Whitney Anne {2 1/2 years}

Miss Thang is 2 1/2 years old and boy does she act it. That little girls is just the light of my life. I could go on and on about Whitney stories. Every day is truly a new adventure with her.

The other day I caught her riding Hailey like a horse. I rarely leave those two alone because I've seen what Whit can do to her. I was literally 10 feet away doing the dishes and I took my eyes off them for seconds. I look over the bar and Hailey is on her belly and Whit is in top of her!!!

And a week before that I caught Whitney swinging the swing (Hailey in it) back and forth so hard it was smashing from one side to the other. Poor Hailey was holding on for her life.

Brandon and I always say, we know why the youngest is the toughest ;)! I really don't think she intentionally tries to hurt Hailey, she just wants to play with her. Although, I did catch her pulling her hair one time haha.

She's starting to talk like a normal human being. Some things she says are clear as day! It's making it so much easier to communicate with her. She amazes us every day with all the things she is starting to say and how clear it's becoming. Our favorite is when she copies what we say, voice inflections and all.

Whitney Anne, it's been the best, most challenging 2 1/2 years of my life and I wouldn't change it for the world.

Pumpkin Patch Princess...I wish that dress came in my size ;)

Hailey Sue {6 months}

How is this little girl already six months?! Where did the time go?! Whitney's first six months seemed like it lasted years...YEARS! Hailey is just the light of our lives. Her sweet smile can turn anyone's mood around.

I sit, rocking Hailey to sleep and look down at her and I am amazed at how she has doubled in size. It seriously seems like it was just yesterday I was looking down at her newborn sweetness. I wish there was a way to make it slow down.

This sweet soul is full of laughter, happiness and love. Just about anything can make her laugh, sometimes I will just look at her with surprised eyes and she'll give me a belly laugh. She's generally very happy but she's the happiest when she's with her mama.  However, her big sister holds the key to her heart. Every morning the second those two lay eyes on each other the biggest most sweetness grins are shared. She loves Whitney so much, even though her big sister role is a little questionable at times.

Thank goodness this little one humors me when I dress her up in big bows to take pictures :)! Her big sis never let me do that.

Hailey...
She loves the Ergo
She hates the stroller
She loves food
She'll only fall asleep nursing (or in the car)
She is still sleeping in our room
She wakes up multiple times a night
She has two teeth
She's rolling EVERYWHERE
She's working hard on crawling
She's almost sitting all by herself

This is the first month that I've really noticed a difference in her size. She's way too big for that box but she likes to play with the garland so she's pretty good at letting me take pictures. It'll be interesting to see what next month is like.

Sisters {whit & hails}

One of my biggest hopes for these two girls is that they will be best friends. Everyday I watch these two interact and it amazes me the love they have for each other already. Sisters!! I never would have thought I would have two girls. Both Brandon and I come from a long line of boys so we both just expected to have boys. I'm so unbelievably happy to have two little girls.

When we found out Hailey was a girl I definitely had some reservations. I worried about what was to come with having two girls...sisters. I worried about the fighting over clothes, the emotions and drama later on in life. But the truth is, a sister is the best gift in the world. They have each other for a lifetime. They may fight and argue over silly things but they will always be there for each other no matter what. I look at the love they already share for each other and I can't help but smile. God is so great. It's the best gift He could ever give a little girl.

As big sister, Whitney is more of the Mama of the two of them (for now) . Whitney takes such good care of her sissy (& her little seahorse baby). She looks out for Hailey, and watches over her. She keeps an ear out for her cries. It's so special to me to see Whitney so invested in Hailey. It's the beginning of a great relationship. They may not always get along but I know if anyone ever gets in Hailey's way, Whit will be right there by her side, like a sister should be.

Hailey on the other hand, looks at Whitney with admiration. She gets that look in her eye, like someday she wants to be just like Whitney. As a little sister, I know the look. She watches Whitney in all that she does. She watches her at the park and smiles when she swings or slides down the slide. If Whitney makes any sort of peep while Hailey is eating or trying to go to sleep, she instantly sits up and has to see what Whit is up to. She'll usually give a big smile and lay back down (until the next noise). Soon enough they will be playing together, sharing all their toys and clothes, and will most like be confidants, keeping secrets from their Mommy and Daddy.

These two have a special bond, and I pray it stays that way, through good and bad.

I wish I could get better pictures of these two together, Miss Whit doesn't ever cooperate.

Whitney Anne {29 months}

My little loverbug! I still can't believe she's almost 2 1/2 years old. Right when I think we are getting to a great place with her, things change. And it's not that it's a bad thing, it's just tough sometimes. Although, all things are tough when they are making you a better person. I truly believe Whitney makes us better people. She has taught me to be more patient, more understanding and more loving.

Whitney is becoming such a little girl. She's so interested in all things that make little girls, little girls. She loves dresses, jewelry, MomMom's (that's what she calls me) make-up and playing dress up. I don't remember ever being like that, I was definitely more of a Tomboy. She LOVES to shop, when we go to Target I usually let her get out of the cart and walk around the toy aisle, as well as the clothes aisle. Her face lights up and she gets so excited to touch everything and play with it, and then she'll throw it in the cart. Thankfully she doesn't care when I put it back. One day she put five of the same dress in the cart.

She also loves the park (the parrr). We usually go everyday, sometimes twice a day. She also LOVES helicopters and airplanes. She has an ear and and eye for them. She will most often spot or hear one before I do.

using her mouth to help her climb

She's starting to entertain herself for small periods of time. Which is an absolute blessing because Hailey is getting to the point where she gets really distracted while eating or sleeping when there are other things going on.

she will not look at the camera

As sassy as that little girl can be, she also has a really sweet side that I try and focus on. Brandon and I recently upgraded our phones. The other morning he left for work, and she noticed his old phone on the table. Her eyes got huge and she said "Uhh Dada" in a frantic. So she grabbed his phone and we ran out before he left and she gave it to him, and kissed him on the cheek. It was her intent to take care of him, like she was his mother. It was so darn cute.

he loves me, he loves me not

She is such a little mama sometimes. The other night Brandon was sleeping on the couch and Whit went back to her room got her little seahorse night light and her blanket and came out and tucked him in. So precious. She does the same to her sister...but it's usually toys in her face.

Hailey Sue {5 months}

Miss Hailey is 5 months! These two girls of ours are so different and they make us so happy in different ways. More on Whitters later :).

Hailey is my happy place. She has the ability to take all my frustrations away. One flash of that heart melting smile and I am swoon. I pick that little girl up in the morning and she gives me such a huge smile with her tongue out, I get a little whiff of her smell and I'm instantly love drunk. I am so thankful for this little girl she has really blessed us with light and joy. 

Everyone loves babies, and everyone at the grocery store always goes crazy for little babies. Every time I take her, she gives strangers the biggest smile and it melts their hearts too. A couple of times (it's happened to both Brandon and I more than once) she will smile at someone and they instantly yell to their co-worker or significant other "hey, so and so you gotta come over here, she is so precious". She's a little ham for sure. Whitney on the other hand, she would get attention but not the same way. That little girl could give a scowl like none other haha. I still get a kick out of people's reactions when they would say hi to her when she was a baby. Complete opposites but they are both so amazing.  

Hailey finally rolled from back to belly. I think she just realized that it's what I wanted her to do, because I'm pretty sure she would have hung out on her back for the first year of her life. She is still very interested in our food, sometimes it makes it hard to eat anything with her on my lap.

We got the okay at her 4 month appt to start giving her solids. I hesitated at first because I didn't start with Whit until 6 months. We have started to give her quite a few different foods now though. I started with squash...not a big fan. But most everything else I have given her she LOVES, and I'm pretty sure she would eat all day if I didn't stop her.

Oh goodness I love her!

Whitney Anne {28 months}

For the past two years Whitney has kept me on my toes every.single.day. I'm always trying to anticipate her next move. She's so smart and innovative, I always have to keep an eye out for her so I don't find her scaling the kitchen cabinets (thankfully hasn't happened yet). I don't know if she is just getting to an easier age or if it's her sissy or what, but she is getting easier every day. I hate to say this but she was a struggle for a long time. She is just so strong willed and determined and it makes it hard sometimes to get her to listen to me. Those days when I feel like all I do is yell are very few and far between (thank the heavens).

The new change is making the days go by faster, so I've kind of shifted my mindset. I used to live for the weekends when dada is home, but anymore I just enjoy where we are because I know it wont last long. I look at Hailey and remember back to the days when Whitney was that age. It makes me sad to think how fast it went and that I will never get those times back. As much of a struggle as they were, I'd give anything to have those moments with her all over again.

Whitney has recently turned into a little girly girl, and I LOVE it. She loves dresses, shoes, jewelry, everything girly. She has a little bit of her mama's weirdness in her. She will go to her closet and pick out a dress to wear, if she doesn't like it she will try a different one on. Sometimes she goes through about 5 before she picks the right one. We understand each other when it comes to trying clothes on :).

This is pretty bad but Whit has really been into donuts lately. If I take her to the grocery store I usually get her one. The other day she had sugar frosting all over her hands and she was licking it off, turned to Hailey and shoved her fingers in Hailey's mouth before I could stop her. Hailey's eyes lit up haha.

We have been trying to transition her into a big girl bed...the struggle is real. I think a lot of it is our fault because we give in and put her in her crib. But the other night she was supposed to be in bed and Brandon caught her hitting her ball off her tee haha.

She sure is a bundle of fun. She can be a sassy pants but boy does she have a sweet side (and I cherish it).

She dressed herself haha.

She skipped her nap, then this happened at 5 p.m.

First camping trip with Uncle and Dada

She hates getting her picture taken and when we finally get her to smile she never looks at the camera!

Hailey Sue {4 months}

Four months! She's going to be walking before we know it. This past month has been a little crazy, we have done a lot of traveling for weddings back home. Hailey is such a "go with the flow" kind of baby. It makes it really nice for traveling. She still isn't the biggest fan of her carseat but she is getting better every time.

This last month in her development has been such a fun one, and it's only going to get better. The only bummer is she stopped sleeping through the night. It's been a little rough because sometimes she just wants to stay up even if it's at 1 a.m. She's still sweet as ever though.

One of my favorite things she started to do is chat ALL THE TIME. Sometimes she will latch on, then latch off and look at me and chat a little, then do it all over a few times until she decides if she is actually hungry or not. She chats in the stroller, in the ergo and even in her sleep haha.

She started to giggle
She weighs almost 16 pounds
She smiles at everyone (even strangers)
She found her feet
She is a chatter box
She is still only rolling from tummy to back with no intent of rolling from back to tummy haha
She has started to drool all the time