Thanks, Easter Bunny! BOK BOK!

A photo post of Easter and the few days prior and after...

Last week, Ella was drawing a picture, and decided
to go ahead and write her name on it. By herself. For the first time!
This was not only her first attempt, but she had no help, and nothing
to look at. I was totally blown away!! I didn't even know she knew
how to spell it.


Unpacking the box of Easter prizes from Uncle Denny. Only a
cruel, cruel man packs a box for a 3-year-old full of Easter grass.
Or a man without kids. :) It quickly devolved into an Easter grass fight,
and lots of vacuuming (but it was sure fun!).

Some of the prizes - cute butterfly headband and
frog ("swog") fingerpuppets.

Ella decided Betty wasn't fancy enough...

Coloring Easter eggs at Wah Wah's house with cousin Connor.

Connor holding his new cousin Betty for the first time.

Ella making pancakes with Wah Wah.

Ella in the car on the way to Connor's house to play.
Sometimes I am blown away by how beautiful she is.

Aunt Tiffy showing Ella how to use the viewfinder.

Ella's favorite toy at Connor's house.

Connor the Stuntman, #1 of a series. This kid is seriously
almost indestructible, and totally fearless. There isn't a ledge he
won't hurl himself off of, an object he won't jump over, or a bike
he won't crash. When he and Ella play together, he throws himself
down dramatically in an expert stuntman crash, and Ella, not to be
outdone, carefully lowers herself to the floor in her own "crash".

Connor the Stuntman, #2.

Connor the Stuntman, #3.

Connor the Stuntman, #4: The Dramatic Finale.

Sweet little Betty Marie.

Ella in all her fanciness, blowing up a balloon.

Betty, fascinated by the ceiling fan.

Ella's self-portrait. Seriously, this sort of blew my mind.

Hunting for Easter eggs at Wah Wah's house.

Checking out the treats.

The girls in their Easter finery.

A kiss for "little Betts".

A fancy pose...

Jelly beans!

Betty & Wah Wah.

Ella doing an experiment ("'periment"). She wanted to know what
would happen if we mixed water & olive oil, so we tried it and found out!

Ella insisted I post the results of our 'periment so people would know
what happened. Be wowed, internet!

Betty after a bath. Ella saw that I might take a picture,
so she had to immediately remove her shirt and climb
up next to Betty.

Another "Take a picture of ME and Betty, Mama!" moment.

Trying on Daddy's shoes. She told me she was "going to work
to fix people's teeth."

It's tricky walking a mile in Daddy's shoes!

Sweet sleeping baby.

Ella & Betty

The first smile to be caught on film. So cute!

A sly little grin.

Work it!

Potty Training Resumed

After being offered a little potty by a friend of mine in our playgroup, I decided to resume potty training in the hopes that it wouldn't end quite so dramatically as it did last time. I'm happy to say that Ella ROCKED it! She went all on her own all day long. The only caveat is that she had to be naked almost the entire time, because it seemed to feel like business as usual when I had her wearing underpants (plus she loves any excuse to be "nuuuuude! I want to be nuuuuude!"). I have been resisting getting the separate little potty and have thus far been trying to get her to use the regular toilet with a potty seat, but it hasn't been consistent because she can't get onto the tall toilet without help. Although I don't relish the thought of having to transition from the little potty to the regular toilet, I am thrilled that she actually likes using the little potty, which she calls the "Fairy Potty" because it has fairy stickers on it, courtesy of my friend's little girls.

The day was going swimmingly, Ella was using the potty and I was actually getting housework, laundry, and Piddies done. As I was packaging a pair of bunnies and a pair of mice to ship this afternoon, Naked Ella climbed up on a chair to see what I was doing. She wanted to help cut the packing tape, so I let her use the small scissors. She asked if she could cut her hair, and when I told her, "Of course not!" she responded with her usual, "Why?" I replied that she would look silly if she cut her hair and left it at that. She climbed down, seemingly satisfied, and went over to her little table where her crayons and crafting supplies are. I turned around just in time to catch her with her little pinking shears up against her head, cutting away. I got them away from her just in the nick of time, and when I asked her why she was cutting her hair, she said, "I want to look silly." Naturally.

A few minutes after the scissors incident, she was racing around the house laughing and giggling in that hilarious high-pitched toddler way, and I was chuckling listening to her while loading the dishwasher. I noticed on her third lap that she was in hot pursuit of the poor cat, and worse, that she had found one of our spray bottles full of water and was unleashing its full fury on poor Daisy. As I was trying to catch her to get the spray bottle away, Ella cornered Daisy and yelled, "ANY QUESTIONS!?" before spraying her in the face, like some kind of tiny, naked Dirty Harry.

We're excited for Easter, and Ella has been thoroughly enjoying the "pwizes" she has received in the mail from Wah Wah Janet, Grandma Betty, Aunt Marie ("Aunt Puh-mie"), and Uncle Denny (who totally outdid himself with the packaging this time - see photo). I'm planning to color Easter eggs with her on Friday at Wah Wah Jill's house, assuming I get my act together in time to actually *get* to Wah Wah Jill's house before Easter. I've got about 6 pairs of bunnies to cobble tonight, and tomorrow I have to go get the little "pwizes" for Ella's Easter basket. My insane belief that I can do about twice as much as I actually can strikes again.

Showing off the rather hefty box sent by Uncle Denny (and Uncle Richard by proxy).


Sporting some of her fun new Easter "pwizes".