Haylee Jean, The Two-Year-Old

Haylee is 2!  This little girl has wanted to be "grown-up" since she was a baby, and I think she's liking being two years old.  It's hard to describe Haylee-she's her own person you have to get to know in order to appreciate her.  :)  Here are a few interests and traits of hers that are emerging these days.

• She can get her brother's goat like none other.  My personal favorite is when she and Jack are playing together, and she'll whisper with a mischievous grin, "Mine."  It sends Jack into a frenzy, and you can see Haylee's satisfaction that she's gotten a reaction.  However, on the flip side, she LOVES Jack.  If she wakes up from her nap before Jack, all she can talk about is when he is going to wake up.  
• She loves interacting. Conversations with her these days are quite entertaining and fun.  She is a snuggler, so whenever she wakes up in the morning or from her nap, we have to have snuggle time with her blankie.  It's a favorite time of day for me.  While her brother wakes up ready to conquer the world, Haylee is a slow, snuggly "waker-upper." 
• If you ever have a chance to see Haylee run, it's quite an experience. It's impossible to describe in detail on the blog, but I'll just say that it's amazing how many directions her body can go while she runs from one place to another.  I love it.
• Unlike Jack, she hasn't become focused on one thing to play with.  She loves her babies, and playing with puzzles.  But, I think her favorite thing to play is with Jack.  She loves playing Legos (when he'll let her), pirates, and whatever else he's into. It'll be interesting to see if any favorite toys/games emerge this year.
• She had her dad wrapped around her finger.  He is defenseless around her.  And she loves him. 

There is so much more to say, but I'll stop there.  We had a fun birthday with her today: went to lunch at Red Robin, napped, then had a little birthday party/dinner at our place tonight.  My camera is on the fritz, so I used my old one which has such a slow response time...

 

Our lunch at Red Robin.

 Blowing out the candle.

 These two were SUPER excited about the party.

 Dinner time!

 Present time!

 My wonderful Uncle Bob and Aunt Dianne came all the way from Arizona for Haylee's birthday!  Well, okay, they came for my dad's induction to the Hall of Fame, but we were happy they were able to add Haylee's birthday to their week in Washington. 

 Anna and Josie outside.  So cute!

 Haylee got a shopping cart for her birthday, so she and Anna did lots of passes in front of the house.  It was a hit, as you can tell!

 Whenever Steph and Rachel get together, they like to compare stories about how bossy and Type-A I am.  ;)  I shouldn't let them get together too often...

The awesome grandparents!  Our family is blessed to have such wonderful parents/grandparents who get along so well and love our kids so much!

We had a wonderful time with our family (and missed those who couldn't make it) celebrating Haylee.  This was probably our last get together at our house as we SOLD OUR HOUSE and are closing at the end of the month.  We have such great memories of our home and hope the young couple who is moving in is able to form great memories as well.  

Grandma LaVine shared this poem with me the other day that fits Haylee to a tee.  So, I'll end the post with that:

Courtney

by Lois Lee Gill

Little Miss Adorable 

struts down the hall

She's a tiny mite, not even 

two

Doesn't bother

at all!

She's thrilled with herself,

bursting with glee

And I'm so pleased she visits me.

She knows she's cute

she knows she's smart

Little Miss Adorable

steals everybody's heart!

We love Haylee! She brings us so much joy!