ONE

Goodness, here we are. My sweet Leighty-bug is officially one. I had every intention of blogging more of her first year, but two kids is the real deal, y'all. It's such a strange thing having two children in two very different stages of life. One is close to taking her first steps and the other is about to start kindergarten. My heart feels like it's on a never-ending roller coaster.

But I'll save that for another day. Today I want to be sure to capture everything that is my sweet Leighton at this stage.

It's amazing to me how different my girls are already. Leighton is so loud and full of life. Even her adorable little babbling is at volume ten. She is so funny and ornery and Todd and I are often looking at each other with wide eyes thinking "what are we going to do with this one?" She laughs when we say no to her and lately when we say no, she just looks at us with a huge grin and nods her head yes. Such a stinker, she is. But she loves people. She's a cuddle bug and she falls asleep nearly every night cuddled with her sister. It is truly the sweetest thing.

Speaking of, she loves her sister. Adores her. She has two words that she says regularly and "Cos" is one of them. The other is hi. She says hi to everyone and everything. Where Crosbi at this age did not want any strangers talking to her, Leighton is quick to say hi to every person we meet.

Not quite walking, she's still incredibly mobile. When not crawling around the house, she's sneakily climbing the stairs before someone catches her. She has zero teeth but she's not afraid to eat anything. It's hilarious to watch her gum things like pretzels and crackers.

Leigthon is such a joy to our family. I know I've said it before, but she's truly the special final piece to our puzzle and we're all better for knowing and loving her.

Happy first birthday baby girl. We love you so much.

view post

My Baby Is Two

The days are long, but the years are short. Oh, how true that is. On November 23rd we celebrated Crosbi's second birthday with family in Missouri. I have such vivid memories of bringing her home from the hospital that I just can't believe it has been two years since she came into our lives. In some ways it feels like we just met her, but it also feels like she has been a part of us forever. Either way, I can't imagine life without her.

At two, Crosbi is really becoming her own little person. She's extremely independent, but has the sweetest spirit. She's quick to tell us she can do something by herself - "Cobby do it." But she's just as quick to ask for a "goop" (group) hug. Melt my heart. She throws one heck of a tantrum, but she often says I love you and I'm sorry unprompted, making the meltdowns a bit more bearable. 

Crosbi is talking up a storm. Todd and I have conversations with her about her day, her family, and her favorite toys and books. The girl loves to sing. She has quite the catalog of songs these days. I can't think of anything sweeter than hearing her sing Jesus Loves Me, Deep and Wide, and Twinkle Twinkle. 

At two she can name all of her ABCs and numbers 0-9 and counts to fourteen (which she sometimes refers to as one-teen). She is loving preschool. She tells me all about her friends (especially Adomas and Jacob - really hoping she makes friends with other little girls soon!) and her teacher jokingly told me that Crosbi could teach the class. It's already looking like she'll have a passion for school and learning like I did. 

Not every day is a good day. The terrible terrific twos are in full swing, but we're finding our rhythm. I couldn't be more thankful for such a funny, loving, vibrant little girl who I am so blessed to call mine.

Happy birthday my sweet Crosbi!

view post