2 years OLD!!!

Two years with our sweet Emily.  Wow.  You probably were thinking I'd FORGET about her two year post, weren't you?  Well, I did remember, but it has taken me a while to post.  Obviously.  Em turned two on May 19, and we had to celebrate in the style of a two year old: cake, balloons, bubbles, presents, ... you get the idea.  Emily is changing by the day, it seems.  A few weeks ago, I was getting somewhat worried about her lack of "clarity" as far as vocabulary goes.  Even in a few weeks, she has developed so much.  I am encouraged, but I already miss the unintelligible jibber jabber. Seriously, she has the cutest little voice, and I hope I always remember how she sounds RIGHT NOW.

How can I sum up Emily?  Well, she is seriously just delightful.  Don't get me wrong, she is far from perfect (aren't we all?).  But, God has gifted her with a bubbly presence that brings so much joy.  She genuinely enjoys life.  I see her smile and hear her giggle when no one is around... playing with toys and clapping her hands over small victories.  She loves to laugh and make others laugh.  She smiles the most winning smile - just because.  She can just about get us to totally lose any train of thought when she interrupts with the most excited commentary on who knows what.  I love this girl.  We are constantly amazed at the level of her humor, as I feel like she could compete with the best of my funny friends :)

Emily loves her big sister to pieces, but every once in a while, she just likes to play alone (much to Elyse's chagrin).  Em loves animals and babies, and Jakob is just a big doll to her!  We have to supervise quite often, as she will kiss and hug him to pieces if she's allowed.  Some of her new favorite phrases are:

"Yes SIR!" - when told to do something :)
"I DID IT!" - when doing anything right
"What dat noise?" - upon hearing anything unusual
"Where Daddy go?"
"I'm huggy" - for "I'm hungry"
"Hey, BUDDDDDYYYY..." - when talking to Jake

Emily is cutting her last eye tooth, and then we look forward to two year molars.  Anytime now!  As of now, potty-training is "penciled" in for this summer at some point, but honestly, I just don't like to think about it. Yet.  Is she ready?  Does it really matter? :)

Em loves to eat, but these days, she's become a bit choosy.  She will snub her nose at some favorites, which makes me wonder if she just wants to be difficult at times... hmm...  This girl has some vices, a few of which are: climbing the ladder into Elyse's top bunk, pouring out her cup of milk, blowing bubbles in her cup of milk, playing in her cup of milk (do you get my drift?), and general disobedience.  This girl is hard to keep up with!  She's even harder to scold with a straight face.

Em loves to sing the birthday song, and it usually goes somewhat like this (sometimes sung in a growl): "Happy dir-day to to..."  She also has most of our bedtime songs memorized, but refuses to perform.  We just have to catch her in the act :)  She LOVES puzzles, and she can do most of her board puzzles in her sleep, but they still manage to entertain her.  Books and babies are favorites, but nothing tops playing with Daddy!  These days, both girls are into stickers, and Emily always has to put a token sticker on her tummy before sticking them on anything else.  Elyse and Em already have an inside joke - "bubble game."  They reenact a video of Emily falling down while chasing bubbles, and the girls remind each other at random times and burst into laughter.  Sisters!!!

Yes, Emily is the child who will seemingly give us a run for our money, but I wouldn't change it for anything. Her spunk makes me want to enjoy life to the fullest, just as she seems to do.  No, I can't even remember what a meal is like without a child covered from head to toe in cottage cheese or some other messy food, but it's worth every second.  My messy little monkey makes me laugh, and I hope I always remember that the mess is never more important than loving my little girl.  Have I mentioned she likes to eat dog food?  Yep.

Happy birthday, Emily Mae.  We love you more than words can say!  We pray you learn at a young age that only God can give you true happiness.  You mean so much to our family!