Lainah Turns Two

So hard to believe, but our little Lainah turned two last month. The weeks and months have quickly turned into years, as we've watched this sweet little baby grow up into a beautiful and fun-loving little toddler. She is such a joy, and we all love her to pieces. Lainah is most often found right in the center of things. She speaks in full sentences and always has something to say...sometimes we wake up to hear her talking to herself in the middle of the night.
Her nurses in Cleveland mentioned to me several times that she had such a strong, sweet spirit about her. I completely agree. Lainah is a child that you just can't help loving.
Lainah was so excited for her birthday. Throughout the day while she was waiting for daddy and the kids to come home from work and school, she kept singing, "Lainah, Happy Birthday to me, Lainah, Happy Birthday to me!" It was too funny.
She worked really hard to get those two candles out, such concentration.

Lainah's new tricycle. Since it's still cold outside, we've let her ride it inside in the kitchen, her room, and the hallway which are all hardwood or laminate floors. She's had a lot of fun and is getting pretty good. Although, it's been tough to keep Matthew off. He zooms around the corner going mach 10 at the most unexpected times.

The look says it all...

Of course, big sister Brooklynn is there to help out every step of the way

Lainah LOVES Dora the Explorer. She walks around the house singing "I'm the map, I'm the map...etc" and for Christmas she got Boots...Dora's monkey. She also sings the "Back pack" song, and whenever she does something all by herself, she does a little bottom wiggle and sings, "I did it, I did it, I did it, HOORAY!" All the while wiggling her bottom...it's the funniest thing ever. So, because of her love for Dora...we decked out the birthday table with Dora accessories. She loved it.

I couldn't get her to look right at the camera that night! She was being such a little stinker! :) She'd look away and then grin. Always the tease.

I've never worked with fondant before, but decided that I wanted to try it out and see what I could do with it. It was fun to try out a completely different cake method! Lainah loved the flowers.

I had a hard time keeping her from picking the flowers off and eating them. The day probably seemed endless to her...waiting for daddy and the kids to get home so we could P-A-R-T-Y!!!

I think I'd like to take some fondant classes and learn how to do it for real. This was a good go for the first time without any help...but I look at it and see all the flaws!

Grandma and Grandpa came over to visit a few weeks after her birthday and gave her this cute little dress. She loved it. That was one thing that was so fun about her day. Everything that she opened she'd hug and say, "I love it, I just love it." We've got it on video tape and it really is the sweetest thing ever.

So our little baby is two and a toddler! She still loves to snuggle and likes to "sneak" into my bed early in the morning, usually about 5 am. I'm too tired to take her back to her bed, so I usually just scootch over and let her stay. The other morning I woke up and rolled over to find her right in the middle of our bed. She looked at Andy and I and said in her little two-year old voice, "Surprise! Here me am!!!"

Another funny thing that she's been doing lately is putting everything to song. She will walk around the house singing something over and over again. The other day it was "I can do it myself! I can do it myself!" and another time it was "I know where it is! I know where it is!" Whenever I'd ask her "where what is?" she'd just look at me, grin, and then start singing it all over again. I never figured out what she took or where she put it.

She's starting to call Matthew "buddy" when she mothers him. So most of the time she calls him Matthew, but if she's worried that he's being left behind she'll say, "Buddy, come on!" or if he's hurt she'll say "are you okay Buddy?" It's really funny because he's so big compared to her, but he'll let her mother him...she'll hug him and pat his back and say, "oh buddy, it's okay." I love standing back and watching them.

She also loves chocolate. Sometimes in the morning when I ask her which cereal she wants for breakfast, she tells me that she just wants chocolate. She knows right where I keep the chocolate chips...and frequently gets into them. But she always offers to share with others so I guess it's okay. Besides, I'm a chocolate girl myself.

A friend in Kirtland once jokingly told me that you can know what your children will be like as teenagers based on how they were when they were two years old. If that is truly the case...then Lainah will be a beautiful girl with big, deep golden brown eyes...who loves shoes and hand lotion. She will speak very intelligently and enunciate her words to perfection. She will also be very particular about her surroundings...chairs will have to be spaced just right, table settings placed just so, and only particular hair accessories on particular days. She will mother the boys, and be a little bossy to the girls...and tease them all with a little grin on her face. She will be singing funny little songs that don't make any sense to anyone but herself...and she will never tell you what they mean...and she'll give the best hugs and kisses...and will always pause whatever she's doing to see if you're okay when she knows you're hurt.
uh oh...I just thought of one more thing...I'll have to keep my iphone locked down...because she'll want to be on it ALOT.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LAINAH LORRAINE!