Happy Big 2nd Birthday Kaya boo!!!!

(posted 2.5 weeks late)

WOW! You are two years old, Kaya!!! I admit there is still some of me that thinks of you as a little baby... most of the time I see you as the big girl that you have become!! Over the last 6+ months since I have been working, you have been growing up at a much faster pace than I am comfortable with, I admit. I treasure all the time that we have together that much more though!! You are really the sweetest girl! You are very loving... giving hugs and kisses and saying "I love you mama" and "thank you mama" without any encouragement... you simply do that on your own. Your vocabulary is amazing... saying words like "halitosis" and "aticulating truck" (cousin Jack is so proud) still cracks me up! You are saying a lot of full sentences like "where did it go?", "I am ready for dinner"... and many more. You have recently learned how to jump all over the place and still enjoy doing that a lot. One of your favorite past times has become play dough... which is fun for Mama too! You are understanding the idea of having a baby brother/sister more and more.... you love to kiss the baby in mama's belly and you love to feed your baby. You are also getting more and more independent!! You like to say things are "Kaya's" or "mine".... which we continue to work on the whole idea of sharing.. have no fear, someday that concept will make sense to you. You really like dresses and un-dressing yourself... you do a great job with that! You love to help with everything we do... making pancakes or other food items, brushing your own teeth (Mama still does a run through just in case), and helping put groceries away or anything else that we are currently doing. You just like to be involved, and I have no problem with that. You play well by yourself as well! Like all of us, you need some alone time... and I respect that!

Each day, I count my blessings that I am able to call you my daughter!! You are a lot like me... at times you and I struggle with our strong attitudes, but most of the time I smile knowing that I am lucky enough to see the world through your eyes! There are times when I really struggle with working right now and I feel you are not getting as much of my influence as I want you have (because deep down I feel I need to be at home with you, but I also know this is a temporary thing), then I see you do something that I taught you (like saying 'please', 'thank you', and 'your welcome' to people in public) and I know you are my daughter all the way and that I am doing the right thing for you right now! In the end, that is all the matters! I love you very much Kaya!!!