Happy Third Birthday!

Dear Kenly,

Three years ago today, you changed my life forever. I never knew that being a Mama would split my heart wide open. I've never loved this deeply before. I've watched you grow from an infant into the beautiful girl that you are today. You amaze me in every way. You are beautiful inside and out. So many people talk about how pretty you are, but they have no idea how deep your beauty goes. Your intelligence blows me away every day. You're not just smart; you have an amazing drive to learn and to master every new skill. Just recently I watched as you practiced tracing your letters for nearly an hour. You're starting to sound out words. I love to watch the glint in your eye when you discover, on your own, that the word balloon starts with a B. Your brain in never off; those wheels are always turning. In addition to being brilliant, you are sensitive and kind. I often have to console you if you see another boy or girl crying. You don't like to see pain. When I had a nose bleed the other day, you cried until I held you an assured you that I was just fine. You notice those around you. I pray that you will always be sensitive to others. Life isn't always easy, and we need to help each other on this life journey. One of my favorite things to watch develop is the intense love you have for your daddy. He is your protector and your playmate. If you're going to try something new, Daddy has to be at your side. When Daddy started back to school this year, your heart broke. We had to visit him at school twice in order to ease you back into being with just Mommy during the day. Child, you are imaginative. You named my old Cabbage Patch doll without any help. Camry is always by your side. I love to hear your dialogue as you play with your critters. You've created a game called "Bump Bump" that you play every morning. Your stuffed caterpillar takes everyone on rides. During tea parties, you make the best cup of "tea adventure" that I've ever had, especially when you add sugar and lemon. You are strong willed and hard headed, and before you think those are bad traits, know that I'm glad that one day you will think for yourself. You want to dress yourself now. Most days I let you, even if you are a bit flashy and clashy. You are enamored with dresses that twirl. You have fierce opinions about your hair. Forget ponytails. You only want to wear headbands, and depending on the day, you want to poof like Nana. You don't think twice about shooting daggers at me or telling me, "if you don't listen to me, I'm going to put you in time out," when you don't get your way. You're learning to be patient and polite. More and more, you're stepping out and becoming independent. I love that confidence, but I'm still so glad that you need me close by. I love that I'm your comfort...your safe zone. Baby girl, you are my heart. I'm thrilled that you're getting a brother or sister, but I'm also a little heart sick that our days of just "me and you" are numbered. You will always be special. You made me a mother. I'm so thankful that God gave you to me and Daddy. You walk around with my heart, and you always will. I love you more than all the leaves that have ever fallen from the trees.

Love,
Mama


Favorites:

Benny Bunny
Camry the Cabbage Patch
Word World, Barney, and Veggie Tales
Putting stickers on your "new foods" chart (You don't like trying, but you love the reward.)
The Cow Loves Cookies by Karma Wilson
Playing the "I love you more" game
Wrestling/Tackling Daddy
Spooning/Snuggling (but only when you want it)
Reading books of any type
Dancing, Dancing, Dancing
Music--All types
Candyland
Chutes and Ladders
Puzzles
Go Fish
Saying "You know what?" Chicken Butt (Your Daddy taught you this one.)

Kenly's Three Year Stats

Weight--27.2 pounds (25th percentile)
Height--36.5 inches (50th percentile)
Her overall BMI falls in the 10th percentile.

She impressed everyone at her doctor's appointment. She disliked having her blood pressure taken, but she never even whimpered. She had to take a vision test. She completed it and blew the nurse away. The nurse said that most 3 year olds can't complete the test. They don't have the knowledge or patience. Her vision is 20/30 in both eyes right now. Apparently this is perfectly normal.

She's two and a half. Already?

On February 9th, Kenly turned 2.5! I can't believe she's on the downhill slope to 3. She is the joy of our lives. Every day she says something cute and adorable that makes us laugh or melt. Just the other day she looked up at me with pleading eyes and asked, "Can I have some ponelish?" I was thoroughly confused. I asked for clarification. She simply said, "You know, mama. Can I have some pink ponelish on my toes?"

To celebrate her half-birthday, we had Valentine's Day themed cupcakes. I'd like to say that I made them from scratch for the occasion, but I let her pick them out from Foodlion. She picked well. We had no candles, so Adam improvised and lit a match. She was just happy to be able to blow something out.






Wonder where she learned to eat cake?
At 2.5 she is amazingly verbal. In fact, she frequently talks circles around some of the older kids we meet on the playground. I'm so proud of the little girl she is becoming. Every day that passes takes me one day further away from my baby, but I'm loving every minute. Her heart is pure gold, and I'm so proud to be her mama.

It's My Party...

So, to continue with the party. Kenly blew out her candle like a champ. After taking a few bites of yellow and orange icing, she remembered "the order of events." She knew that after cake came presents. She pronounced that she was all done, and then she headed to the living room where she found her "stash" and her rocking chair. She did manage to stay in the kitchen long enough to take a few pictures with her parents.

She sat in her rocking chair looking like a princess. She tried her very hardest to be patient, to wait until everyone was finished with cake, but she's two. Five minutes passed and then I heard a little voice yell, "Come here now. Time for presents. Cake is all done." And who can argue with the birthday girl?
She opened all manner of presents. One of her favorite gifts was her favorite foods made out of wood. Nana and Papa worked really hard to make her favorites look just like the real deal--crouton, bacon, ketchup, mustard, honey mustard, peanut butter, and a few others that I know I'm missing. She opened sidewalk chalk, books, CDs, a tutu, a Thomas the Train set, and her very own kitchen.
When it was all said and done, the living room looked like a disaster area. There were toddlers, paper, and presents everywhere. It was a sight to behold, a rip-roaring success.
She finally opened her kitchen. We made her guess what it was, and she thought it was a chair.
It think she's happy with her new kitchen.
I love how she placed a stick of butter into her tea pitcher, but hey, I'm not judging.
I think she'll be reliving this day for months to come. Thank you to everyone who helped make this day so special for my little girl.

Make a Wish

Kenly blew the candles out all by herself, but she wasn't quite sure what to make of all her guests singing to her.

Birthday Blowout!

I was going to do one massive post about Kenly's birthday party, but Blogger is refusing to let me upload all the pictures I would like to put in this post. So, we'll start at the very beginning.

Last year Adam mad Kenly's birthday cake with a little bit of help for me. We decided to continue the tradition this year, and I raise the stakes a bit. Adam was responsible for making a rubber duck cake. I showed him a few examples of cakes I found on the web, and then I cut him loose. He did a fantastic job. I was responsible for making the cream cheese icing, and make icing I did. We still have a mound of blue icing in the fridge waiting for something to decorate. I

Adam icing the BIG 11x15 cake that we served to our party guests.
Amy time I tried to take a picture of him, he would duck. This is the only one he let me take of him looking at the camera. Should have saved the others as outtakes.
Here are the finished products. Kenly's cake is the small one. She loved having a cake of her very own.
Once everyone arrived at the party, we had hotdogs and hamburgers for lunch.
Once everyone finished lunch, all the kiddos went outside to play in the "water park" or in the creek.
Annalise looked adorable in her pigtails.
Zander and Caleb found a turtle by the creek. They made him a home, complete with a "Lincoln Log" style house. (Don't worry Jess...He escaped.)
Davis also enjoyed a little pool time as well.
I even found a few minutes to snuggle with my hubby during all the fun.
Kenly kept soaking Nana when she wanted to warm up from her cold swim.

Happy Second Birthday!

Dear Kenly,

Two years ago today, you came into my life and changed it forever. You reached into my heart with your tiny little hands, grabbed my heart with a grip far too firm your your 7lbs 13 ounce frame, and taught my heart to love at a whole new level. I adore being your Mama. Staying home with you, tending your boo-boos, and watching you grow into a little girl have been some of the highlights of my life. I am relieved that motherhood has no termination date. Once you came into my life and became my child, you forever branded me your mama. I love being your mother even when the role is more than I think I can handle.

You are such a blessing. Daily you teach me about life and how to live it better. You make me want to be stronger, kinder, and more open to adventure and discovery.

I love that you start each morning by singing from your bed. How much better would my morning be if I followed your example and sang praises from bed before my feet ever hit the ground?

I love your fearless, loving nature. You hold nothing back. You love with a fervor I have never witnessed before. I makes me want to rip away the stone wall of fear that life taught me to build around my heart--to open it freely to new people without fear of being hurt or disappointed.

I adore that you find wonder in a ladybug. You squeal with delight at the sound of thunder. You marvel at the the Creator's smallest masterpieces. I want your eyes of discovery. I want my heart to thrill at the beauty of God's creation instead of being blinded by my "to do" list or my laundry list of worries.

I love your growing independence. Each day I watch your slowly loosen the apron strings ever so slightly. While everything within me wants to reel you back in, to pull you back into my protective arms, I know you have to venture out. You must be your own person. Watching you need me less is bittersweet. My heart cheers because I know that we are teaching you to be brave and independent, but I yearn for you to need me always.

I see compassion/empathy for others in the very fiber of your being. You fret about Madame Blueberry finding a new house in Veggie Tales. You frequently ask, "What happened to him?" When a friend gets upset, you can't play until you're sure he/she is okay. I love that you are genuinely concerned for those you see around you at such an early age. Don't ever lose your compassion for humanity, but please don't let worry consume you either. Find the balance.

You are by far the crowing achievement of my life. I want to see you grow into a beautiful young woman who knows beyond a doubt that God made her special. He knows you, and he has a future beyond compare just waiting for you.

I love you more than words can express. Happy second birthday, Kenly Shae.

Forever yours,
Mama

16 Months

Today you turn 16 months old. My baby is now a full fledged toddler--walking, running, talking, exploring, and becoming more independent as the days go by. You're a little girl now, and I love watching you learn and grow.

At 16 months you....

...think Elmo is a rock star.
...you'd watch 16 hours of LaLa--Veggie Tales Silly Songs if we'd let you.
...you love stickers and coloring the coffee table more than your color book.
...love trying out new words.
...love the color yellow. Most thing are "llellow."
...to play hide-and-seek with your Dada.
...love to go to the library and to read books. You've even started "reading" them all by yourself. I love to find you in your chair "reading" a book.
...love all things Christmas.
...try to repeat anything Daddy or I say.
...are full of love, life, and adventure.
...melt our hearts with kisses and hugs.

You hate....

...to have your hair dried after a bath.
...socks.
...to be told you can't do something.
...when saying "peeze"doesn't get you what you want.

At 16 months, you're still my dream come true. I love you!

14 Months

Fourteen months ago today you entered our lives, a bundle of perfection and a dream come true. Today you're on the go more than you're still. You're hiding and running more than you're snuggling, and you still make us marvel every day. Thank you for making us a family.

This month you're fond of eating only what you want to eat....thank you very much.

You love your shoes. If you find them on the floor, you come running saying, "Shoos."

You have even Dr. Mustoe shocked/amazed with your "understood" vocabulary. You know the names of rooms, foods, and countless other objects. Your spoken vocabulary is increasing too. You say about 20-30 words when prompted, but Mama and Dada often are your interpreters. Too everyone else, you're speaking in tongues.

You love your Benny Bunny with a fierce love. And don't think about taking your Binky on a bad day.

You're on whole milk now, but you're still using your bottle. You and your Mama are still a bit set in your/our ways.

You love to "flop" when you're angry. You often get more angry when you flop on a hard surface.

You like to hide, especially when you're naked and on your way to the bath tub.

You love to be outside.

Every morning when I dress you, I'll ask, "Does the baby look pretty in her outfit today?" This is where you go after I ask that very question.

I'll ask, "Do you love that baby?" This is your response.Whenever I try and take your picture with a flash, this is the response I get. I say you're channelling your inner Earl Hicky from My Name is Earl.

You want to know how everything work. You'll puzzle something over for 20-30 minutes. Today you wanted to know how the top fits on the Nalgene bottle.

To celebrate your wonderfulness, we gave you a bubble bath. Your very first bubble bath. I'd say you're a fan of bubbles, but I knew that already.

Thanks for 14 months of love and childhood wonder. You are priceless.

Cake, Presents, and Ribbons...Oh My

Adam and I had a good time making Kenly's birthday cake. She had yellow cake that had confetti sprinkles mixed in to create a colorful, speckled, delightfully fun look. We used cream cheese icing that we dyed pink. The centerpiece was my Nannie's tiara from being Queen of Georgia War Veteran's Nursing Home. We used cookie icing to create a border and to write her name. Adam is largely responsible for the beautiful decorating job. It was like Nannie was smiling down on us. I know she giggled seeing her tiara on Kenly's first birthday cake. I can just hear her say, "Princess, you did good."

We turned the kitchen into a princess palace while Kenly napped. She was thrilled with all the streamers and balloons. It cracked me up to hear her try and say balloon.

Cake is so yummy. She had a taste of the cake the night before her birthday day. We hadn't put icing on it yet, and she kept saying yum. She kept coming back for more. The morning of her birthday she walked to where the cake had been, pointed, and said, "yum." Her memory is far too good.