Ellie at age 3

I don't mean to brag, but Ellie's development and growth has always shined through fairly early at each age. The things she learned and grasped has always surprised us and her tendency to be such a happy, well behaved girl was/is amazing. The terrible two's didn't really hit, but this girl had been pushing her limits more and more the closer she got to age 3. Can we say three-nager?!

Every day we are all learning...her as a kid and us as parents. We are all trying to navigate each stage. There are many days that are hard, but there are always the same amount of amazing days. Time is going fast, but I'm so glad I get to be home with her and Steven is blessed with many days off from work. I always say each stage is amazing to watch and be a part of.

Here are some things that highlight our girl...

Wants to wear a dress practically every day.
Favorite colors are pink and purple. If there's a clothing item that's either of those colors, she'll usually pick it over the rest.
Loves dressing up in a princess costume or in some sort of ballerina attire at some point every day.
Wants to take off her socks and pants as soon as we get home.
Can say her full name, "Ellie Mishelle Norris"
Knows our names.
Dances all the time. Many twirls and leaps/jumps.
Asks 'why?' all.the.time! It can be a bit exhausting.
Still loves to suck on her ring and middle finger at the same time; especially when she's tired.
Counts to 12 really well and has been counting things with her fingers.
Knows we pray before our meals and if by chance we forget for some reason, she'll usually say "we forgot to pray!" and will want to do it then.
Talks quiet when responding to someone she doesn't know well. So, fairly shy sometimes.
Likes to be held off and on, and boy is she heavy!
Can still have a hard time sharing mom and dad's attention with Paige.
Squats down to a baby and talks in a baby voice, saying things like, "Awe, you're so cute!" "It's okay baby/Paige" etc.
Takes a 2 hour nap basically every day. Some days she'd sleep longer if we let her.
Succumbing to sleep at bedtime can take a good hour, no matter what time we put her down.
Talks up a storm after waking (ever since she learned to talk for that matter).
Can take a good 45 minutes to eat a meal.
Favorite show/movies currently: Sofia the First, all Toy Story movies, Frozen, Monsters, Inc.
Enjoys books and being read to.
Loves being told stories before bed.

^ Her request: a chocolate cake, with pink frosting and Poppy on it. 

Wish granted!