Elyse Ann Love~my TWO year old!

My darling Elyse Ann,

Today you are officially two.  In all honesty we've been telling people that you were two for quite some time, because we long ago moved past the need to express your age in months.  You aren't a baby anymore, you're a little girl.  You're a little girl who has completely and totally stolen the hearts of so many, but I'm not sure you have anyone's heart more than your momma's. In fact as I sit here and type this, my heart almost physically aches as I try to express just how much I love you & how much I cherish each moment that I have with you.  Some of that cherishing comes as a realization after the fact, but nonetheless, it's there. 

January 2013

February 2013

Today you embark on the official journey called the "terrible twos" and I think we've probably been there for a little while already.  While I'm a little nervous and anxious as to how we'll travel through this phase, I also know that we'll make it.  We'll make it just as we have made it through so many other phases that have happened in your short little life. I know that at the time those phases seem so LONG and difficult, but as I look back they were simply a fleeting moment in this journey we're on together. 

March 2013

April 2013

You SPEAK. vocabulary and comprehension is such that you have been communicating in ways that far exceed my expectations, yet there are still those times when we can't fully understand each other--which normally leads to some outward expression of your frustration.  AKA a temper tantrum.  You voluntarily say so many things now and have moved on completely from one word grunts or statements to full on sentences and paragraphs--most of which we can understand.  I can only imagine the stories and things you'll start to say in the coming months, it's almost breathtaking how quickly you catch on to something. 

May 2013

June 2013

You LOVE. Especially those who you are most familiar with, and while you quickly warm up to practically everyone (Santa not included), you are still cautious and like to cling to those you know when the situation is unfamiliar.  You absolutely LOVE other children so family events, church, Mom's Zumba class, and other things have become such fun for you as you learn to interact with other children.  This was a littel bit of a concern for me as you spend so much time simply with other adults, but you're a social butterfly just like your momma was--and I should have never been concerned at all. 

July 2013

August 2013

You LAUGH.  You giggle.  And it's in these times that it is so hard for us to be serious with you.  Your love for us is infectious and anyone who's around you for any period of time falls head over heels in love with the little girl you have become.  You have a laugh that is impossible to explain, but it's yours.  And it results in fits of giggles and laughter from anyone who's around when you break out in your "evil laugh." 

September 2013

October 2013

You TEACH.  In the days when we are home together, I am so earnestly trying to grow your brain and teach you all the wonders of the world, but at the end it's normally you who are doing the teaching.  You teach me the things that truly matter most...to love unconditionally even after I've raised my voice; to be patient and enjoy the simple things in life like reading "How do you hug a porcupine?" ten times in a row;  to slow down and take advantage of the chance to cuddle up at the end of a nap; to say "I'm Sorry" even when there's not really anything to be sorry about, but because it's the right thing to say; to forgive in the blink of an eye, because it wasn't that big of a deal anyway. 

Halloween 2013

November 2013

Your daddy & I love you more than a grouping of simple words could ever express, but we hope that most of all you realize that God loves you more than we ever could.  That God truly is ALL you need in this world and that HE will always be there, even when you feel like we're not.  We pray that you will come to know Jesus as your Savior and that regardless of the situation, it's your faith in God that will get you through. 

December 2013

Elyse Ann, you are beautiful, both inside and out and my soul sings just thinking about all the times we have already experienced in these past two years.  Oh how I pray that there will be many, many, many more memories created and stored in this heart of mine. 

Little toot, we love you so...Happy Birthday!