Happy Birthday Sophia

Sophia,

Tomorrow morning, you will wake up like you do any other morning. You will probably chat with your Minnie Mouse or your Lala, maybe even sing us some Jingle Bells or parts of the ABC's. You may even climb out of your big-girl bed and wait at your baby gate with your favorite book (of the day). For you the day will feel the same as any other.

But tomorrow will feel different for your Daddy and I. Why? Because you are turning two. Two!

We are so surprised by the little girl you are becoming, and each and every day we thank God that he gave us you. You are so perfect for us, and we know that God gave you to us to take care of, watch grown, and help us to become more patient. And our patience is something you have been testing for some time now.

You've perfected the art of whining. But, when we tell you that you need to ask or talk like a big girl, you can snap right out of it. You amaze us with your communication skills. You ask for the things you want, (usually with manners) you tell us about all of the things that you see in our environment, you show us your understanding of the world and the way things work with your simple sentences. (When we come to a red light in the car, you'll tell us 'Red means stop!' and when the car begins moving again you tell us 'Green means GO!') You take experiences you have had and apply them in a million other places. (Like when Uncle Jim took us on a walk through the pasture to see an owl house, and then Aunt Pam and Uncle Bill took us on an owl hunt out at the cabin, you talked about owls for weeks...every time we found a bird house you would tell us it was an owl house, every time there was a notch in a tree you would point and tell us "shhhh, owl sleeping." )

I'll admit that we're not so great about documenting everything that you do, and maybe in the past two years we've forgotten to write down a milestone or two...but there is just something so real about experiencing your growth in the moment. Not taking a moment to stop and think "Oh, we have to remember this..." but actually sitting and enjoying the seconds that matter. Because that's how they feel. Like seconds. Ticking by so quickly, and we don't ever want to forget them.

So here are some of the things that we want to remember about you at two years old;

You are such a sweet, sweet girl. You interact with us on such a level that sometimes we forget you are a toddler. When we sneeze you tell us "Bless you Mommy" though sometimes it sounds more like "bess you Mommy". If we are coughing you will ask us, "You okay Daddy?" And helpful. Oh my gosh are you helpful. When we tell you that it's time to clean up, or that we need some help with something you are right there ready and willing to help. Laundry is a favorite weekend chore. You will haul out the laundry baskets so they are all in the hallway. You will help us separate it into piles and then hand each piece to us, one at time, as we load the washer. At night time when we clean up before bath, you will even sing your cleanup song from daycare "Clean up, Clean up, Everybody, Everywhere. Clean up, Clean up, Everybody Do Your Share!" :)

You LOVE books. Each morning when we come to your room, if you're out of bed before us, you have a book in your hands. When we sit down on the floor cross legged you immediately grab the nearest book and plop right down in our laps ready to read.

You are learning so much so quickly. You know the melody to the whole ABC song, and when we sing you know almost all of the letters! It scares us sometimes how quickly you are learning and the things you are taking in.

Barney is your absolute favorite right now. sigh. It's become another one of those words we have to spell, or endure for at least 30 minutes. Although we are not as big of fans as you are, at least we know you are learning from it. You take in everything he says and does and talk about it non stop.

You LOVE to help me in the kitchen. Which is adorable. You just have to have your "coffee" when you see Daddy and I getting ours. So we've come up with a solution to tantrums by pouring milk in your cup the same time we add it to our coffee. So sometimes milk is "milk" and sometimes milk is "coffee"! :)

You are truly Daddy’s girl. You tell me all the time where your Daddy is. “Daddy’s sleeping” on mornings when we make it up before him, which are most! “Daddy at work” when I pick you up from daycare. And often, “Daddy, I luuh you” is the first thing you tell him to wake him up in the mornings. I know that he’s not a morning person in the least, but I do know that this melts his heart every single time. You also are starting to become quite the football fan. You would find Daddy’s Bronco’s ornament on the tree and tell us, “Daddy’s football”. And if a sporting event is on TV, whether it be basketball, baseball or hockey, you will stand, hands raised and yell “Touchdown!” We wouldn’t be surprised if your next new word is “Teebow.”

You are becoming quite an individual. You are your own person, and we all know it. You have spunk, you are funny and we think you are so smart. But you challenge us too. You challenge our parenting skills. And let me tell you…you are stubborn. I spend the whole day with 22 students who test me constantly, and hands-down your little, tiny self gives me the biggest run for my money.

I heard a short saying this morning on the way to school from a mom who sometimes missed the little moments in her kids’ lives, and it brought me to tears (particularly because last night was a very challenging one with you!) So I want to share it, so that I can be held accountable to it. She said, “Remember to make time for the little things in your kids lives. Today they are little things, but as time goes on and you look back, they will be the big things.”

So on this note we just want to say, “Happy Birthday Sweet Sophia”.

We love you much.

Mommy & Daddy