7.

We've had almost two weeks to get used to it, but Ella Grace is seven years old!

 It seems like just yesterday she looked like the first photo...sigh.

It's amazing how Ella has transformed from our dark-haired, blue-eyed, chubby baby girl, to our dusty blonde, hazel-eyed slender young lady.

I love Ella's heart and her sensitivity.  

She is definitely our peace-maker.  Sandwiched in between Nathan and Adeline, she may not have had much choice. She can't stand it when others are hurting or upset...often to a fault.  Many a time has she given up a toy or something she wanted in order to prevent someone else from crying.  Ironically, though she dislikes crying, she is usually the first to shed tears when  things don't go as planned.

Ella loves all things girly.  She loves to dress up and accessorize, and if it were up to her there would be fresh cut flowers in the house all the time (okay, who wouldn't love this?!)

Ella excels at math and is great with numbers.  Reading requires more effort, but she has improved greatly and is becoming much more confident.  Ella would love to do art all day long, and has completed many "self-guided" projects.

I wanted to interview Ella on her 7th birthday (ish) to record all her faves and ambitions.  Here is a bit of Ella, as told by Ella.

My favorite food is:  mac and cheese 
My favorite sport to play is:  basketball
The best show on t.v. is:  Big Hero 6 
The coolest person on Earth is:  the President
My favorite thing to learn about in school is:  the Pilgrims
The thing I do the most awesomely is:  play with my Legos
If I could anywhere in the world, I'd go to:  England 
My favorite color is:  Blue
When I grow up I'm going to be :  a crossing guard
My favorite song is:  Let's Do the Countdown (apparently from some library movie I missed out on)
The book I am loving right now is:  Fancy Nancy 
Three words that describe me are:  "I like to read", "I like to color", "I like to sing" 
When I was little I used to:  chew on stuff
My favorite season of the year is:  Winter because it's Christmas and my birthday
The snack I like best is:  Munchies (chip mix)
The food I really dislike is:  squash and zucchini
My best friend is:  Lyla
If I had one wish, it would be: to have a dog
My best memory is:  when I had my baby sister

We pray that God will continue to grow her sweet caring spirit.  We pray she may grow in selfless love and have a deep love for God's people and the injustices in this world.  We also pray that God would give her wisdom and teach her to guard her heart.

We love you sweet Ella Grace.  We are so thankful to God to have you as part of our family, and we consider it a great privilege and honor to be your parents.  May God bless you and call you to Himself as you continue to grow in wisdom and stature.