Almost Two

Here we are, a week away from Stella turning two years old and I'm having trouble believing that it was really two years ago that I gave birth to her! I never could have imagined how time would hit fast forward and how much Stella would grow and change our lives. She's a JOY! I'm continually impressed and in awe of how God designed these little ones to learn and grow - and I love having a front row seat to this little miracle!

As far as our "terrific" two's are going, she's definitely testing limits and has her defiant moments, but I am impressed with the way that she's listening to me when I'm teaching/telling her ways that we do/don't act. She'll show me she's listening by pointing to her ear and then she'll look very intently at me while I talk. She typically responds with "yes MAM" after we're done chatting (but sometimes needs some prompting from me to say it). Don't get me wrong, it doesn't always work, but for the most part I know she's wanting to obey and I just love the stuffings out of her.

I wanted to list some of things that Stella is doing BEFORE she turns two. We're in the midst of swim lessons. We've only had two so far and the first day went great and I was super happy, but the second day was pretty awful. I'm just hoping that Stella gets a better awareness for the water. I don't expect her to be doing the back stroke when this is done, but I would like her to be able to go under water and reach for the side of the pool. Since Blake was a rescue swimmer in the Navy, he'll continue to work with her throughout the summer to keep her skills going! We also went to the beach in Port Aransas, TX a couple weeks ago, so I'll be sharing those pictures soon too. Stella loves all the sand! We're wanting to get her a sand box, and I had hoped to have one before her birthday, so it may turn out to be a belated present :)

Anyway, here is my little list of recent accomplishments for Stella Josephine:

• Sing all of her ABC's
• Count 1-10
• Sing along (most words) to Twinkle, Twinkle, Jesus Loves Me, Ring around the Rosie
• Hear and point out "airpanes" in the sky
• Brings me books and wants me to "read it"
• Recognizes and remembers nearly everyone she meets (we do a little reinforcement with pictures!)
• Prays with her hands clasped and eyes closed before all meals and naps/night-time
• Tells me "turn on Fee-V" (TV)

This is by no means a comprehensive list, but these are what stick out to me and are the most recent things in the last couple months that our little turkey is doing!