Ella Grace

I feel a little overwhelmed as I try to sit down and write this post.  I have been uploading photos to it since I finished my previous post about Julian, and now there are about a ga-jillion photos here! But describing the plethora of photos is not necessarily what I find daunting (although that's definitely part of it).  I find daunting the challenge of putting into words how amazing this little (and I mean "little") ball of beauty and brains I call Ella Grace truly is. (BTdubs...these pics are crazy-out-of-chronological-order.)

 

 Her zest for life is unmatched.  

She is a firecracker, and I really love that.  If there's one thing I hope not to pass onto my children, it's my timidness when it comes to telling people how it is.  I have definitely gotten better at this as I have gotten older, but it's still usually pretty difficult for me.  So far, this little girl gives every indication that she will grow to be an assertive little leader. Her personality reminds me so much of my niece, her cousin, Kate. (In fact, as I think about that, I am reminded of how when she was much younger, I described her to my sister-in-law, and Beth would say "that's Kate!") And what a compliment to my sweet girl that is!

 Ella Grace is happiest when she's running free outside and playing "pay! pay!" as she would say with the giddiest little high-pitched voice as she runs towards a playground:)

And I cannot forget to mention how much she LOVES her Daddy!  And oh boy, he sure loves her!!!

 I used to say that Julian was "fearless" about the water when he was her age.  Well, he had nothin' on Miss Priss!  This child scares me at the pool ten times more than her brother ever did! 

 Ella Grace is also happiest when she's eating!! Stace and I have noticed how Ella Grace will often tell us when she's happy because she'll say "happy! happy!" when she's doing something that brings her joy.  So, we hear this a lot when she's eating;)

It's amazing to me how I can see the nurturing side of her at such a young age. Here she is feeding her kitty (a little girl from church gave Ella Grace her kitty because she knew EGS loved it. So sweet!)

 She is obsessed with the song "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" lately:)

 "Up a buh buh buh buh buh!"

Like most kids, she has never met a park she didn't like, but she sure LOVES to play at the sand park!!! The beach will be extra fun this year! (As it was SO fun in Hawaii! More on that later:)

 She is not deterred at. all. by a challenge that would seemingly be too advanced for her!

She takes on the challenge with a smile and without a second thought...

 Even when she falls down...

 She deals with it...

 and gets right back up!

 

She attacked this curved ladder like it was N.B.D. Even older kids at the park cried out for help once they got higher to the top. Ella Grace climbed to the top all by herself three times on her first day of trying. 

 

She still loves to swing:)

 Last week she painted for the first time.  Given how much she is OB.SESSED. with coloring, one could have easily guessed how much painting (a kitty cat, no less) would absolutely thrill her! As you can see in the photo, she decided to hug her kitty;)

 I looked back at her as I was driving last week, and was just struck by her beauty.  I had to take a quick pic at a stop light.

 

 She learned how to hold a Popsicle by the stick last week!

 Have I mentioned how much I love my children's profiles?

 

Honey-child has a head of hair that gets more compliments than I think I've ever received about anything and everything in my entire life...

 She loves to "hang on! hang on!" to things:)

  She's gonna love gymnastics one day!

Her hair was pretty poofy on Easter Sunday because it had been in pigtails before!

She LOVES her Aunt Candace, and she LOVES kitty cats!

Feeding Willis a treat:)

Here she is with my mom and a llama at the zoo!

Daddy entertaining her on our 8-hour flight from Dallas to Honolulu!

She pretty much had the best time ever in Hawaii! She loved playing with her brother:)

This pic is too funny to me.  She was so groggy chowing down on her Lunchable for breakfast one morning:)

I will do a post completely devoted to Hawaii, but I am sharing a few preview pics:)

Ella Grace had more fun that I could possibly even come close to putting into words in that pool with her Pop Pop! I am seriously in love with this picture:)

See, we are going super-backwards here!! The pics below were at the Sirmans Easter party:)

She couldn't get over her excitement at all the puppies running around!! Here she is giving one of them hugs:)

She seriously gives some amazing hugs!! I would say "the best" but, you know, Julian's hugs are equally as amazing! :)

She loves her some pickles! And some hats.  So she's pretty happy in the pic below:)

Oh man, she LOVED pulling this little suitcase all over tarnation on traveling days to and from HI!  She garnered quite a crowd as they all smiled and "aww'ed" at her.  She was just takin' care of business:)

Again, not scared by anything!  She was pretty thrilled by this big kitty:)

And this sweet little lamb:)

Coloring during General Conference.  I love how she's hunched over in concentration:)

 

 

This is her doing her best to give Willis a hug as he sits atop a trash lid:)

She leaves no room for a personal bubble when it comes to kitties:)

That hair...swoon!

If you're happy to be in Hawaii, clap your hands!

My little hula girl!

This picture should be next to the word "happiness" in the dictionary:)

We waited for the sunset on the beach with Candace and Julian while Daddy and Pop Pop hobnobbed in HI:)

Tiny dancer:)

She insisted on holding the bag of popcorn herself; I think this fun-size bag almost weighed her down;)

I can't post a pic without sharing her "pout face" that she started doing for a bit!  We haven't seen much of it at all really in the last few weeks.  But it was adorable on that tiny little mug while it lasted;) I'm sure it will make another appearance again in her lifetime a time or two;)

We took this photo and I captioned it with "Dear Black Sand Beach Officials, please excuse my daughter. She can't read yet. #nobownogo #nakedasajaybird." I thought I was so clever. HA! ;)

Flying us home from the Dallas airport:)

She asked her Pop Pop to let her sit in one of these little cubby holes.  She's our "teacup baby" for sure;)

A few weeks ago she started telling us when she needed to go potty!!! WHOA?! Wasn't she just born? Honey child went #1 and #2 on the potty three times on the flight to Hawaii.  She has not gone on the potty since, however.  I think the loud flush on the airplane may have traumatized her!

On this night she was begging to go outside and look at the "sky! sky!" to see the "tars!" (that she's obsessed with.)

She was exlaiming "yay! yay!" when she realized her wish was my command. Here I am getting excited with her to go look at the stars;)

I just love her little look of amazement:)

 We all went to a hula class, and baby girl participated!! It was only kind of adorable. HA!

Here we all are on April 20, the day Berk took out his endowments in the temple.  What a special day that was!! Pretty much a perfect day, really:) Not the best pic, but you get the picture;)

Wow! I can't believe I made it to the end of the pics and it's not 4 AM! Go me:)  Here's another nakey-pic of her for good measure:)

I started teaching Ella Grace how to pray herself the other night before bed.  It was absolutely so precious.  She whispers the words as she repeats them.  It's so quiet and still. It's like she knows she's learning how to do something super-duper special, and accordingly, she's being reverent. The spirit is there. I get a little emotional in those moments.  It is in those calm and near-silent moments that I stop and revel in the beauty of motherhood.  What a blessing it is to have been given the responsibility of raising these children in the ways of the Lord.  How humbling it is to know that He trusts me enough to this massively important work.  The magnitude of the calling of motherhood cannot be understated, and it can be so scary at times when you get caught up in the news and all the crazy things that are going on around us in this world.  But in our quiet moments at home, where we are praying and reading the scriptures, or having our Family Home Evenings, I feel assured that all will be well as I lean on Him for guidance and support. 

Ella Grace is special.  She truly is something else.  The smiles she gives me in the mornings etched into my memory forever. She squeals with delight when she sees me after waking up, and it pretty much makes my life complete. She sings her own renditions of songs like "Hakuna Matata", "Twinkle, Twinkle", "Beauty and the Beast",  the Ariel Song, and "Winnie the Pooh" and it's just adorable. She is really good at telling us what's on her mind, even though she is not full-on talking yet (though she does have lots and lots of words)! I used to be so good at writing down the words Julian had at each stage.  I think if I tried to to do that right now with Ella Grace, I would get hardly any sleep tonight, and we're going to the strawberry field in the morning so I better wrap this up!  

This girl truly lights up my life alongside her sweet brother.  The way she walks, runs, talks, smiles, sings, pretends, plays, squeals, laughs, tickles, plays "Where's Ella Grace", races car along the ground, colors, plays in the bath, tries to ride bikes and trikes...tries to be so independent, tells me what she wants when she wants it...it all just melts my heart.  She is perfect.  I am so grateful she is mine!

Oh, as of this past weekend, fake crying is her new thing.  Check this out:)

Here she is at Target last week before bed time.  And yes, that is her version of Tangled's "I Have a Dream" and the "Ariel song". When I ask her "where's brother?" She exlaims "brother!"

This was the first time she'd said "No worries" and "days". It was last week:)