About Sailer.....

A few of you have recently done posts about your kids' favorites and/or letters to them about where they are in life right now. I think that's so special not to mention they'll love to read it later! So in that spirit and since the last few weeks have pretty much revolved around Sailer turning 2, I thought it would be a perfect time to document hers.

*You can count pretty much to 10 (though for some reason 3 & 4 are randomly left out sometimes).

*You can draw an "S" for Sailer and a "M" for Mommy.

*You ask me for a bow almost every morning b/c you don't like your bangs in your face (I happily oblige)... we, then, proceed to have our morning tea party with your little silver tea set that sits on your ottoman.

*You finally are getting the hang of colors. This is such a relief as I was terrified a few months ago that you were color blind (crazy mommy) because when asked what color something was, you always replied "blue." Now you've pretty much got them all down, thank goodness.

*You like to collect... I should say, you require a collection. You're not really a fan of one of anything. You like to stockpile and have as many of one thing as you can. For example, though you only can suck on one paci at a time, you must go to bed with all that you can hold. That way you can have one in your mouth, one in each hand, and have several laying on your pillow within your direct line of sight.

*You have more words than I can count, and speak in more sentences daily. You are certainly a sponge that retains everything! Your newest sentence is "that'll make it better," which you learned from your nana yesterday at the movies when we were trying to get you to wear your 3D glasses because it would make the movie better.

*You also said your first curse word last week (which almost made your mommy cry and of course, made your daddy laugh). Your daddy hurt himself and slipped and said "sh*t," which you proceeded to imitate with perfect inflection. Luckily, you surprisingly have not repeated it again. I've been waiting every Tues and Thurs for your teachers to pull me aside to discuss what you've taught your class...

*We started time out with you last week, and I'm fairly certain it's just as torturous for me as it is for you.

*You love "school." And talk about your friends, especially Jack and Kali, all the way home. I love that.

*You absolutely LOVE to be outside... it doesn't matter what you're doing! You are instantly happy under the rays. You especially love the swing set in our yard and going to the park, which you'd sit and let someone swing you for hours!!!!

*Your favorite foods are bananas, blueberries (this is new), the nasty vienna sausages/mystery meat thingies that make me want to yak, mac & cheese, french fries, yogurt, crackers & cheese packets, turkey slices, and any and all cookies!! Healthy living at the James house as you can tell.

*You also love to be sung to... when you're fussy or upset and refuse to calm down, I can sing "Goodnight Sweetheart" to you and it always seems to quiet you down.

* Your favorite candy is suckers, but you refuse to just eat one at a time. You require at least 2.... which I allow b/c you never even finish one.

*Your favorite TV show/ movie/ really anything.... is without question Mickey Mouse. Everything is about "Mouse." You've known all of their names for many months, but you call all the males by what they are (ie Mickey = "Mouse", Donald = "Duck," etc.) and the girls by their names (Minnie & Daisy). I have no idea why?!?!?

*Your favorite books are the Fancy Nancy series and Baby Bear (but will pretty much listen to anything b/c you love to be read to).

*You LOVE lipstick and to powder your nose with mommy. And will patiently sit and endure me curling your hair just so you can get to the hairspray part.

*You adore any and all animals! After your b-day party, you talked non-stop about the baby pig that you wanted to come back. After having some pictures taken at Nash Farm recently, you were obsessed with sheep. You are always obsessed with Camo, our dog, and now Hope, your nana's kitten. I will say that you're not always that gentle with the kitty despite your utter adoration for her.... but she endures your torture when most wouldn't.

*Your favorite stuffed animal right now is this lamb (which you call "sheep") but also love all of your Mickey characters (especially Minnie). We have several of each of the characters b/c they get "icky" and once they've become "icky" you don't want to touch them until they're cleaned off. This is somewhat perplexing to me as you have no problem eating off the floor and HATE for me to wash off your mouth/face.

*You're obsessed with washing your hands right now. I swear you must have the cleanest hands in America.

*One of the highlights of my week is when I pick you up from MDO on Tues and Thurs because you just glow with excitement to see me and throw your arms around me. I hope I can always remember that unadulterated love and joy from you, as I know you will likely hate me in about 10 years.

*You do not want a baby brother to come live at your house. You are adamant about this right now, though I just know you'll be a great big sister and the two of you will be the best of friends eventually. Even if the universe sadly has to include one other individual besides just you.

*Your favorite toys are legos (you love to build skyscrapers and then knock them down with your Papa), puzzles, your baby dolls & their accessories especially the stroller, your kitchen where you concoct all kinds of interesting combinations from your play food and real food (snuck in without mommy's knowledge).

*You're an arts & crafts fanatic (no idea where you could've picked up this gene)! You LOVE to draw, color, paint and adore stickers! We have stickers on pretty much every surface in our house right now. The poor cleaning ladies have to unstick stickers every Wednesday from doors, tables, you name it! But they think you're so cute, they don't mind.

*Speaking of drawing, you know almost all shapes. Your favorite, however, is a circle because you've figured out you can make a Mickey face with 3 of them. When you con someone into drawing a Mickey face for you, you then, direct them to add a bow and eyelashes.

*You have the best laugh!! You're just like your daddy... completely infectious! When you laugh, it's the kind of laugh that requires a smile all the way to your eyes and a sound that makes anyone around you who hears it, smile themselves.

*I'm not sure if you have a favorite color per se yet, but you do always seem to gravitate towards pink. Some might think it's because it's all you've been exposed to since birth, but I think not!

*You are NOT a good sharer right now... everything is "mines" or "Sailer's"! (A rude awakening is coming soon.)

*You are incredibly advanced with technology for your age. You've been able to work an iPhone since about 14 months (unlock it, make calls, text, find pictures, expand and close them, load applications, etc.), and your newest conquest is the computer where you go to the Disney website and the universal remote (2 things that even I struggle to master).

I'll have to keep thinking on this list.... but Sailer bear, you are my best God-given gift in this world, and I hope that I can give you even just an ounce of the happiness back that you give me. I never knew how incredibly bright this world was before you.