Cooper and Ellie

They love each other so much.  Cooper is always looking for Ellie and has a big smile for her when he finds her.  He laughs at anything Ellie does and even lets Ellie pick him up.  Ellie always wants to be there in the morning to wake Cooper up and always goes to say good night to him.  She is now picking him up (which scares both Victoria and I but Cooper doesn’t seem to mind) and loves to dress him.  Last night, I had him in his PJ's.  Ellie and Cooper had a little more play time before bed and when I came in to check on them, Ellie had changed Cooper into one of my shirts that Ellie has commandeered for her PJ's.  The wanted me to pick him up show she could show off her handy work to Mummy.

Summer Naps

Ellie doesn’t usually have afternoon naps but on hot summer days there is nothing better (accept possibly a swim).  Ellie looks so peaceful when she is sleeping and it is the only time when she isn’t talking.  She doesn’t like being woken up from her naps but Cooper doesn’t know that and now that he can roll over and move he is the perfect for the task.

Zoo Birthday Party

Ellie was so excited to have her zoo birthday party.  She counted down the sleeps until her party every morning and night.  She invited her many best friends both from coffee group and school.  Everyone had a great time.  The girls tried to keep the naughty boys out of the one cottage and away from the stools they were using to block the path.  The boys won this around and took over the cottage until the food was on the table.  Then, the whole group went on a 30 minute tour of the zoo in the area we were having the party.  The cake was a big success with Ellie blowing out all the candles and the kids choosing which icing animal they wanted to eat.  After the party, we spent the next few hours walking around the zoo with some close friends.  This included ice cream and the kids all getting wet playing in the fountain.    The day ended with Ellie sound asleep in the car when we arrived home.

Cooper's Toys

Ellie always tries to help Cooper.  She enjoys playing with his toys but will always give him another one if she wants to play with the one he currently has.  She will say “Ta” (NZ speak for Thank you) and then take it from him while handing him something else.  I am not sure how long this method will work but currently Cooper doesn’t mind.  She also calls him “Sweetie” and tries to comfort him when he is crying.

Turning 5

Ellie is 5 today!  I am not sure where all the time has gone but she is an amazing kid.  She is a very good swimmer and will currently tell you the story of how she was so fast she almost ran over her swim teacher.  She loves swinging, whether here at home or at any playground, she will always sit and swing for the longest time. She still tries to get us to put her into the baby swing seat.  She doesn’t have one favorite food but anything sweet will satisfy her.  Her next favorite food is Sushi then pasta but it changes often.  As for crafts, beading is at the top of the list then anything with glue, coloring, and drawling. She can write letters and knows all the letter sounds.  She is just starting to read simple words.  One thing she really enjoys is reading (looking at books).  She can’t get enough.  Each night she falls asleep after a few stories read from us and then many stories by herself after we say good night.  She usually is asleep on top of a book or one of her stuffed animals.