Our Jaela Rae turned 2 this weekend--2! I can't believe that it has already been 2 years since our Lord blessed us with her presence. She is a great joy to our lives, and learning new things each day at a pace faster than I can ever imagine. Here are some of her favorite things and some of her new activities:
Words: too many to count, she is saying short sentences now. She can be very polite, with phrases such as "Thank you, Mommy," or bossy, such as "Riley, go house" (riley is our dog haha) Some of her other words/phrases are "please" "mommy" "Daddy", "Mamma/PawPaw (for Grandma/pa Cooper), PopPop/MomMom(for the Burtons), "want snacks", "sing songs" "mee nose (that's Mickey/minnie mouse, for those who don't speak toddler), "babydoll", "sheebabankieat (I think it's either "you seen my blankie, or silly blanket, but whatever it is, she laughs everytime she says it), "Pita" (which stands for pizza, pitas or peanut butter. Sometimes she says it in threes: Pita, Pita,Pita!)
Likes to play with: babydolls, her swingset and playhouse outside, bubbles, "fort" (made by throwing a blanket over a table. She takes her books there and says "mommy, we hide from daddy?" or "read books?", balls, phones (especially iphones and kindles) princesses and make believe
Favorite TV shows: Curious George, Veggie tales (she asks by saying "Bob"), Toy Story(loves Buzz), any of the Disney Princesses, esp Belle
Food: Loves Sweets! Also loves, peanut butter, cottage cheese, blueberries, apples, sloppy joes and hotdogs and crescent chicken. When she's in a good mood, she will eat carrots and peas.
Favorite Songs: She loves to sing! She sings "this little light of mine" "it's bubbling" "way up in the sky" "Baby Beluga", "Brush my teeth"(a song by Raffi from my childhood). She even will try to sing during church services too. Her favorite praise song is 10,000 reasons-she sings the chorus so cute. I have a video I will try to post later.
Mobile Skills: It's more like what doesn't she do, or where can't she get now. She can crawl (sometimes she does it to be silly), walk, run, climb. I've found her on kitchen chairs and tables, on a wooden storage ottoman that she pushed over to reach my piano keyboard, you name it. She hasn't quite mastered hopping, but she is getting close.
Bible stuff: She loves going to Sunday school and wednesday night class. it's so neat to see her interact with all the kids, and imitate those around her. In addition to songs, we have been teaching her some memorization. With a few prompts, she can say the 4 gospels, and Psalm 34:8 (Taste and see that the Lord is good) We are also starting to do the days of creation.
She loves bathtime and stories with her daddy. That is their special bonding time, and it's quite precious to sit back and watch. As part of their nighttime routine, they review basic body parts, like eyes, nose, ears, cheeks, elbow, toes, etc. She is quite good at identifying. She also can identify circles, and animals and squares.
She's a helper: She loves to help sweep the floors, wipe things down with a diaper wipe or clorox wipe, help transfer laundry over to the dryer or the basket, throw things away (sometimes tries to put my bowls and spoons in the trash!)
I'm sorry this is such a long post, but these are things I want to remember someday. I love this girl so much, and I can't imagine life without her. I'm excited to see what new things she will learn this next year and in the years to come. Everyday is a new adventure and a chance to learn and laugh and share.
