Two.Five Years

2.5 Years

• According to you: favorite-cereal, book-a baby book, show-PJ Mask, indoor activity-playing books, outdoor activity-play with your shovel, song-Doc McStuffin Song, color-pink, friend-my little friend (Canyon Potter), princess-Tiana
• This month, we went to Ashton, Idaho with your Matthews cousins. You were so happy to play with Bonnie everyday. Each morning, the first thing you asked for was "Where's Bonnie?" Hazel brought a lot of her dolls and babies, which made you in heaven. There was a pond in the backyard with lots of kayaks that we got to go on. I was really enjoyable to have you ride in the front of the kayak and go around the island. You would lean over to one side and run your fingers in the running water. We visited Yellowstone and Bear World. You had a special morning with Grandma and Bonnie while the older kids floated down the river. There was a lot of treats for you sneak and endless chocolate milk. You really loved it there. 
• We spent 10 days in Oregon with Price cousins. Sonora was a big hit for you. You two would run off to the sandbox or sneak upstairs to play barbies. Grandma got to read you bedtime books, and you kept coming out of Grandpa's office with hug handfuls of jellybeans. Grandpa made a zip line that the older cousins were able to help take you down. We went to the beach for a day where we went crabbing and played at the beach. I was impressed how brave you were with the water, keeping asking me to go further and further at in the waves. We went at low tide, so there were all these puddles left in the sand which you played in like a bath tub. 
• The garden is growing each day. You will get your boots on and help me out there, mostly because you know that you get to eat the strawberries and raspberries that are ripe. After "helping" pull weeds, you and the older kids will play school in the hay. 
• The other night at dinner, you were having a hard time eating your food (you are in more picky eater phase right now) so I asked you how old you were so you can take that many bites. You told me you were eleven, such a random number. So I did mystery animal game and sure enough you ate about 11 bites.

Two.Four Years

2.4 Years

• Swimming has started this month. We got a pass to the pool. Last year, you loved the water but were always frustrated because you couldn't swim on your own. This summer, with the help of a puddle jumper, you can swim on your own. However, each time we go, you spend less and less time in the water. I don't think you like cold water at all. It makes me sad because the first time, you liked going down the little slide, but now, you scream when I try to get you to go down. After about 20-30 minutes, you ask to "wrap up in a towel." You like playing with the diving toys while sitting out on a towel.
• You are starting to have you transition into Maggie's room. At first, we would just have you sleep down there twice a week, but by the end of the month, you are down there every night. You still take naps upstairs, but once the kids go to school, I will bring you down there for naps.
• The older kids have been busy getting their summer charts done each morning, and you want to be just like them and work on something. When they get their math books out, you ask for your math book, which is just a notebook that you draw in. Your drawings are getting better each day. Sometimes I will even have you practice tracing basic shapes.
• Your love for babies just keep increasing each day. Every baby is named "Baby Tatoo" including the baby in my tummy. You love putting them to sleep in your crib with the noise on, change their diapers (I find lots of clean wipes and diapers in the trash), take them for walks in the stroller, change their clothes, feed them. I even found you one day having a tea party with some of the babies. You set up the white end table downstairs and figured out how to fill the teapot with water. It made a bit of a mess. You have to take one, if not two babies with you into the car.
• Fourth of July was fun with you. You loved the parade. There was a white line on the side of the road, and you would right on the line and wave. I loved watching you get excited about every piece of candy. We had dinner at a friends house and let off fireworks. You liked the fireworks, but got nervous about holding the sparklers. We ended the night with the rodeo. You laughed when they "wrestled" with the cows.
• Favorites: food-milk (though you call it milky), book-ABC Animals (you will usually pick one book from that week's library trip and have me read it 100 times, then the next week, it will be something else), show-puppy dog pals, indoor activity-playing with babies, outdoor activity-jumping on the trampoline, song-you stopped wanting us to sing to you, princess-probably Ariel and Rapunzel.

Two.Three Years

2.3 Years

• We were able to go to Utah this month. You have become quite a good little traveler lately. While in Utah, we got a lot of Grandma time, played at the Dinosaur park, visited the touch and feel aquarium, went to the movies to watch How to Train a Dragon 3, and played a lot outside. We kept you up way late so we you sleeping in until almost 9 each morning. You loved all the chocolate milk from Grandma. 
• We set up the garden this month. It was a lot of work so we tried to include you guys. The corn may be spaced only one inch. Also, you really wanted to help with corn, and ended up spilling half the bag in one spot and now we have a patch that looks like carrot grass. One of your favorite parts of working in the garden is spraying the hose. It is inevitable that you are soaked and muddy after each trip down there. 
• You have started coloring and drawing more, especially since Maggie and Sam have started their summer charts. Your drawings are getting a bit more recognizable. You love to draw our family, usually a circle with some lines coming out of it. 
• You finally got most of your colors down. Whenever I tried to practice with you, it didn't help. So we just read lots of books and eventually you just started saying the correct color. Your favorite color is still pink. 
• Babies are still your favorites. I find diapers all over your room because you have been "changing" your stuff animals diapers. You are loving this baby sister of yours. You will come up to me and say, "I want to hold baby!" You will then hug my baby and say, "Baby pop out!" I love it when you sing Twinkle Twinkle and ABC to her.
• One way we are getting ready for sister to get here is for you to start sharing a room with Maggie. You are both loving it. We haven't moved you down there all the way, but about half the time you are sleeping down there. The first time, we tucked you in, gave you a few books and left. Maggie had the reading light, but told us that she didn't have it on too long. Your dad and I were watching TV when around 10pm we heard the Watson racoon start talking. I walked down there, and there you are playing with all the toys in the family room. I went to put you back in bed but the main light was on (Maggie was fast asleep still). You had pushed the chair up to the light, and then played with the barbies ALL OVER THE ROOM. I took you back to the pack and play in your room (I had to set it up since you can crawl out of your crib). You cried for 30 minutes. I didn't know you could be awake that long.

Two.Two Years

2.2 Years

• Grandma and Papa Price came to visit us this month. You were shy at first but after Grandma offer to read you a book, you only wanted Grandma and Papa for everything. We went to Hammer Creek with them, visited Creme Cafe and the library, had an epic art morning with Grandma, had a movie night with Papa, and read so many books. You loved holding Grandma's hand and wanted to sit with just her during church.
• Easter was also this month. We tried focusing on Christ the week before, but lets be honest, you are all over the place when we try to read the scriptures so the chances that you got anything out of that spiritual week is slim to nothing. 
• Being pregnant has been so fun with you. You really love babies, but you do not believe me when I say that there is a baby in my tummy. Every time I mention it, you tell me "no, baby is in my tummy." Lately, you have been into changing babies diapers, and I mean babies in a very loose term. I will find that you put a diaper on your doll and hop hop bunny. I will also find clean diapers with a clean wipe folded up in the trash but you tell me that the diaper is poopy. It is sweet how you will tuck these babies into your crib and then turning on the noise and turning off the light. You will shut the door and tell me "shhh baby is sleeping." 
• You are a candy monster. Twice I have found you in Maggie's room eating her candy. You were being so quiet downstairs, I just thought you were looking through books. When I came down there to check on you, you walk out of Maggie's room with chocolate all over your face, with a big smile, and tell me "eat Maggie's candy!" No remorse. What a stinker.

Two.One Years

2.1 Years

• We were able to go to Arizona this month. It was the first time you flew in a plane. On the way there, there was another little girl sitting behind us that you played peek-a-boo with and shared your toys with her. You loved staying at Brooke and Steve's because they had so many girl toys. We went to a fun train park where we rode on a train and carousal, ate at chic-fil-a (though you wondered off three times and it was the same lady who had to keep telling us that you took off-how embarrassing), hiked "Hole in the Rock (you loved climbing the rocks all by yourself), visited the zoo, and went to tons of parks. It felt so good be outside for the weekend.
• We had lots of birthdays this month, including yours. We kept yours low key, served mac-n-cheese with hot dogs for dinner and had a Minnie Mouse cake. Dad and I gave you a Little Tike slide which was a big hit. Sam and Maggie gave you the Princess cupcake game. Grandma Price gave you a doodle pad for church, and Grandma Matthews gave you a matching dress with Maggie and a book with a stuff animal that talks. Sam's birthday was next. He had a party at home that you tagged along with and we ended with Maggie's party at Jungle Gym, which you loved! 
• Uncle Dusty's family came to visit us. You loved having Sonora around. You two were really cute together. We played at Hammer Creek (probably your favorite place to visit because it is a giant sandbox), went sledding down at fish creek, visited he library and Creme cafe, played at the park, and went ice fishing at Winchester lake. I am excited to see you and Sonora grow up together.
• The next family that came to visit was Uncle Joey's family. We did a lot of the same things but instead of going fishing, we went hiking with them to Lucille caves and the fish hatchery trail. They don't have any kids your age but you love being around the big kids, plus Auntie Emily loves babies so she would cuddle with you a lot and read you books.
• Your favorite song right now is Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. Not only do we have to sing it every nap and every bedtime, but you beg Maggie to sing it every time we are in the car. Those siblings sure love you because they must have sang that song over 100 times.
• Whenever I have you climb in the van by yourself, you immediately run to the back seat to be like one of the big kids. It has turned into this game, seeing how long you can be back there before I notice and grab you. 
• Favorites-food: milk, mac-n-cheese, blueberries; color: pink; song: Twinkle Twinkle; show: PJ Mask or Mickey Mouse; book: Curious George lift the flap book; indoor activity: play princesses or babies; outdoor activity: pulling out the sand toys and playing in the rocks

Two Years Old

2 Years Old

Dear Millie,

Instead of making a list of all your new accomplishments or funny moments, I like to take the time at your birthday and express to you how much I love you. This year has been so fun to see you grow and develop who you are. You have learned how to walk, how to talk, how to sit on your brother's face, how to push out a toot to be funny, how to give a squeeze hug, how to tell a knock knock joke, and how to be the cutest daddy's little girl. You are strong, independent, and full of happiness. You truly love making others laugh.

One of my favorite things about you is your drive to figure things out. In the mornings, you are the one that gets yourself dress. Some of your clothes can be a challenge to put on, but that doesn't stop you. It is you that has to put on your shoes, spoon your cereal, help chop up the lettuce, and put the soap in the dishwasher. At times, this can get out of balance and can be frustrating to me (especially when we are in a hurry), but in all reality, it is your greatest strengths. I hope that as you go through life, you do not let who you are, where you are from, and what you know limit what it is that you want to achieve. I know you are only two years old, but great things are destined for you Millie because of your determination and hard work.

Can I just say how beautiful you are. Your hair is still in that awkward stage of growing out after Sam's hair cut on you, and majority of the time you have a messy face and literal dirt on your clothes, but the moment you smile, all the evidence of your fun and crazy life fade away and you just shine. Your dimples and bright eyes get me every time. You can be smearing spaghetti across your chair, but the moment you smile, I think, "oh my, she is so adorable". As you grow, remember that cloths make your cute, but your heart and smile make you beautiful.

I love you so much Millie, and I am excited to see what this next year entails for you.

Love, Mom

Twenty Three Months

23 Months

• We got a swim pass this month to the pool. The water to the big pool is too cold for you, so you end up running back to the hot tub the whole time. Your favorite was sitting on the top step and playing with the bubbles. Towards the end of the month, you got brave enough with the cold water to start jumping in all by yourself like the big kids. 
• I love watching your language increase. You finally can say Sam. Before, you would always say "Hams", but I have been working with you on the "s" sound. For some reason, it is easier for you to say Sammy than Sam. 
• Your favorite song right now is Twinkle Twinkle. You make your siblings sing it to you over and over again whenever we get in the car. Your favorite is when we sing it in a deep voice with our lips in a tight circle. That always gets you laughing.
• You are very determined to do things by yourself. The most common thing you say is, "No. ME ME ME!" This includes getting dressed and buckling up in the car. I have to plan extra time with clothes because you insist on getting dress by yourself, get frustrated when you can't do your shirt, ask me for help, I just touch your shirt and you think that is enough help, so then you try to do it yourself again, then you come back to me, and this cycle continues on for a while. Sometimes you figure you, other times I have to force the shirt on you and you throw a big fit afterwards that you didn't get to do it by yourself.
• You love babies. I often find lean diapers in your trash because you will "change" the diaper on your baby and throw away the diaper when there is "poo poo" in it. It is common to find dried up wipes on your floor because you changed the baby or gave the baby a bath.
• You are so fine just playing by yourself. I often find you reading books in your rocking chair and cooking up something in your kitchen.
• You are one of the best snuggle buddies. I love on slow mornings having you crawl into my bed and snuggle up and read books. There are these baby book from the library (Baby Eat, Baby Cuddle, Baby Move) that are your absolute favorites to read.