Jack and Ella Update

I wanted to write down what my children are doing these days because I know I'll love looking back and reading it. Plus, there are a few family members and friends far away who I know would love to hear what's new with them!

Is it just me or do firstborn children take FOREVER to go through each stage and subsequent children fly through them? I felt like Ella was a baby for so long and now Jack is nearing his first birthday already and it feels like he was born 5 hours ago.
Jack is actually nine months old now and officially crawling! He is slow and steady but getting stronger each day. He prefers standing up to crawling and attempts to pull himself up on everything. He also has mastered the sitting from a crawl position, as I found out when I went to get him up from his nap the other day and he was sitting up in his crib.
He wants to be put down more than held but he has stipulations. I must remain within eyesight, preferably sitting next to him on the floor. I spend a lot of time on the floor these days.
He absolutely adores Ella. Anytime she comes in the room his eyes light up and he starts kicking his legs and smiling ear to ear. Ella loves him too and always makes a big fuss over him. She will sit on the floor and hand him toys. If he starts crying she says, "No tears, baby Jack" in the sweetest voice. They definitely have their moments...Jack does this little screech when Ella takes his toys and she yells heartily when he does the same, but for the most part their relationship is harmonious.
Jack is eating everything he can get his hands on, i.e. small pieces of whatever I made for the rest of us. He weighs 21 pounds. Enough said.
I loved his baby look but his hair was getting a little crazy. I was in denial but while I was visiting my mom one day, she begged me to let her cut his hair. She did a great job and he now looks so much older.
















Ella is 3 years old. She is in preschool this fall and loves it. She is always surprising me with what she knows (and understands)! She was in my dear friends' wedding this fall as a flower girl and since that day has not stopped talking about "gettin' married". If she sees someone in what could remotely be viewed as wedding attire,she asks if they are getting married. She tries to remove my wedding rings every day and when I say no, she asks if Daddy will get her a wedding ring. I tell her that in 20 or 30 years someone special will get her a wedding ring.
Ella is in a princess phase. It's bad. The minute she can strip out of normal clothes and get into one of her princess costumes she does. She would wear her costumes 24/7 if I let her. She also discovered she can put a dress on Jack and have a dress up buddy!

Jack is not a fan. 

She loves painting and coloring, playing outside in any weather, playing hide and seek, dancing with Jack and Mommy, telling stories, watching all the old Disney movies, and reading books.
 She has a special love for her Daddy. If I make her sad (usually when she is being naughty..) she will say "I miss my Daddy, I need him." through her sobs. It's terribly cute (and manipulative). Every morning when he leaves for work, she makes sure everyone gets a hug and kiss and then insists she gets an extra one.

Her stubbornness, independence and energy are her greatest strengths and her greatest weaknesses. We joke that she is a Sour Patch kid, so incredibly sweet and then the next minute...but she is a blessing,even in the more trying times, because we know God uses her to stretch and grow Nick and I as parents.

Ella is very excited about Christmas this year. She took great interest in cutting down and decorating the tree and wants to read all our books about Christmas over and over again. White Christmas is literally stuck in our VHS player.. so that's on repeat until after Christmas, when I guess we will have to figure out how to remove it. I told her the other day while we were talking about presents, "Mommy and Daddy got you lots of presents you get to open on Christmas day.". Her eyes got big and she clasped her hands and said "O thank you Mommy, I so excited!".

I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!