Look who just turned 2!!

I can hardly believe it!  My sweet little girl is TWO YEARS OLD!!  Totally crazy, that's what that is.  She hasn't really been a baby for a while now, but this totally seals the deal.  She's two.  TWO.  Weird.

My little sweet potato!

The big (or rather bigger - it's really not big at all compared to last year's party) birthday celebration will be this weekend, with the extended family and some friend who we've known forever, but on Tuesday we did a little celebrating with just us.  We had some of Aurelia's favorite foods - homemade mac 'n cheese and chicken wings (plus veggies, which she of course did not touch) - and we had to have cake! 

 Trying to blow out the candles

Dashiell helps, and it goes much better!

Cake-filled duck face

Eating cake is even more fun when it involves yelling!

I mean, what can I even say about this one?

Even with the bib on, we still needed to do a complete tear-down of her outfit.  Silly us, thinking we could give the kids baths and put them in their PJs before dinner!

It was a fun evening, just the 4 of us, and we were happy to help our littlest one celebrate her big day!  I can't wait for the "big" party tomorrow - she'll have a great time, I'm sure!

In honor of her 2nd year, I want to list a few of the things she's been doing or saying lately (mostly so I'll remember them in a year or whenever it is I get around to finishing her baby book):

• Waggles her hips when she dances.  I mean, seriously, she has got moves.  Sassy moves!  
• Roars like a monster, often
• Can climb up on anything!  We're a bit worried about the crib, but are putting off the toddler bed transition since she still is not the best sleeper in the world...
• Says, "Here go Dashiell" (which sounds more like "ee go dacho" while handing him things
• Yells "I did it!" anytime she figures out how to do something by herself. Sometime we don't know what exactly she did, which is worrisome...
• LOVES Hungry Hungry Hippos.  All day long, we hear "Hungy hippo?", her request for a new game.
• Grabs our hands to lead us to whatever it is she wants to show us (lately it's been the Hungry Hungry Hippos game)
• Feels the need to carry something, anything, down the stairs every time she goes downstairs, but usually she can't carry all the things she wants so it's up to Rick or I to carry them for her.  Often these things are her two loveys (cowie and elefante) plus at least one book.
• Is at that stage where she wants to be helpful.  Oh how I love this stage!  I can ask her to put something away and she does it, no questions asked!  She may not agree to do everything I want her to do (put her coat on, go to sleep, etc.), but ask her to put the legos in a bin and she's on it.
• "No thank you".  Hardly ever just "no", she almost always says "no thank you" in that sweet little voice that will make you agree to whatever it is that she doesn't want to do (sometimes).
• Sings "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" with me every night before bed. Also busts into song for no other reason than it's fun to sing.  I love hearing her sing!

I know there are a million other things she does that I want to remember forever, but at the moment that's the most I can come up with.  I'm sure I'll think of more soon!

Aurelia, I am so very proud to be your mommy.  You are so sweet, and funny, and fearless, and inquisitive, and you amaze me with the things you do every single day.  I can't wait to see how much you grow this year!  You and your brother are our little miracles, though you're not that little anymore!  With you our family feels complete.  I love you more than you will ever know!  XOXO, Mommy.

Coy

The smile!

Playing dress up with my  hat and gloves

Enjoying a play ice cream come with Dashiell