join us!

 Little Levi just chillin' with Navarro

 She got some clothes

 and "Rapunzel shoes" according to her since they were purple and yellow...she had to put them on right away!

 Lots and lots and LOTS of Little People for her princess castle and snow white cottage.

 Princess bedding

 Ariel for the tub

 JACKPOT!

 Then we went to Chili's for her Birthday Dinner...she loved when they sang to her!

 Levi talking away to Grandma

 And then blowing out the candles on her birthday Princess Cupcakes! 

 

We did have a birthday cake for her, but we ate that one at her Birthday party that was the Saturday after her birthday.  She had a Princess Party of course, but we don't have pictures...I'll have to get them from Clint's parents' camera and then post them because her cake was sooo cute and she was dressed up as a Princess!

 

Thank you to everybody for all of the gifts that you gave to Ellie.  Her birthday wouldn't have been nearly as fun without all of you there to celebrate it with her and for all of the fun gifts you gave.  So thank you!