Happy Birthday To Kirsten!

Yesterday, little Kirsten turned 2 years old!!!

We won't be having a party for her or really celebrating it until the first week of June, because family will be back in town. But I did get her the Little People Racin' Ramps Garage to play with. It took me forever to put that thing together yesterday! There were so many pieces that had to be snapped together, and one piece in particular that just would NOT snap! It probably took me an hour just to get that stubborn piece to finally pop into place. Kirsten loved "helping" me build it, and after I used the screwdriver she wanted to use it too. I love the look of intense concentration on her face as she sticks the screwdriver into the screw and tries to twist it. Not exactly the safest thing for her to play with, I know. . . but she was very entertained!

Here are a bunch of things that are unique/funny/and that I just plain love about Kirsten, the newest member of the terrible 2's brigade:

*She gets such a kick out of wearing sunglasses, putting them on, taking them off, and wants to wear them all the time. At the beach park we went to a couple of weeks ago, she stole Daddy's "glasses" and refused to give them back for quite awhile!

*She gets excited very easily! She loves to play chase games, hide and seek, peek-a-boo behind the blanket, and anything rough and tumble really. She laughs and squeals and just has the best time in the world! She's also a total daredevil and isn't scared to be tossed around in any and all positions.

*I love these pictures I got of her picking flowers at the park. I honestly did not plan her outfit to match the flowers, because I didn't know they would be there. It worked out great for the photos though!

*She counts to 10 in the cutest voice!

*She talks all the time, on and on, in full sentences that only she can understand. It's the funniest babbling, and I wish I could understand it all because I'd love to know the stories she's telling and all the things she wants to say to us.

*I also love that she's starting to put two or three understandable words together now. The other day I sneezed and she said, "Bless you Mommy!" She also says things like "Help, it's stuck," "Baby sleeping," "In the box," "All the pieces," and she loves to name all the foods on her plate when we give her meals. Her voice is just too cute!

*Bubbles make her deliriously happy. She loves to take baths with bubbles, and her favorite thing is when we blow bubbles outside and she can chase after them. I love the look of complete joy on her face whenever she sees bubbles!

*Her best friends are adults, and I don't know why but she still gets pretty scared of other little kids. She adores Grandpa, Grandma, and our friend Chance and asks for them all the time. Grandpa helped her feel the water and all the rocks at the beach park and she had a total ball doing it.

*During the day, she regularly brings me random things from the pantry that she thinks she wants to eat. It's pretty hilarious sometimes to see what she brings. Today she brought over the baking powder. Yesterday she brought a box of Kraft mac 'n cheese (which she doesn't even like) and said "Open", and earlier this week she brought me a can of peaches with a bowl. I was impressed that she knew the peaches were supposed to go in a bowl. She doesn't get upset when I tell her something's not a snack (like baking powder, yummy!), she just goes and gets something else.

*She loves it when we tickle her, attack her, make funny faces at her that she can imitate, and sing songs in different voices.

*She's already getting sneaky. When I tell her not to eat something or to stop putting it in her mouth (since she does it to everything. . . crayons, candles, chapstick, sand, you name it), she turns her back to me and does it anyway. She thinks I can't see her if she can't see me!

*Aren't those mountains in the background at the beach gorgeous? I just love the Pacific Northwest. . .

I'm so glad she had a Happy Birthday yesterday, even though she didn't really understand what a birthday was. I'll be looking forward to having a party for her in a few weeks! I love my little girl!