What ELSE has been going on....

Yes we have been a bit obsessed (ok, I HAVE BEEN) with Minnie's pah-ty but only because I also knew that family was coming from out of town and we also had a MAJOR holiday which happens to be MY FAVORITE all in and around the same time frame!!! Craziness I tell yah! The birthday girl in her birthday outfit!! Thanks Nana!! :) Speaking of birthday girls! :) This one turned 2 just a mere week before... :)

Minnie suckered some of Daddy's friends into reading with her while they took a break from hunting for "yum-yum"... his little girl is a college graduate so I don't think he minded taking a little break and rewinding a bit :)

Turkey day!!!! Speaking of turkeys... (at least the one on the top of the pile!)

I am SO close to getting a GOOD picture of the three of them... SO close I can TASTE IT! :)

Black Friday special... Tricky shot a deer and Minnie was PSYCHED! :)

she does love "yum-yum"... I fear for the day when someone buys her Bambi and we have to have THAT conversation :) I like this part where she still doesn't "get" it...

We spent LOTS of time with cousin T and Minnie LOVES that. He is one of her FAVORITE PEOPLE!!!!

J.T. came with her kiddos to spend the AM with Minnie on her b-day so that Husband and I could go and celebrate the life of Auntie... I think Minnie had fun. When I sat down on the couch next to her she told me to get off :)

When she woke up from her nap AUNNIE was there to say Happy BIRTHDAY in PERSON!!! :) Minnie loves to talk on the phone (as seen here with Mimi) but to have Aunnie here with Brando was a SPECIAL TREAT!!!

Husband and I sang to our baby girl after dinner and she light up just like her birthday candle one more time. I think she LOVES her birthday! (just like her Mommy!! :)

We had SUCH a fun Thanksgiving break!! Now bring on CHRISTMAS!!! :)

Minnie's 2nd Birthday Celebration!!!

Whoo's Turning Two??? Can you guess the "theme"? :) Minnie's one year timeline in pics...

The littlest friends in the bunch...

they are becoming FAST friends... so cute!

I asked Minnie after her party if she had fun... she told me right away "I read Nana!!" :) She was pretty psyched about that. Of course any chance she gets with Wha-Gee is a GREAT time in her book!

I think this was her face when I asked if she wanted to open her PILE 'O PRESENTS!?! Really Mom?? Really??

It was OVERWHELMING! Our family and friends are OVER the top for our girl and she was blessed beyond blessed! :)

She got about 800 dress-up (aka Halloween costumes on clearance :) outfits from Gammie and she (ok, Mom!) was PSYCHED :) I think she and her friends will have so much fun with this stuff over the next few years :)

Speaking of having fun! This is what happens when you hand your camera off to someone else (Doe-Doe) and you find what he took pics of :)

The cake... ready to light the candles....

Everyone singing her favorite song was by FAR her favorite part of the afternoon. She was grinning from ear to ear! She LOVED it :)

Next year we might even get to skip the cake all together. She LOVES ice cream and TiTi just kept giving her more and more :) who needs cake when there is ice cream? :)

and who needs ice cream when there is DRESS-UP?

the sign of a good cake?

The sign of a good party and a HAPPY girl :) We love you Minnie and I hope you could feel how EVERYONE that was in this home loves you too! You are blessed baby!!!

Minnie ~ Two Years OLD

Dear Sweet Sweet Girl,
This has been the FASTEST two years of my LIFE. You have gone from a teenie tiny...to a big sassy TODDLER! :) You are quickly forgetting all things "baby" and we are seeing more and more that you ARE your OWN person and we are READY! (well, kinda. :) (pictures below showing your "muscles")

Minnie you bring us SUCH joy everyday.

There is not a day that goes by without Daddy and I giggling at something you've said, tried to say or acted out so that we can try to FIGURE it out.

You are working on complete sentences and just this past weekend said "I, go help Tod" when your cousin was putting his boots on. You can count to 11, you know your WHOLE name and your address including the town and state you live in. :) You LOVE to sing praise and worship songs, your ABC's, Happy Birthday and Twinkle Twinkle (that comes out tinkle tinkle and makes us laugh every time :)

You know EVERYONE'S names and will ask complete strangers in Wal*Mart "How 'ah You?" :)

If Papa asks you "did anyone tell you today?" you will respond with "I cute" :) You are VERY curious and interested in "What doin'" and "Where goin'?"

You have the CUTEST tone of voice for "Why" and I can't even get annoyed with it because it is so adorable :)

Bink and Bear are your go-to's when you are tired, sad or just need some comfort but you have recently come out with an adoration for, who you refer to as, "I-Yah" the bush monkey from Aunnie Becker. Nana also just bought you a little plastic chicken, whom you refer to as 'Mabel' and you LOVE her.

You are STILL not a great eater but we are getting there. Mom just has to get creative and you need to spend more time with Pheebs because "Yiz" told me you ate CHICKEN! :) THAT was a first and I'm sooooo proud of you!

You LOVE to stand at the counter and "Help Mumma" with whatever I happen to be cooking or doing at the counter. You just got a whole bunch of kitchen things for your birthday and you were THRILLED!

A typical week for us is Monday, catch up from the weekend day. Laundry, cleaning and any grocery gathering we need to do. Tuesday is the library which you LOVE and we try to hit the park if it is nice and the post office. Wednesday is either play group or Moms in Touch where you get to play with your friends while Mommy prays for the public school kiddos. Thursday and Fridays we try to leave open for appointments, hanging out at home, and getting things ready for whatever is coming for the weekend.

You also LOVE to take a "walk the driveway" and see if any of the neighbor girls are home. You like to check things out at Headders and Meagan's :) Throwing rocks in the stream we can see now that the leaves have fallen will keep you busy for 20 minutes or more :)

You have been sleeping in until about 6:45-7ish, have a nap around 12ish, and bed for the night around 7ish. The "schedule" seems to be working well for all and we are hoping this one sticks for a bit :)

Minnie, Daddy and I could NOT imagine loving ANYONE more than we love you baby girl. You have made us a family and we ADORE all the time we have with you. Your spunk, sass and personality making you ~ YOU, are a treasure. We can believe we get to be the ones to enjoy you and call you our own!

We love you Minnie,

Mommy & Daddy

Where have I been?

Only up to my eyeballs in OWL cake :) Someone is turning two! :)

"Yiz" was right... the head WILL be too heavy for the body and it WILL tip over... more on this later...