Ella Portabella

*Ella prefers to be called Olivia.

*Ella's three describers of appearance are: cool, cute, and beautiful. If she asks how she looks (which she will) and you answer incorrectly, you will be promptly yelled at. I DON'T LOOK CUTE I LOOK BEAUTIFUL!

*Ella says her favorite thing to do is draw, but she rarely lets us see what she's drawing.

*Ella enjoys dress up and role play and generally ends up being the princess. Jake doesn't want to play princess so he'll suggest playing robots or ninjas or zombies... Ella will agree, but wants to be the princess robot, princess ninja, or princess zombie. That works for Jake.

*Ella can remember any song or any dialogue she's ever heard and quotes them from memory. If anyone can tell us where "No one touches the tail" comes from, we'd be much obliged.

*Ella still has an obsession with Alice in Wonderland.

*Ella is incredible at telling jokes. She even changes songs she's heard on the radio to make the lyrics funny. The other day she changed the chorus of Animal by the Neon Trees into a song about how we should get her some juice. "Oh, oh... I want some juuuuice. Oh, oh... what are you waiting fooooor? I want some juice right now!"

*Ella is still, shall we say, "passionate" about things and often cries and screams if she doesn't get her way, but things are getting much better. She's much more playful and she and Jacob fight a lot less. We can tell that she works on calming herself down, even if she's really upset.

*Ella's big girl booster seat came in the mail this week. She picked out the one with the pink butterflies.

*Ella is a beautiful dancer. This fall when she's enrolled in Pre-K she'll get to go to "ballerina school." She's been looking forward to this for two years.

*Ella likes to make up songs and she loves to sing.

*Ella's favorite nail polish color is light pink with glitter.

*Ella does NOT like marshmallows in her hot chocolate.

*Ella's favorite food is "meat."

*Ella told her babysitter, "You can't be my babysitter anymore because I'm not a baby. We have to be just friends."

*Ella has long skinny fingers like her mother.

*Ella still only wears dresses, but will consent to tights or leggings because they "look stylish."

*Ella's bedtime is 7:30 but she's rarely asleep before 10.

*Ella is disappointed that brushing her hair doesn't make it longer.

*Ella tries to spell all the time... "CUH-AH-TUH. Cat!"

*Ella wrote her name the other day and I exclaimed, "Oh! Ella! You wrote your name!" She replied, "That doesn't say Ella it says Olivia! E-L-L-A Olivia!"

*Ella is VERY ticklish!

*Ella loves her shoes so much that the often sleeps in them.

*Ella is afraid of heights, but still wants to hang from the chin-up bar. She whimpers the whole time, but asks to do it again and again.

*If Ella's cup is not refilled fast enough, she will walk to the fridge, pull out the juice or milk, and bring it to you and put it in your lap. "Now can I have some juice?"

*Over Christmas break, Kris and I awoke to find Ella sprawled out on the couch, watching tv, and gnawing on a 2 pound ham.

*Ella said to Kris, "Let me give you a kiss." Kris leaned down and presented his cheek. Ella quickly stuck out her tongue, said "BLEH!" and licked his cheek.

*Last night, Kris leaned down and said, "See you in the morning." Ella quickly punched him in the arm and said, "See you in the punching!" She's so like her mother... lol