TURNING TWO

Our little spitfire turned two a couple weeks ago.

 

Seeing her gift from us - a baby doll - for the first time on the night of her birthday.  

Warmed my heart and soul to see her so genuinely excited.

We named her Molly {after I nixed her suggestions of "gas", "hotdog", and "ho"....and then trying every name I could think of, Molly is the one she finally said "yes" to}.

I again opted for a small girly party, instead of the free-for-all we usually have with Bennett.  Everyone needs another excuse to be girly, right??  The "theme" {sort-of} was bubbles and butterflies...two things Emory really loves.  The invitations were little butterflies that I sewed Emory's baptism luncheon fabric on:

Everything was set up for a little girly "luncheon" outside

But after about twenty minutes of playing outside it started to rain so everything was moved indoors.

Thankfully everyone had a chance to run around, play with bubbles, take a ride in Bennett's Truck, and swing before the sky opened up.

The party favors were butterfly wings and wands

Emory with some of her best buds {who are only a few months older that her, despite their height and HAIR! ha}

I have known ever since we found out we were having a girl that, when she turned two, she would have a princess cake.  My sisters and I all had this cake when we turned two, and my mom saved the dolls {of course}.
Things I learned from these following pictures:

• We now know, for sure, where Jacob got his FACE...like all of it.  clone. 
• My children did not get their lack of hair from my side of the family
• My little sisters were precious little ladies and I never missed a meal
• My mom is champion cake decorator {and had great food coloring options!}.  If I had seen these pictures BEFORE I iced Emory's cake then mine might have turned out differently...or NOT since hers was iced with T minus 15 minutes before party started.  While I was still in my pajamas.  That's just how that day rolled... 

The dolls kind of freaked me out and lets just say time had NOT been on their side, but after a little synthetic hair managing the brunette looked semi presentable. {in that creepy present-me-to-count-dracula way}

I have GOT to figure out this food coloring things because I am tired of my colors turning out neon.  The only thing I can come up with is I need to order different colors online and stay away from what is offered at our local grocer and/or Party City. {right? are there soft, better color options out there?}

Our little princess was more of a hula queen but she did the job and the cream cheese icing tasted wonderful, despite it's neon-ness.

It was a fun little two year old party...lasted just as long as the girls could handle {right before slight melt downs turned into sugar-induced tantrums}.
I still count my lucky stars this little girl of mine snuck her way in between my two boys.
She is such a handful.

She throws screaming tantrums at the drop of a hat and owns those tantrums like its nobody's business.  I used to pull my hair out trying to come up with a "solution" for them, but I am at a place of acceptance now and fully understand they are a result of changes in her age/communication skills {plus they are becoming much more manageable}.
She is very easy to reason with, like Bennett was, BUT when she cannot communicate exactly what is going on in her head....watch out because the girl feels no pain...she will hurl herself like a dropping tree onto the ground, arch her back, and scream like a banshee.  And then, just as quickly as it started...it stops.  And she is back in your lap telling you "thank you momma" and "i love you" and "sing song.  rock and sing song please."
And about that rocking, and singing....she is our cuddler.  Loves sitting in your lap and can for a very long time.
She is just starting to want to do everything herself but loves being carried {"holdju momma! holdju"}.
She talks a LOT and repeats everything and stumbles over her words because she wants to talk a lot faster than she can.
She sticks her tongue completely out of her mouth to say the "L" sound.
She can clearly say the "D" sound but still calls daddy "Gaaah-Gee"
Bennett is "Bee Bee" and Emory is "Ree Ree".  Jacob is "JaJob"
She almost always adds the word "too" to the end of her sentences.
Her favorite show is "Me Me Me Mouse" and the "baybee show" {our DirecTV BABY channel}.
She will try any food we put in front of her and still gets held like a baby and drinks warm milk out of a sippy cup when she wakes up in the morning and before she goes down for a nap.
She thinks she can swim by herself {she can't} and kinda has that "little dog" syndrome where she thinks she is much bigger than she is {she isn't}.
She is very methodical and particular.  She can spend thirty minutes lining things up and moving them from A to B.  She will sit and work a puzzle until she gets it and does not give up, turning each piece an eighth of an inch until it fits.  She can count to thirteen and knows all her colors {and will tell you every day which color bow she is wearing} and recognizes the letters in her name {doesn't necessarily recognize which letter is which, but knows what her name looks like and knows that the letters E-M-O-R are in it, and that it ends in "Whyeeeeee!!"}.
She is kinda a bully and we have to watch her hitting and pushing.  This is foreign to me as I think Bennett has hit two people {other than his siblings} in his entire life.  Emory does not like people up in her biz-nass.  Like "get out of my face you strange baby."  I feel bad that she does it but I know it's a phase and now I have had one child who always got hit by his friends and now another who does the hitting.  {Her teacher at MDO says she doesn't hit at school, but at her birthday party she was Dom.I.Nating her sweet younger guests.  Maybe because of that "in her space" thing}.
She sleeps from 1:30-4:30 or 5 in the afternoon and goes to bed with Bennett at 8.  I have to wake her up every morning at 8:30 so we can all make it to school by 9.
We say our "payuhs" {prayers} on average five times a day.  She closes her eyes and clasps her hands and either wants my hands on top of her clasped hands or us just holding hands to say them.  She ends with a resounding "AAAAAAY meh".
She loves her brothers and loves her baby dolls.  She hoards them.  Its a wonder there is enough room to sleep in that bed of hers.
She's a very balanced mother...tending to her baby's needs for milk and naps and rocking, then grabbing them by the leg and throwing them over her shoulder for a "bebeback ryde".  Molly goes everywhere with us, even to school a few times because Molly's grandmother did not feel it was in anyone's best interest to remove Molly from her mother's arms.  'Nuf said.
She has a million expressions and is great at making faces.  Big eyes, surprised, mad, "cheese", sweet....plus she knows how to use her eyes to get what she wants.  It is quite dangerous and alarming that she has known how to do this since 18 months old.  Lady-killer.

She has stolen our hearts and keeps us on our toes.
I don't know how any other personality would survive so closely thrown between two boys.
I'm glad her brothers are going to have her to look out for them when they get older ;)

 

We love you Emory Ruth!
Keep being you because you my dear are one of the funnest people I know! I feel so lucky to be your momma and look forward to all our girly years together! {Girl trips! woo hoo}

xoxo
Momma