Elle is 5!

Dear Elle, at FIVE you are imaginative and keep us smiling and laughing daily!

"I want to live in my pink house with my man. My big, humongous man is waiting for me."

"My big sister has a rabbit and a dragon and a hawk and a monkey and I hold him, my monkey. And there's just a little dragon and big bunny rabbit and I hold her super quick and, do you want to see them? It's far, far away in an airplane. My sister she has a toothbrush..." (you just keep going!)

"Now I am not bossy to you and now you are happy! Mom, may I please have my water?" (You were proving to me that you could be polite when you want to be.)

Whenever you make a statement you look to Reece and ask, "Wight Weece?"

When we had to get up early to drive to LA, you excitedly asked, "Are we gonna get the worm?!"

You sing, "I am a jail girl!" (instead of I am a champion) by Katy Perry. When Meghan Trainor sings Raise your cups... you sing Raise your cuffs and put your hands up like they're hand-cuffed.

When Jamie Grace sings Every Bit of Lovely, you say "Her been talking to me!"

"Him's in love of me!" said about a boy you met at Kid's Games at North Coast Calvary Chapel's summer camp.

You love to be in control.  Once you realize you've lost it, you will "secretly" manipulate the situation to regain your control.

You are still not too interested in learning anything academic.  I've told you that I am a teacher and love teaching you, but you won't have it.  At this point, I think it's an Elle rebellion. 

We have decided to keep you in preschool one more year.  We asked you if you would like to be one of the oldest in your class, or one of the youngest.  That was an easy answer for you!

One night I asked you what you want to do.  Without hesitation you told me you wanted to put on my lipstick and jewelry, put on one of my dresses and heels, and then do each other's hair and nails.  You were in heaven!

You also love to pose for photos:

You want a dog so bad. You are devastated that we do not have one and don't understand why other little girls do. You notice when other dogs look at you, and get so excited. You know to ask owners if you can pet them, and will go straight to them at the park.

You count 1-20 finally have the teens. Get to 22 then 13 14... Repeat

You LOVE your big brother!

You love to tickle and be tickled! When I'm talking seriously to you, you'll get a smirky grin and reach up into my armpit.

You shared a Mermaid & Pirate birthday party with Micah, who turned 4. Your friends all came and played at the park at Cardiff Sports Park.

You got your ears pierced for your fifth birthday. We went to 101 piercing and Bradley was amazing with you. He told you to "smell the flowers, and blow out the candle" to help you through it. You were the perfect patient. I saw a little fear when he finished the first and starting moving to the second one, but you maintained your breathing and were so happy to finally have big girl earrings!

After receiving your first Bible, you took it outside. When you came back in you told us "I went to the treehouse and prayed."

You lost your first tooth!

A few more things you say...

I'm drinky (thirsty)

fefore for before

hurt my theelngs for feelings
he's bein a juk (jerk) or a bully or a brat
oh my gee for OMG

You continue to enjoy gymnastics and are loving soccer. You are athletic!

And finally, here is your interview!

Nicknames  ElleBelle, Ellers

What is your name?  I know my whole name… Elle Christine Beck

How old are you?  Five (with a big smile)

What is your favorite color?  Blue… Light Blue

What is your favorite animal?  “You guess, Mom…” “Dog?” “Yes, dog!”

What is your favorite book?  Hello Kitty with her Grandma

What is your favorite TV show?  Clifford when he’s a puppy

What is your favorite movie?  “Honey I Shrunk the Kids”

What is your favorite song?  The one we sing on the way to church… The God I Know by Love and the Outcome

What is your favorite food?  Dyed Cheese (Cheddar Cheese)

What is your favorite drink?  Pink Lemonade

What is your favorite snack?  Marshmallows

What is your favorite toy?  The game Hullabaloo

Who is your best friend?  Hannah (Butler)

What is your favorite thing to do?  Play and have fun

What is your favorite thing to do outside?  The monkey bars

Where is your favorite place to go?  To get gum and Trader Joe’s

What is your favorite restaurant?  In-n-Out! Wait, no! The place where the play structure is… The one that’s not very good for us (McDonald’s)

Where do you want to go on vacation?  To Papa and Nana’s and Grandpa and Grandma’s

What do you want to be when you grow up?  A mom

What makes you happy?  My brother

What makes you sad?   I don’t want to talk about sad

What did you do on your birthday? Ate donuts and I loved them!

 

Elle at 4 1/2!

Elle, at 4 1/2 half...

You can difficult because you like to be in control.

You love to have a good time! If someone smiles at you or laughs, you always join in.
You are competitive, especially with Reece.
You are stubborn and you don't like to be wrong. When asked to apologize, you still growl it with a mean face.  We have gotten stricter with this one.  If you cannot apologize nicely, you go right back to your room and come back out when you're ready... you usually come right back out because you don't like being alone.
You love to look in the mirror when you are talking to me.  You are dramatic with your expressions and movements. You put your hands on your hips, step your foot out, bend your hip to the side and look up with eyebrows raised and a sassy face when you want to prove a point.
You LOVE gymnastics and you love Ms. Yolanda!  You are learning to do a handstand, cartwheels, and round-offs.
You LOVE your brother.  You want to make him happy, so you tell him about the cool race car you saw on the freeway, or tell him the new animal facts you learned while he was away at school.
You are just now showing interest in letters and are beginning to write a few.

Elle:

"This is hilarious." (when frustrated) with crossed arms and a deep voice.
"That's disgusting."

"Jesus made it all beautiful!"

You love to talk to people, the older, the better.  Often at Reece's baseball games, I will find you chatting away on a grandparent's lap.  And of course, they all love you!

You like to be in control, and are very stubborn when things are not going your way.  This morning you asked for help getting a snack from deep in the cupboard.  When I asked you to ask nicely (instead of Get me a snack) you sat for a while, then said you didn't know how to ask nicely or what to say. You decided to struggle and climb into the cabinet instead of receiving my help by asking politely.

You won't let me hold your hand when we cross the street or are in a parking lot.  Instead you will hold my clothes, purse, or my pinky... your way of having control.

Each night you ask, What's after we stop sleeping?  Then what's after we stop sleeping (the next day)? Then what's after we stop sleeping (the next day)?  I usually cut it off once we've gotten through one week.

If you're upset with someone you instantly tell them or me that they are NOT going to your birthday.

You are creative when saying grace, and will thank God for things really on your mind.

You like to be in control. If I take out your pink socks, you will put on your purple socks.  You basically want to make the decisions, and we've learned to adjust.  So, if I need you to wear the pink socks, I know to give you the purple ones first. Ha! Someday soon you'll catch on.

We sure do love you and the fierceness God has gifted you with! You're going to do GREAT things, ElleBelle!

Reece is 6!

At your six year appointment you weighed 42 pounds and were 3’8”  You came out of your vision and hearing exam beaming and said, “I just love that test!”  Dr. Dern looked you over and listened to your lungs.  She asked you a few questions, which you answered matter of factly.  You made Dad and I smile in each other’s eyes because we are so proud of you.  Dr. Dern mentioned that you needed your MMR booster shot.  She asked how you were feeling and you said your throat hurts a little sometimes.  We though you had been saying your throat hurt because Elle had a bad cough and was getting cough drops.  We just thought you wanted some too.  Well, they tested you for Strep (because they didn’t want to give you a shot when you were sick) and sure enough, you had Strep!  We were so surprised, and felt bad because we didn’t realize you were sick. You’re on antibiotics now, thank goodness!

"Mom can I watch a show (right after waking up)?"

"Wait a minute and let your brain wake up."

"Mom, I counted to 60."

You insist each night that you are not tired.  You want to stay up with us.  You fall asleep on the floor or couch, and then when we pick you up, you insist you were just resting your eyes and you are not tired.  We say okay and carry you to bed where you say, "I'm just going to lay here for a minute... but I'm not tired." We say okay, kiss you goodnight, and smile.

You love:

    Snap Circuits
    Browsing through the Children's Illustrated Dictionary
    Little League, especially the pitching machine withLuke, Max, and Brooks
    Elle
    Comfort from Mom.  You will look me deep in the eyes and stare with a smile, then wink.  You come         randomly for a hugs.  You want me especially when you're tired or sad.  Before bed you still love a             story, a song, and a back rub/scratch.

    Songs: ABC's, You are my Sunshine, Over in Killarney

You won't hold my hand in public, unless I make you when crossing a busy street on in a parking lot.

In Sprouts, "I’ll go find my own snack. Stay there mom." You ran back to me two times to check in, then finally found the granola bars on your own.

Before Kindergarten began...
"Mom if you have tears in your eyes I'm going to say KINDERGARTEN IS COOL to you."
At the end of your first day of K: "I had so much fun! I learned about stink bugs, camouflage, and green & black!"

"Mom, I want you to drop me off so I can put my backpack on the fence and play.  Just park and I’ll cross the street and go to school by myself." We made a deal that I would drop you off on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I still walk in with you on MWF.

I never thought I would tell you to stop reading, but I have to all the time.  You are a reader, ReecerBoy, big time.  Whether you are engrossed in a Magic Tree House book, or digging through a National Geographic Kids magazine, you are hooked!  This is such a good problem to have... but you need to get to school on time!  You love to read in the car, too... this can be a problem for you, because it's really hard to focus with Elle singing right next to you!

"Mom, I had a bad story in my head (dream/nightmare)

"This is where Jesus is, inside the rock, and Jesus is inside there and the sign says "No people allowed, only Jesus." But he's not there, he's in heaven!"

Elle to Reece: "Reece do you have a favorite girl yet? Jesus gives you your favorite girl, you know. Then you have a baby grow in her tummy."

You're learning punctuation, so you talk like this... "Mom how are you question mark... I'm happy exclamation point"

You're always thinking and observing... "How can you draw a grabber using a 3 & a Z?"

On the Coaster's Holiday Express you asked Santa to choose something to get you ("Because he's not the real Santa anyway, so it doesn't matter, Mom.").

Elle asked for a real dog, a real phone, and tattoos.

You are reading all the signs around you. "Mom you can't turn around here." (reading a No U-Turn sign)
You're also spelling everything: H.i m.o.m.  N.o. M.o.m.
O is my favorite because it's a letter, a word, a number and a shape!
How is there so much space around us if the Earth is so small? After looking at pic of the universe.

Nicknames  Reecer… used by friends and teammates, too! ReecerBoy

What is your name?  Reece… Reece Michael Beck

How old are you?  Six

What is your favorite color?  Green

What is your favorite animal?  Puffer Fish, because it can blow up with spikes

What is your favorite book?  Everybody Loves Bacon, I gave it to my class as a gift

What is your favorite game?  UNO

What is your favorite TV show?  Canimals and Wild Kratts

What is your favorite movie?  Planes Fire and Rescue

What is your favorite song?  I don’t know any songs, actually… just put a boy one on there for me

What is your favorite food?  Apples

What is your favorite drink?  Apple juice

What is your favorite snack?  PB&J sandwich

What is your favorite toy?  My new Lego Ninjago set

Who is your best friend?  Jonah (from Kindergarten)

What is your favorite thing to do?  Go to Legoland

What is your favorite thing to do outside?  Drive my RC car

Where is your favorite place to go?  To Chick-fil-A

What is your favorite restaurant?  Wendy’s

Where do you want to go on vacation? Grandma and Grandpa’s

What do you want to be when you grow up?  A construction worker because I want to learn how to build

What makes you happy?  Having friends over

What makes you sad?  When someone does something mean to me

What did you do on your birthday?  Had friends over… “Kindergarten friends… Luke, Max, Brooks, Jonah & me!”