The Belfs: August 2010

We've had a crazy, busy month! We still have 2 weeks left until school starts and although I'm going to be a little sad, I think everyone around here will be glad to get into a routine.

Our biggest milestone of the month is that our house is officially diaper free!! I could not be happier, and Alice Anne is pretty proud of herself!! She picked up potty training so fast and it has been such a breeze!

The girls BOTH started dance class last week. Hannah was so excited to have Ms. Tricia again this year and she was excited that Alice Anne was going to have her old teacher Ms. Kali. They both LOVE dance and they really get into it! There's nothing cuter than a 2-year old and a 3-year old in ballet clothes!

The girls have been to Waco and Graham over the past couple of weeks. They had the best time and loved spending time with all of their grandparents! Brett and I had so much fun being kid-free, too! We've been on more dates the last couple of weeks than I think we've been on in the past 3 year combined! So Fun!!!

Our sweet little baby girl is 2!! Two years old...where in the world has the time gone. I remember every part of the day she was born like it was yesterday and I don't want to her to grow up. She is every bit a 2-year old, but deep down, she wants to still be my little baby. She is the sweetest little thing I've ever laid my eyes on!! I could have never imagined that Brett and I could love 2 little girls so much, but she has brought so much joy and love into our lives the past 2 years.

We call her "Bally" and half of the time, she refers to herself as "Bally." I love it! She is THE FUNNIEST little girl!!! She cracks herself up all the time and can make anyone laugh! She really is hilarious!! I LOVE her laugh and love her little voice! She has such a sweet little deep voice with the cutest southern accent. Brett and I can't get enough of it! If we're out in public, she tells every single person "HI" when she walks past them. When we're around new people, she tries to act shy, but it never lasts long.

She is such a cuddle bug and we love it!! She can give the best hugs that last forever and Brett and I never get tired of them. My absolute favorite time of the day is her bedtime because she still wants me to rock her every night as if she were 6 months old. We sing 3 songs, say prayers and then she gives me the biggest hug, kiss, eskimo and butterfly kisses that you've ever seen. It never gets old and I love it!!! She adores her daddy and it melts my heart every time. Nothing makes her happier than seeing daddy's truck drive up the driveway. She can't get out the door fast enough to see him!

I can usually understand what she's saying and she amazes me every day with the things that she'll say. She loves to sing...loves it! She walks around the house singing, sings to herself in the car, and will sing in her bed. Her favorite songs are "Jesus" (aka: Jesus Loves Me), "Children" (aka Jesus Loves the Little Children), "ABCDE," "Twinkle, Twinkle," "Itsy Bitsy Spider," and "On The Good Ship Lollipop" (and I think if I have to hear this song one more time I'm going to die!!)

Our girl can eat!!! She loves to eat and will eat pretty much anything and everything you give her. The only 2 things I think she won't eat is broccoli and eggplant. Whenever Hannah doesn't want to eat something, she looks at her and says, "Hannah, it SOOOOO good" and puts her hands out to show her how good it is.

She still has all her baby fat and I love it. I could squeeze and kiss her thighs all day long!

She loves to read books, LOVES "cooking" food for everyone in her little kitchen and adores her babies. She could care less about tv and there are days when I try to get her to watch a little show, but she's simply not interested. Her absolute favorite things to play with Hannah are Hide & Seek, Red Rover, Red Rover (yes, they will play this forever with just 2 people), "Goody Night" (a game that she and Hannah made up where they pretend that they're asleep and then they wake each other up), and dress-up. She's starting to really enjoy coloring and is really good at holding a crayon.

I think she might be our athletic one, but we'll see. She's going to start dance class in a couple of weeks and I know she'll love it! She LOVES to dance and it is so funny to watch!

Her favorite thing in the whole world is her big sister. Alice Anne truly worships Hannah and she's happy doing whatever it is that she's doing...as long as Hannah's doing it with her. A couple of weeks ago I dropped Hannah off at a friends house while I took Alice Anne to the doctor. Alice Anne was devastated that Hannah wasn't with us. She asked me no less than 100 times where Hannah was and you would have thought they had been apart for weeks when we picked her up. We're so lucky that big sister worships and loves Alice Anne just as much!

She might be 2, but watch her with Hannah and all of her friends, and she thinks she's 3. Ask her how old she is and she'll laugh and say "3."

I could go on and on forever. She does so many things that I love and don't ever want to forget. I love our time together and love watching her learn and grow. Brett and I are so proud to be her parents and we love her more and more every day. Happy 2nd Birthday Sweet Baby Girl. We love you more than you'll ever know!!

Right before her party...giving Hannah one of her infamous hugs!How sweet is this picture