BlueDaisy: Lainey's Birthday Letter ~ Age 2

She's Two, She's Two - Our little Lainey Bug is TWO! Popping in today to honor our little tradition of birthday letters to my littles.

Previous Letters to Lainey:

Lainey Lou,

Lou Bugg, Nainey Girl, Lou, Elaine Louise, my sweet whittle baby girl ... I LOVE YOU! I love you, I love you, I LOVE you. You are the biggest spunk of bright energy I could have ever imagined and you sweetheart, you are truly the apple of our eyes.

I'm having trouble wrapping my head around you being two years old. Not because of the obvious "time has flown by, how are you so big, where did the time go, etc <all of those are true too>", but more because I honestly cannot remember nor can I imagine life without you. You beam with love and happiness always and it is such a bright spot in our lives. You have never met a stranger and make everyone who meets you smile. You are a total goof and keep up laughing constantly. You have complete disregard for authority and do anything and everything your way. It is no secret you run the show.

Little lady you entered our lives when things were quiet (relatively speaking). And from the moment you started to actually wake up life got a lot less quiet. We began questioning everything and life was spiraling quickly - and yet through it all - there you were. The bright spot. The littlest spunk that ever was and the one that made every single part of it worth walking through.

I could have told you when I began having children with 100% certainty that I would be a boy mom. I would have a little football team and it would be all I ever needed. But then here you came. With a full head of brown hair that the nurse quickly adorned with a pink bow and I knew right then and there my younger self had never been more wrong. I needed you sweet thing. I needed you more than I ever knew and I am so thankful God gave you to me. Being your mommy is SO. MUCH. FUN.

All of your sass, all of your spunk, all of your drama ... every single piece of your personality is my favorite. You are the perfect mix of silly and sweet ... you'll fake an injury one moment to get everyeone's attention and then laugh scream and run the very next.

You love Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and simply cannot get enough of Mickey on TV or your iPad. You literally eat EVERYTHING - the pantry is your favorite room in the entire house and if you had it your way you'd have noodles, hot dogs, cheetos and cookies for every meal -- probably mixed together. Your favorite outfit is a pretty dress paired with tennis shoes and a high ponytail - because duh, a little girly and a little tomboy is the perfect combonation - and it couldn't make me prouder.

You are absolutely SMITTEN with your big brother, Bubby. And he prefers you call him Bubby over Bennett -- and corrects you when you say his real name. The two of you play hide and go seek almost daily and you make sure if you get a snack you always grab one for him too.

You have your daddy completely wrapped around your finger, and you're probably his biggest fan. Him coming home at the end of the work day if you favorite part of the evening - a close second to shaking your booty in the bathtub and running naked baby through the house until we catch you.

You still sleep with your paci and request to pick out which one you'd like before bed everr night. You're very paticular about your blankets when we put you to bed and always have a different opinion on if you will sleep with a stuffed animal and which one it will be.

You've had a big year sweet girl! Soon after your first birthday we packed your bags and vacationed in New York City for the first time in November. After Christmas we packed everything once again and moved to a new city in December. January was a bit of a blur. It was a rough month of everyone (except you). You seemed completely unphased by the move and as long as you had your family with you - you were per usual, happy as a lark. You started regularly rocking ponytails and went to the circus. Aside from not sleeping (which continued for the better part of 5 months due to the sleeping arrangements of the new living conditions) you were settling into your second year of life just fine.

Come April, we packed our bags once again and celebrated LIFE and HAPPINESS at the happiest place on earth. You made it all the way to Florida to see The One and Only Mickey Mouse at Disney World. My favorite memory of you from the trip was watching you dance and wave during the parade as Mickey walked by. It really is magical. As the months turned warmer and summer snuck in - you packed your little backpack and headed to summer camp with your brother. No tears from you at drop off - you couldn't wait to explore a new place with new friends. My social little butterfly :)

In the midst of summer and truly the hottest week of the year, we all cheered as we'd survived a 6 month renovation project and FINALLY unpacked our bags inside our new home. Once again, you seemed unphased. You loved the new space, when right back to sleeping like a champ in your big girl room (and is it ever a big girl room!) and settled right in with your best people around you as though nothing had changed. As one final hoorah of summer, and a farewell trip to your uncle Max we packed your bags AGAIN in early August and took you along for a fun getaway to Chicago.

Once we returned home we dusted off that little backpack at the end of the month and packed it up once again as you officially started Preschool two days a week. And, as no surpise you LOVE it. You walked in the first day like you owned the place and love to come home and tell us all about your "fwiends". We rounded out fall with some apple picking, pumpkin picking, and halloween festivities ... but quickly turned the calendar to celebrate our little gal turning TWO!

So, on your second birthday I'm praying for you little bug. Praying for your spirit - that is always shines bright. Praying for your future - that it is filled with happiness and goals that you work hard to achieve. Praying that the bond between you and your brother always remains strong. Praying for your future friends - that they lift you up and not tear you down. Praying for your family - both the one we share and the one you may one day have, that you know happiness health and wholeness all of your days.