Sweet Ella Grace

We were waiting at the clinic for Evan's therapy session to start. I caught Ella checking herself out in the mirror!

It's hard for me to believe Ella Grace is quickly approaching 2 1/2 (on the 21st). I have been full of thankfulness this week (even more so than normal) that I get to stay home with her every day. When I had Evan, Derek and I went out on this huge leap of faith. I quit my job to stay home with my baby. It was so scary and definitely an adjustment period, but I am SO glad we did it. With Evan I felt so robbed of my time with him because as soon as we thought he might have autism (age two), we put him in a therapeutic pre-school. This was the best thing for him at the time, but I was so sad! I spent most days just watching the clock until it was time to go pick him up from school.

It has been a thrill for me to be with Ella Grace every single day. We definitely have a full schedule. We go for weekly Gymboree classes and a weekly play group, and in between there is shopping, lunch dates, house work, and taking Evan to school and therapy. We are in the car A LOT and she is such a little trooper! We have so much fun and I'm so glad to experience the world with her.

I adore that Ella Grace loves baby dolls so much. They all have names and this one she appropriately named, "Baby Ella Grace." She sat down on this trampoline and said, "Take my picture."

Here are just a few things my soon-to-be 2 1/2-year-old girl is saying these days:

These two are my absolute favorites and melt my heart..."Momma, I love you SO much ever!" It's usually followed with, "I love you all the time, Momma."

She LOVES to have her toenails painted. We painted them last week and she hasn't stopped talking about them or showing them to anyone who will look at them. Ha! She says, "Look at my fingernails (sometimes she says toenails but most of the time fingernail). They are soooo pink."

"Lil' ladies don't talk about poots." Ack! I am really trying to enforce being a lady. For some reason, she just thinks this is SO funny! Oh, dear!

"I wear panties." "No more diapers!" Yes, she is officially potty trained. :)

She crosses her legs and shakes her foot and says, "I sit like a lady." I really am training her up to be a little Southern lady. Ha!

"Momma, I hilarus (hilarious)!" Yes, she is!

"I funny!"

"I silly boy (we're still working on that...ha)!"

"I so proud!"

When listening to praise music in the car this morning, she was singing "Hu-lay-lu-wah" for hallelujah. I just wanted to cry it was so sweet!

Yesterday she told Evan, after he was all dressed in some new shorts and shirt, "You look cute, Evan." Ha!

"Momma, you are so sweet." I promise to do not coach this or when she strokes my hair and says, "Momma precious."

There are so many more, but these are definitely my favorites! Does it get any better than this? I sure don't think so!