2 year update

So Emma has been in her big girl bed for several months now. I started out putting the baby gate in the door to her room because I was not sure what she would do if she would wake up and Tim and I would still be sleeping–but, the baby gate is down now. Most mornings Tim and I get up before Emma...but some she gets up before us and I tell you what...there is nothing like waking up from sleep hearing a quiet "mama, mama" and seeing the sweetest face ever! Nothing like it! Once she comes into our room she lays on our bed and has her morning cup of juice while Tim and I get ready for the day. Once we are ready we pile into our cars and head to Starbucks (yes, I said it, Starbucks....New Years resolution #275–MAKE coffee at home!!) Emma LOVES going to Starbucks in the morning...it is what she has grown up doing. All the workers know her and most of the time give her a treat. Also, our Starbucks is in a Harris Teeter so Emma enjoys getting her very own balloon occasionally. Once we hit Starbucks (which Emma can identify out the car window–we were driving by one the other day and pointed to the big green sign and exclaimed "coffee!!!") it is either off to Mooma’s house or back home with mommy. Mooma still watches Emma three days a week and for that I am eternally grateful. She basically runs their day as any preschool would-after all, she use to be a preschool teacher. Emma loves it over there. She has animals to play with, horses to pet, a garden to tend to, bunches of dollies to take care of and music upon music to dance to. On days I have her anything is possible. We either meet up with my sisters for a play date, go shopping, play outside and swing or just stay at home. One thing about Emma that is both precious and difficult is she is a home-body...just like her mama! No matter what we do, she would choose to stay right at home. When I was a kiddo I remember wanting to leave sleep overs to go back home because I was home-sick. Guess I know where Emma gets that from :) When evening starts Emma is either with her Daddy for an hour or two while I am on my way home from work or we are at home waiting for Daddy to get home from work. Our evenings are so fun! Emma independently plays SO well! She plays with her dollies, does puzzles, colors, reads...you name it. She does this while I make (usually just heat up) dinner. When I do make dinner she LOVES to help. We pull a chair up to the counter and she pours things, stirs things and mixes things for me. It is so fun. After dinner it is bath time. Emma really enjoys her bath time. She swims, blows bubbles, splashes, puts half her head under the water, etc. After bath time and once she is all snugly in her PJ’s we go downstairs to watch Dora and Diego. She loves Dora and Diego! At 8:00 p.m. we head upstairs to brush our teeth, read books and go night night. Emma never gives me a problem with night night time. She knows that when Diego is over it is time to give Daddy, Duke and Bella kisses and head upstairs. She picks out her books for me to read. I usually read 4 and then it is lights out.
That’s it...that’s the normal day in the life of Emma.

As far as things she loves in no particular order:
dancing
running
mac & cheese
being outside
reading
learning
Dora
singing and dancing to the Dora "we did it!" song
Duke & Bella
popsicles
shoes
the Christmas tree
juice
lollipops
her moma
her daddy
her family (including all her grandparents, aunts and cousins!)
looking at pictures of her family
Jolly Green Giants broccoli, rice and cheese (thank you JGG!)
band-aids
tracing her hand on paper
babies (real and fake)
singing
*This is the short list. I tell you what, this baby girl LOVES what she loves. It is so sweet.

Development:
She is talking in up to 5 word sentences
She knows all her colors
She knows most of her shapes
She knows all her body parts
She is starting to jump with both feet off the ground
She loves to do somersaults
She is starting to count and do her ABC’s
*for this part I almost feel like I should list what she DOESN’T know....hee hee :)

Other:
She got her first hair trim. I don’t even want to call it a cut because we only took off not even an inch. Her hair is so curly and wispy...we just gave it a little trim. The hair on the front/top of her head grows forward giving her natural bangs. I was not going to give her bangs but her hair had other ideas...so I trimmed her bangs. She looks adorable!

She definitely eats like a toddler on the go. Sometimes I can get her to sit at the table and eat...but most of the time she is way too busy. She comes to me, takes a bite, goes off to play and then comes back for another bite. Eating on the go!

She is 100% potty trained at home except for sleeping.

She is totally getting Christmas this year. She loves (from afar) Santa Clause, the Christmas tree and the story of Baby Jesus. We were looking at her stocking the other night and I asked her what Santa was going to put in her stocking and she said "feet!"–I thought that was adorable–and very practical.

She is just so fun. She is the happiest, sweetest, most loving kid I have ever met. She is so outgoing in her "element", i.e. home, and once warmed up outside of her "element" she is a total ham. She loves to make people laugh and keep them laughing. She is so caring. The few times she has seen Tim and I get hurt she gets so concerned. She wants to make sure we are okay and that our boo boo is okay. I have said it before and I will say it again–she has the sweetest spirit. God made her so special and unique. She amazes me every day. I don’t want her to grow up so fast but at the same time I can’t wait to see the girl/woman she is going to grow into.

Tim and I must have done something right for God to give us such a sweet child–our treasure.

We love you, Emma Grace!