Happy Birthday Ella

Today was Ella's 2nd birthday.  I can't believe how fast my baby girl is growing up.  For her birthday we decided to get her a play kitchen since she has really started to develop her imagination and she likes to mimic what I do.  What better for her to mimic than to develop a love for her kitchen and cooking.  She really likes helping me in my kitchen and so far she has really enjoyed her new toy.  

We were planning a birthday party for Ella last night with a few of her little friends from church, but both Ella and Cameron have been sick with colds the last few days and it turns out that a good portion of her friends have been sick as well.  So the birthday party didn't happen this year, but we had cake and ice cream tonight as a family and then read some Christmas stories and sang Christmas songs.  Since she's only two I figure she doesn't know the difference.  I think I was more broken up over no party since I figure we didn't get to celebrate Halloween or her birthday this year due to sickness.  Oh well.

Here is Ella "helping" her dad assemble her new kitchen.  We started assembling it after she went to bed so that we could surprise her the next morning, but she didn't want to go to sleep and after repeated attempts to put her in her bed we just gave up and let her sit up with us.

How cute is this?

Ella with her new and assembled kitchen

Here is my "cookie monster".  Ella has always been a good eater.  She loves her veggies, fruits and just about anything healthy, but she really loves her cookies, ice cream and other sweets as well.  She has started asking me for cookies a lot lately and when I tell her no she gives me the cutest looks and in her sweetest voice says, "Ella cookie monster".  How can you say no to that?

Here is Ella opening her present from her Grandma Mary and Grandpa David.  She loved the book and quickly got to work on all those little flaps.