Monday, February 22, 2016

Sally's 2nd Birthday


Happy  2nd Birthday, Sally Jean

 For Sally's 2nd birthday, we had a small family celebration.  We had her grandparents, Aunt Kelly, Uncle Jeremy, Aunt Kris, Ashleigh, Jack, Sydney, and Maddie over for her bday.  We had simple snacks like hummus and pita chips, chips and salsa, and cake and ice cream.  I was quite a slacker with this birthday.  I did just have a baby, so I guess it is permissible.  Anyway, everything was store bought this year.  

Sally was given some really cool things this birthday.  She received a purse with items like a credit card, phone, bracelet, and keys and dress up clothes from her Aunt Kelly, Maddie and Jack.  She got an xylophone and a pretend phone from Uncle Jeremy, Aunt Kris, Ashleigh, and Sydney.  She got clothes and Lucy, the dog who obeys commands you tell her from her Mimi and PopPop.  She got 2 Pigeon books and the Pigeon from us.  She also got a play piggy bank and a seek and find from Curtis' mom.  I noticed that when she opened her presents, she was very curious about each present and was not in a huge hurry to move on to the next present until she got to look intently at the present she just opened.  

She had a blast eating her cake and getting it all over her, thanks to the encouragement from her cousins.  She was very excited to have family over to play and spend time with her.  
















Thursday, February 18, 2016

Sally's 2 year letter

Sally,
You are 2 years old now.  Our lives would be so boring without you.  You are one tenacious, strong-willed, feisty little girl.  You are completely FULL of yourself, pretty much all the time.  This year has been full of fun for you and has had a few hard times, too.  You have gotten to go to Disney, the beach, visit great grandma, and await the arrival of your new little sister, Evelyn.  You have also had croup, an ear infection, major temper tantrums, and an eye patch to help (hopefully) correct your recent diagnosis of strabismus.  But in the grand scheme of things, these small things are nothing and I am blessed to have only dealt with these types of problems and not anything major.

As you can see here, you love ice cream/frozen yogurt.  You love sprinkles and whipped cream on yours.  You love sweets, carbs,  dried berries, and cheese. You have finally taken a liking to peanut butter and like it on sandwiches or crackers.  You still love your milk with Ovaltine.  You also love pacifiers, but now you have become super picky and only like certain  kinds. We are trying to limit your contact with pacifiers to naps and bedtime.   You love reading books that have lots of emotion in them and it is really funny to watch you try to imitate me reading them. Some of your favorite books are ones with Pigeon written by Mo Willems and Laura Numeroff's, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie series.
You love your sister.  You two have such a special bond.  Most of the time, you get along and play nicely.  Every once in a while, one of you is in a mood and don't want anything to do with the other.  You guys love to dance, hug, and spin around together.  You also are enjoying each other's company while sharing your room with each other.

I love it when you relax watching tv like this.  I think it is stinking cute.  You enjoy all things Curious George, Despicable Me, pretty much any Disney movie and Arthur.  You also LOVE music.  You listen to it intently to learn the music and words.  Once you learn it, you very seriously try to sing it.  It is super cute.




Playing is one of the things you do best.  You pretty much can find enjoyment out of any toy and now you might actually play with the toy  instead of just destroying the playroom with your toys strewn everywhere.


I love it when I find you sleeping on your back.  So peaceful.  You have great sleeping habits.  At night, you sleep from about 9:00-8:30 am.  For nap, depending on the day, you sleep from 2-5.  Some days this doesn't happen because you and your sister chit chat too much and you end up getting moved to the pack and play so you both can get some kind of rest.
You enjoy doing anything involving paints, playdoh, bubbles, and crayons/markers.  You make quite the mess and don't get the reason behind doing any of these things, but it is fun to watch you try.
Brushing your teeth is always a not so fun task for your daddy and I.  You love to hold it yourself and just suck the toothpaste off and chew on the bristles, but when we take it from you to actually brush your teeth, it is often a knock down, drag out fight.  Not surprising, though.  We have a lot of those with you and your super strong will and stubbornness.
This was the first day you wore your patch.  You were not a fan, but now it is no big deal to put it on and wear it.  I was very worried when I learned I was going to have to do this with you.  Things like this tend to be a fight where we both lose our minds.  But, you have totally astonished me.
Even though you are very excitable and can be very difficult and exhausting to deal with, you also tend to be very cuddly and loving.  You are a perfect size for cuddling and you have the most perfect cheeks to nibble on.  You love to give hugs and kisses.  Your kiss face is hilarious.  You pucker those lips like no-one else.
 You love to play dress up with your sister.  Your favorite outfit is Tinkerbell.
 I had to capture a picture of you actually eating your food.  This is a rare occurrence at our home with you.
 Mimi and PopPop spoil you at their house whether you eat your food or not.  You get ice cream almost every time you go there.  What happens at Mimi's stays at Mimi's, right?!?!
 I love this picture of you because it encapsulates you.  You march to the beat of your own drum and no-one is going to change that about you.


 This was when you caught the croup.  You were so pitiful and no energy.  NOT LIKE YOU AT ALL!  ðŸ˜”
 This is a face that I don't think anyone could resist falling in love with.  You are just too cute!

 This year you got to play in the snow.  It took you a few minutes to warm up to it, but once you did you had a blast!


 Meeting your baby sister, Evelyn, for the first time.  Love at first sight.  What a blessed mommy I am.  Look at those 3 beautiful little girls.

 Your daddy is sure one lucky guy!
Oh Sally.  You are a wonderful addition to our family and to this world.  God created quite a unique individual out of you and I can't wait to see where He leads you.  Listen to His voice always.  Never forget how special He thinks you are and live your life to please Him and Him only.  I pray His fingerprints are all over your life.  We love you to the moon and back, sweet girl!

xoxox
Mommy and Daddy