Sarah is Two

Sarah is two years old!  I can say that hands down this year went by way faster than her first year.  It's been another year full of growth for our girl, and I still can't think of any other way I'd rather spend my days than being with Sarah.

Sarah is 27.6 pounds (62%), 34" tall (51%), and she has a 19" head (43%).  In the last 6 months she's  gained 4 pounds and grown an inch and a half. She can fit in a variety of clothes ranging from 18 months to 2T, and 6 wide shoes are starting to get a bit tight.  She also got eight more teeth this year, so she has 18 total and just has two more baby teeth to go before teething is over.  Her hair continues to be very light blonde and curly.  I can put it in a ponytail or a clip, but she doesn't leave it in for long.  She also has her daddy's tan skin, and it makes her blue eyes pop!

She'd eat junk food all day if I let her - ice cream, cookies, brownies, chips, dip, and crackers - but she also likes a variety of healthy foods such as eggs, cheese, all fruits, and most vegetables.  She loves her whole milk and water.

Her vocabulary has increased exponentially this year.  I don't even keep track of how many words she can say now, but I'm sure it's well over 1,000.  She basically understands everything we say, and I can understand most everything she says.  We still have frustrating moments from time to time where I can't understand her, but for the most party anyone she's talking to can understand what she's saying, and she enunciates well.  Here are some of our favorite conversations from the year:

• We were feeding giraffes at the zoo and Sarah asked if the giraffe's tongue was made of chocolate.
• Sarah saw some mulch that was dropped on the parking lot, and she started singing, "Pick up, pick up.  Everybody do your share."
• Sarah was being disobedient and climbed on top of a table.  I asked her if she needed to go to timeout, and she said, "Yes!"  I put her in her crib for timeout.  She said, "Thank you!"
• Sarah was sitting on a bench next to Robert and leaned into him to say, "I love you,"
• Singing in the car, "Jesus loves me this me know."  (She confuses I and me, and it's the cutest!)
• When I was driving I had to slam on the brakes and Sarah said, "Holy smokes!"
• Sarah was talking to herself in the car and counted 1-10 without prompting and without making a mistake.
• Me: "I don't paint much."  Sarah: "You paint your toes!"
• "Hello, Mittens!  I love you!  I love you!  Goodbye!"
• I asked Robert to scratch my arms.  Sarah said, "No, my turn," and started scratching my arms.  She said, "I'm helping Mommy."

She's so funny and incredibly loving.  You can't beat it when she runs up and says, "I love you, Mommy.  Hug.  Kiss," and gives me a snotty kiss and a hug with a pat on the back.  She is very active but knows when she needs to snuggle up with me and grabs her soft blanket and milk.  She likes giving people high fives and fist bumps, and kisses and heal any boo-boo.

Sarah typically sleeps from 7:15pm-8:00am and naps from 1:00-3:00.  In the morning she likes to drink her milk and eat breakfast at the table.  If it's nice outside we'll go for a stroller ride, but it's been too hot lately.  She enjoys watering the plants with me and will go to the back door and say, "I need to check on my plants."  We try to have an outing in the morning like story time at the library, a play date, or Bible study at a friend's house.  Lunch is often leftovers or a sandwich at home.  She goes to sleep for her nap and for the night by reading a couple of books with me and singing our standard songs since day one (Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Jesus Loves Me, and Jesus Loves the Little Children.)  She sings along to every word, and some days it just hits me that mothering these sweet girl is such a gift.  She is a sponge and absorbs everything I do and say.  After her nap she has a snack.  We play in her room.  She likes puzzles, stuffed animals, Mardi Gras necklaces, and her cleaning kit.  She also likes being artistic and enjoys sidewalk chalk, coloring with Crayons or colored pencils, writing on her marker board, painting, and play-dough.  She loves bath time and has finally started to tolerate having her hair rinsed out without crying.  She also loves getting her fingernails and toenails painted and will show them off to everyone she sees.

Sarah adores Mittens and really wishes she could pick her up and carry her around.  Mittens would never stand for that, but she does let Sarah kiss her and pet her.  Sarah likes watching birds and bunnies outside, and she likes seeing dogs on our walks.

Sarah is big enough to stand on a chair and help in the kitchen now which we all love.  She enjoys dumping in ingredients, helping with the mixer, and taste testing everything.  She also really enjoys "helping" me clean.  She gets out her broom and mop, helps move the laundry from the washing machine to the dryer, and likes wiping up messes.

She doesn't watch much television, maybe two hours a week, but when she does watch TV it's probably 70% Barney and 30% Elmo.  Barney was Robert's and my favorite show growing up, so it's pretty easy for us to tolerate watching reruns on Netflix.  Elmo's voice is kind of irritating, but there are more annoying shows she could like I guess.  

Sarah loves music.  She will say, "Okay, Google," to our Google Home when she wants to listen to music inside the house.  In the car she likes listening to Veggie Tales, and her favorite is The B-I-B-L-E.  She likes playing her harmonica and kazoo, and she likes playing on our piano and Robert's guitar.  She also has a song in her head, and especially enjoys songs with actions like Ring Around the Rosy and Head and Shoulders.

She continues being very social which is really shocking since Robert and I tend to be that way.  She likes her little friends at church and in our neighborhood.  She loves the attention of the middle school and high school students at church.  She jumps for joy when she gets to see her grandparents and other family members.  Being around other people energizes her.  She loves saying, "Mine," but she's also learning how to share, and it warms my heart when she offers a toy or something else to a friend without being asked.

One huge milestone that happened this year was getting her potty trained.  I had purchased a potty seat and a potty ring to go on our toilet at least six months ago.  We had them out, and she'd use them here and there, but she was never really into it.  When Robert went to summer camp for the week in mid-June it just clicked, and she was all about the potty.  We used Cookie Crisp Cereal as an incentive, and she loves her big girl underwear (Minnie Mouse, Hello Kitty, and Disney Princesses).  She isn't scared to ask the church nursery workers to go to the bathroom, and she doesn't mind having to use the public restroom.  When we're gone from the house for a long time I put her in a Pull-Up, but a lot of times she is able to keep it dry.  She's woken up dry from a nap a couple of times, so hopefully that will become consistent soon, and then eventually she'll stay dry at night.  Unfortunately, #2 has not been successful, but I know it'll happen in due time.  For now, I'm so proud of Sarah and happy to say goodbye to diapers at 23 months old!  

Sarah got to go to Wyoming, Colorado, Nebraska, and Iowa for the first time this year.  We also made our annual trip to Alabama.  She's still a pretty good traveler which we are very thankful for.

Dear Sarah,
I am blessed beyond measure to be your Mommy.  You have so many words to say, and I hope you learn to use your words to bring glory to the Father and to speak truth into people's lives.  You have such a great sense of humor, and I hope you use it to make people laugh and feel comfortable.  You are such a beautiful girl.  I love being your playmate, and I look forward to the day when we can be best friends.