Blessed and Blogging: Terrific Two's- Happy Birthday Naomi!

My little girl is two today. Two. I know all of the things that are said about this age. I've witnessed quite a few of these up close and personal. Not pretty. Despite the bumps in the "learning to be more independent and willful" road, however, I LOVE this age. Actually, I've loved every one of her ages and stages. I loved when she was a newborn and nestled into me for safety and protection. I loved when she learned to sit up and balance on her little cushy bottom. I loved when she learned to crawl and explore her world (putting absolutely everything into her mouth). I loved when she said her first word- yeah- it was "Mommy". I loved when she learned to walk on her chubby little legs. And I love this age as well.

She's growing, she's talking, she's learning so much! Shapes, letters, counting, colors. She's learning that Daddy is the best for games of tag and that her little brother loves it when she tickles him. She's learning that Mommy will laugh and beam when she breaks out into spontaneous song. She's learning that pizza tastes best dipped in ranch dressing and that she doesn't actually have to eat those peas on her plate, but that Mommy is going to keep trying to get her to anyway. She's learning that sometimes, no matter how many times she says please, the answer is still no, unless she's asking Nana and then the answer is almost always yes. She's learning that we thank God before dinner and after dinner and at night we pray on our knees because we are so grateful. She's learning that the time-out chair is really not that fun of a place to be but that this knowledge doesn't always keep her from doing what she needs to avoid it. And I hope, most of all, she's learning that she is so abundantly loved.