It's the final day of 2013, and we are about to adventure into 2014! It's so hard to believe that you are almost 2! These two years have flown by so fast, and there has been nothing better than watching you grow, change, and develop into your own little person this year.
Your dad and I have enjoyed so many memories with you this year, there is no way to list them here. Here are just a few of our favorite memories from 2013 with you:
- Watching you grow, learn how to walk, talk, climb, run, and explore. It seems like each day you would do something that Daddy and I couldn't wait to tell each other about. You are always the topic of our conversations and we are always so proud and want to share all of your accomplishments and milestones with everyone!
- We celebrated your first birthday at the beginning of this year and that was so much fun. We had it at the Arnold Rec Center and all of your family came to celebrate with you! My favorite part of your party was the slideshow that Daddy and I created for everyone to watch. It played pictures of you throughout your first year. Daddy's favorite part was you wearing your brand new "Jordans." (Daddy is obsessed with shoes!)
- Taking you to the Zoo, Grant's Farm, Aunt Ashley's soccer games, and all kinds of other events. You were really starting to explore this year and it was fun to just chase you around everywhere!
- Going swimming! You LOVE water! You took swimming lessons as soon as you turned 6 months old, and you loved every minute of it! We both had so much fun taking you swimming and watching you laugh and splash your way through the water.
- Going to music class and the Little Gym! We enrolled you in classes throughout the year at Gymboree and The Little Gym. You took music classes and "play/Gymnastic" classes here. You absolutely LOVED the music classes. It was so much fun watching you try to communicate with other little people your size, and to watch as you did your "drum solo" each time we went to music class. Daddy would attend every class that he could. A lot of families have "one or the other" parent at classes, but we would both always take you. Both of us enjoyed it too much to not go. There is nothing better than watching you play and explore, as the world is so new to you! It's really refreshing to look at the world through your eyes!
- A not so good memory was the Fourth of July party this year. We were having so much fun, until you got your hands on a smoke bomb that had been recently lit, and you burned both of your little hands so bad. It was the hardest thing that we ever had to do, was to watch you hurt like that. You healed up fine, and you will never remember it....but we always will. It's scarred on our hearts!
- Taking you to see animals, or the ponies at Granny Jordan's house. You are OBSESSED with animals this year! We loved to take you to Suson Park to see the cows, horses, and other animals. At Granny's house, you would go out in to the field and run after the little ponies. You have NO FEAR at all! You've even ridden the little ponies a couple of times, of which you LOVE! You are definitely our little "Rodeo Queen!" Speaking of rodeos, we took you to your first one ever this year and you were so impressed! You sat right up at the fence, and would yell with delight when the bulls would come out bucking! You were so entertained all night and looked absolutely darling in your cowgirl hat and cowgirl boots. That was such a fun time and great memory of this year.
- One of Daddy's favorite memories was a few months ago, you were playing with his phone. About 20 minutes later, he couldn't find his phone anywhere. You weren't really able to talk, but just for fun, he kept asking you where his phone was. You walked him right to the toy room door, he opened it for you, and you walked him over to your play kitchen, opened up the microwave, and got his phone out! He was tickled to death! He could not believe that you understood what he was saying and that you remembered where you had put it. He was so proud! He told everyone he knew that story!
There are so many memories and so many fun things that we did this year. I wish I would have written down more of them. Even though the above is just a few of those cherished times with you, Daddy and I both hold all of those other memories in our heart. Everyday with you is special.
Here are a few things that you currently love:
- Boots! You have several pairs and you love them! Hearing you say "boots" is the cutest thing!
- Jewelry, necklaces, bracelets, etc. Especially if it's Mommy's! You will sit for hours and put 20 necklaces on, take them off, and repeat. It's amazing how much it entertains you!
- Pens, pencils, markers, etc. You went through a phase where you constantly took markers and pens in and out of a cup, over and over! You would put them all in, one by one, and the end that wrote had to go down first. You were very particular about how your pens went into the cup. You loved when someone would sit with you so you could hand them the pens, and then take them back and put them in the cup...and repeat!
- Animals! You especially love your two pets, Chloe and Dude. Chloe is our dog and Dude is our cat. Everytime we leave the house, as we are backing out of the driveway, you yell, "Bye Chloe, Bye Dude!" It's so precious!
- I never let you have anything to drink other than water or milk. We recently started letting you have some juice (Plum Juice), and you love it! Now, I hear, "Momma, Ju Ju!" a whole lot!
- Cheese-its! You are obsessed with them! You also love Vanilla wafers, crackers, and ice cream treats.
- You are recently obsessed with Babies, both real and fake! It's so cute to see you around other real babies. You get right in their face and say, "Hi, Baby!" You love to look at and talk to babies. You love your fake babies too. You are starting to take your babies with you places, you have recently started to try and feed and do real life things with your babies too!
- BOOKS! We read so many books every single day! We always read you a book before you go to sleep, nap or bedtime. For a long time, you never stayed interested long enough to get through a book. You always wanted to get down and do something else. Well for the last few months, that has totally changed. You love to sit and look at books. Now, you talk through the book and try to mock what we are saying or doing. You try to count, sing, and talk like we do when we are reading to you! It is a must that we read at least 2-3 books each night before you go to sleep. Right now, your absolute favorite book is this book with a green dinosaur on it, called, "RAWR!" This is by far your favorite and one that we must read every single night! You walk around saying, "Rawr!" all the time! It's so adorable! You also love to take Mommy's bras and out them over your eyes, and when you do, you yell, "RAWR!" Although it's inappropriate, it's priceless! Granny Jordan taught you how to do that. Everytime you see a Dinosaur or "monster" of some sort, you shout, RAWR!
- Trains! You love to watch trains, and watching you as you move your arms and say, "Choo Choo" is the best!
- You love to organize things! You especially like to do this when we go to stores to shop. You like to reorganize and rearrange things on the shelf. The best memory of this was at Christmas time this year at Target. You took all the little tress off the shelf and organized them in a row on the floor. When you were all done, you organized them back on to the shelf! We got this on tape, and am so glad we did!
- Words that you currently say: You say "No" alot. You have had your "yes's and No's mixed up for quite some time. You pretty much say "no" for everything, we just know by the tone of your voice if it really means yes or not. You say, "please, Granny, Papa, no, Chloe, Dude, Momma, Daddy, Up, Michael, Cheese, Ju Ju (juice), and much more. You are really starting to mock a lot of what we say. Your vocabulary expands every single day!
- You love PaPa (Jordan). You talk about him all the time, every time you get on the phone, you pretend like you are talking to him, etc. However, when he comes around, you don't like to get to close. You will give high fives, and kisses when you leave, but other than that, you kind of keep your distance. You do this with a lot of strangers or family that you don't see on an everyday basis. You get really shy and cling to us, but as soon as we tell you that we are leaving and going "bye bye", you open up and act yourself! You love to say bye, give high fives, "fist pump", and gives kisses.
- There is nothing more that you love than music. Singing, dancing, watching other people sing and dance, etc. You are definitely a music girl! Your current favorite song is your ABC's. Your favorite station to listen to on Pandora is "Nursery Rhyme Medley's" and if you are crabby in the car, I always turn this on. It usually quiets you right away.
- You love Mickey Mouse, Dora, Doc McStuffins, your play kitchen, and anything that you can ride on or be pushed on!
- You loved Christmas time this year. You were amazed by Christmas lights, and it was so fun to watch you as you enjoyed them. It would make me cry and I watched the joy in your eyes throughout this holiday season. You did NOT like Santa Claus this year, and you did not get your picture with him because of it. You screamed something horrible and made us feel so terrible, so we didn't force you! But you loved to see "fake" Santa statues or dolls and every time you saw a picture or something of Santa Claus, you always said, "Momma, Daddy, HO HO!" Whenever you would see something that you love, a new toy, etc. you always yelled out, "Wooooooooooowwwwwww Momma!!" This is one of my very favorite memories from you this year. Just hearing you say that and watching your excitement was awesome. There is nothing better!
- You really weren't into opening gifts this year. You loved the new toys (your favorites this year were your drum set and your play kitchen, and your Doc McStuffins inflatable ball pit). You weren't all that interested in opening the gifts up though.
Just in the last few weeks you have really started to develop a personality of your own, with very strong likes and dislikes. We witnessed our very first tantrum (you were on the floor, legs kicking, screaming, etc). You have grown into a toddler and are no longer our "baby." This next year ought to be interesting as we try to learn how to help you grow and express your feelings, and learn how to punish you as well! It's not easy when a two year old runs the house! :)
We know this next year is going to be filled with so many more memories, so many more "firsts" for you, heartaches, and joy. We are ready to take it on, with our little "Butterbutt" by our side. Cheers to a happy and healthy year ahead of us. We both love you with every ounce of our heart and soul.
XOXOXOXO,
Mommy
