Karlee - 2 Years Old

Well it's happened.... my baby is 2 years old. There are so many amazing things we can say about you Karlee but the most impressive thing has been how you just woke up one day determined not to be a baby anymore . You want to be a big girl and a toddler. You are talking so much, so smart already that you amaze us, becoming such a funny little girl, love your big sister and we are just so lucky to have you. And man, Mommy can't get over your sweet little smile - so precious .

Here's some milestones for big our 2 year old:

• Favorite foods: chocolate, mac and cheese, rice
• You take a long time to eat and are usually the last one sitting at the table at supper every night
• Like to go in the pantry and bring your own treats out - does this all the time
• So expressive. You have lots of fun faces you do. You make this cute "O" face all the time
• You love playing with babies. This is something very new for us because Leah was never into babies. You love the princess ones the best and you sleep with them, carry them around everywhere and love to take care of them. You love your babies.
• We call your our silly goose sometimes
• Told you to go get a new shirt, you walked upstairs, picked out a new shirt out of your drawer and brought it down, all by yourself
• Loves reading and especially flip books
• Love brushing your teeth
• Loves watching t.v. now and will tell us what shows she wants to watch
• Favorite t.v. shows right now: Dora, Paw Patrol and Peppa Pig, Sophia the First 
• Answers the questions on t.v. shoes - especially Dora
• Enjoys coloring and good at holding her crayons
• Always picks to sit on kitchen stools instead of chairs. You can climb up on the kitchen stools by yourself now too.
• Loves to jump
• Knows prayer before meals and will cross her hands together and sing "God is great and God is good, God is good, God is good. Let us thank him for this food. Alleluia."
• Say bath and Karlee runs for the bathroom
• Makes a high pitched squeal lots, especially when laugh
• You had your first weekend home alone with mom and dad while Leah was gone. You liked all the attention.
• April 7 - Went potty on the potty for the first time. GREAT JOB Karlee. Since then, she has gone multiple times and asked to go multiple times too. She will go when we ask her on command.
• May 21 - Told mom had to poop, went to potty and pooped on the potty for the 1st time 
• Prefers sitting in the same chair as Leah to sit together and watch t.v.
• Have a 'secret' handshake with Karlee, Leah and Mommy -- we "reach, reach" hands together, hold hands, say "best friends forever" and then we all clap and smile together
• You repeat everything we say
• There are too many words that Karlee says to keep track of them one by one anymore and you say lots of sentences now. But here are some fun things Karlee says:
• What does Santa say? "Ho Ho Ho"
• "Help me, Help me" - says that lots
• Ask you if Karlee wants a kiss? You always say "No"
• Will say "Love you....." back after Mommy says love you. It's the best thing she says :-)
• When Mommy sings will yell "No Mommy"
• Says "Go away Leah" a lot
• Loves to make fart sounds. Laughs so hard after makes them
• Loves saying "No, no" to daddy. "No, No daddy!!" "No, No daddy!!"
• Karlee, want me to read you that book? "No I read it"
• Every time as How are you? Your reply "Good"
• "Leah, look at me!"
• Running away. "Back, Back. I be right back."
• "Ooo kay"
• "xxxx, where are you?"
• "Oh no..."
• "I do!!!!" - always so excited and usually raising her hand
• "No, No Owen" (boy at daycare's name)
• Loves saying the word: "Boring"
• "Boing, Boing"
• Likes to quack like a duck
• "I did it"
• Thinks it is funny to talk about tooting. Goes around: "Daddy toot."; "Mommy toot"; "Leah toot"; "Ziggy toot"
• When you ask who wants something - you yell "I do."
• "What daddy doing?"
• "Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle"
• Love the line from Hotel Transylvania and like to laugh at this. "Blah, Blah, Blah"... "I don't say, Blah, Blah, Blah." You will repeat and repeat.
• Daddy says 'Sorry Karlee mommy doesn't like you'.... Karlee says..  "Ok" 
• You definitely have a little temper and are a typical 2 year old. That includes you being very strong willed and quite frequently throwing tantrums. Usually you will throw a tantrum and 1 minute later you will be laughing and totally forgot about it (fast mood swings). But a few of your more 'strong willed' examples:
• You only want to wear Sophia the First pjs - when mom or dad pick out any other ones you will scream and throw a fit
• You only want to wear dresses, a little obsessed, and if other clothes is picked out, you cry
• When we take your clothes off, you cry, every single time and want to hold them. If we don't let you hold them, then you scream more.
• If you people walk in front of her she will yell "wait, wait"
• Determined - even if it is something little like not taking her shoes off, when gets it in her head will scream or cry until we distract or give in
• Throw things on the floor tantrum style a lot 
• Things are my - "My dress"; "My Sophia"
• One night woke up out of no where yelling "my coat, my coat" and wouldn't stop until she was given her coat 
• You love princesses. Your favorites are Anna (from Frozen), although you do get Anna and Elsa's names mixed up. You also love Sophia the first and Ariel.
• You can tell some colors: red, green (your favorite and usually always your first guess at colors) and blue.
• You can count to 5. 
• Can do summer saults on her own.
• You get yelled at all the time for standing on the couch
• Favorite toys: bouncy balls, magic clip princesses (which you love to take their dresses off the magic clip dolls but then can't get them back on and get frustrated), baby dolls, bubbles
• You play well by yourself, which is really nice now.
• You like to play with and wear headbands, hats and sunglasses. Sometimes we can't get you to take your hats off.
• Loves to swim but picky about it, only likes to swim in hot tubs or warm water areas
• Likes to sing songs and getting good remembering the words. Some of your favorites are: Old McDonald, Jingle Bells, Bringing Home Baby Bumble Bee, ABC song
• You stick your tongue out at us daily
• You got a black eye because you slipped walking up the steps at the park. When you ask Karlee what happened, she says "Daddy did it." Luckily we didn't get turned into child services.
• You know whose stuff is what. Like cups, toys, etc. You will say "this Leah's" or "this Mommy's"
• You giggle so much now. It's SUPER cute.
• Loves it when Grandma D. eats her jello. She will laugh and laugh.
• Likes to take the lids off the marker and put them back on. On and Off.
• You are a bed hoarder - you want to sleep with tons of stuff: pillows, tons of blankets, babies, stuffed animals, water. Sometimes it's so much stuff it makes you fall out of your bed. And usually at least once a night you get out of bed and come ask mommy if you can get 1 more 'ni, ni' (blanket), "1 more mommy, 1 more"
• You have become so much friendly - say 'hi' to people and don't have your stranger danger anymore.
• You need to snuggle with your daycare teachers every morning at drop off, just to get your day started with some snuggles.
• Sometimes people touching her bugs her, if you try to rub her back then she will move your hand.
• Love to dance!
• You are a night owl, you love to stay up late but you will also sleep in later.
• You LOVE the lake so far this year. Last year cried when put life jacket on, this year cries when take it off. Loves the pontoon and will yell "daddy faster!" You are also loving playing in the sand with all of your sand toys.

Thanks so much for all the smiles you bring us, Karlee. You are so special!