On being two...

Can you believe this little girl is two already? 

So as I sit here and type, it's Mother's Day, and I'm away from my little girl. Why, you may ask? Well, cause Kevin and I are currently sitting at IAH waiting for our plane to the UK. Our 10th anniversary is this year, and I'm turning 35 (yikes!), so we came up with this grand plan to escape from it all for two weeks together. That means little bit is getting to stay at her Mimi and Grandma's houses for the next two weeks (THANK YOU!!!). While I'm super excited to be getting away, it's also the longest and farthest I've ever been away from Emma, so I figured blogging a little might help with the separation anxiety.

Emma turned two years old April 12th. TWO, people. That means she knows it all now, right?!? Well, she likes to think so, that for sure. The twos haven't been terrible yet, but they haven't been a walk in the park either. So, here's some things I think you should know about our wonderful little two year old girl.

First time with barrettes

• She's growing, growing, and growing! At her two year doctor's appointment, she weighed in at 26 lbs. and measured 36 inches in height. She's three feet tall already! Her hair is finally growing too. We managed back in March to finally get some barrettes in her hair, and now we wear little half-up pigtails with bows on quite a frequent basis. I think she's starting to like the bows, but mainly because Minnie Mouse wears them too.

• She's daring. This little girl likes a good challenge. Whether it's being tossed in the air by her uncles or sliding down the biggest slide she can possibly find, there seems to be no stopping her. Just because she's little doesn't mean she isn't willing to try something new. We got the chance to go to The Little Gym back in March, and she loved getting to walk on the balance beam, hang from the bars, and all the other gymnastics tricks. And she did it all without batting an eye, cause she's fearless like that. While I'm glad she doesn't let anything hold her back, it makes a mama a bit worried sometimes that she's going to push it too far. Of course, it also means we usually have a lot of bumps and bruises and owwies to kiss at our house.

Video: Going down the big slide
(Note: if you read the blog via email, you'll have to go to the website to see the videos) 

 

Video: Going down the big slide #2

Video: Jumping at The Little Gym

 

• She's creative. Emma is not the kind of kid who has to play with the toy like it's meant to be played with. She's always finding some new way to use a toy, a block, a bucket, etc. to make up a new game. She likes art at school and making music at home, so I definitely see a creative side to her and can't wait til she gets older and we can play more make believe games and dress up.

 

• She's silly. Emma loves to play games and act silly. She's quite the ham and knows how to make everyone smile or laugh either with (or at) her. Since she's not shy, she's always willing to put on a show just so she can be the center of attention. 

Video: Flashlight Attack

• She's got a chill style that's all her own. We're not at the age where she gets to choose her own clothes yet, but that doesn't mean she doesn't exude her own sense of style in how she acts while wearing or accessorizing them. Most days we're pretty chill around our house and like to stay in our pjs. But don't let that fool you - those pjs are often accessorized with bracelets, sunglasses, or hats.  And don't forget about the paci - the paci is the most important fashion accessory for this toddler even though we're slowly trying to wean her time off it (Shhh, don't tell her!).

• She's very independent. I would say this goes hand in hand with her daring side, but her independent spirit goes further than that. When she gets it in her mind that she's going to do something, by golly, she's going to do. Take for example learning to use a fork. One day she was like, I hate the fork; I don't want to use the fork. The next day, she was like, I will use nothing but the fork even though I don't know how to use it. I MUST have the fork to eat. She tells us, "I do it." a lot these days, and for the most part, we try (within reason) to let her do things herself. 
  

Video: Emma goes to work

 

• She loves her family. Emma loves getting to hang out with all of her family members. Uncle Philip and Ashley come over to babysit sometimes. Granny Marjorie comes over and brings her lunch. Her Mimi and Grandma let her spend the night at their house. In other words, everyone pretty much spoils her. But she loves on everyone for it. She showers them with hugs and kisses and cries every time they have to leave and they don't take her with them. It sweet to see her get so excited about seeing her family.

We ended up having a Minnie Mouse birthday party this year (surprise, surprise), and it was a blast. We had a busy weekend because my brother Stephen got engaged the day before in College Station, but that didn't hold us back from having a fun time with friends and family. I can't believe our little girl is already two. Where did the time go? It really does seem like just yesterday I was holding this tiny little baby in my arms, so grateful for the miracle God had blessed us with, and now she is growing into such a big girl with an even bigger heart. While not every day is the easiest, we wouldn't trade a moment with Emma.

 

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