Miss Amelia turns 2!!!!!

Isn't this chick so awesome?!

We simply adore her. She is hilarious, kind, gentle, beautiful, smart and frankly just wonderful! We don't know how we got so lucky to have her be part of our family.

Miss Amelia's birthday fell on a Friday this year and we celebrated quietly as own little crew. The big bash will follow in a few weeks with our extended family. When she woke up we had everything set out on the kitchen table for her, a Uniqua balloon (The Backyardigan's character she likes), some new colouring books and Finding Nemo (a movie she pulls out whenever we visit her cousins and inspired by our Disney world trip earlier this year). Daddy made blueberry pancakes that are always a fan favourite! Of course blowing out a candles was important and the hat - oh we mustn't forget the party hat!

She enjoyed the attention and excitement!!

We enjoy her!!

* Amelia loves to 'get the mail' this is a request uttered daily. It is nice having Daddy home these past few weeks because she can put on her purse, hat and go out the front or back door to make sure our box at the end of the street is empty.

* Amelia still loves reading!!! This brings my teacher heart such joy. The power of good literature as a teaching tool, immeasurable! The fun of discovery through reading, exciting! It is interesting already to hear her talk about things that we read once in a book, not something that we specifically taught her just something we read. We will never have TOO MANY books and our library pass is worth every penny. I love this pic of her and Grandpa Hinko reading on the floor. He read to us at night growing up, such good memories I hope for my children to have.

* Amelia is a fan of creating/crafting/colouring! She has gentle hands which she uses to create things. Literally hours will be spent at the kitchen table colouring, painting, 'stumping' as she calls it (stamps) or creating with stickers. She is also a huge fan of being outside and enjoys
painting with water or drawing with chalk. Any spare minute we have we'll sneak out onto the front porch to draw with chalk. This is a happy place for both her and I. I recently spilled a drink out there and she reminds me often....have I mentioned she's got a great memory!!! :P

* Amelia is currently a fan of her babies! These babies range from her baby doll that Grandma Hinko got her for Christmas, to her Elmo, to her Minnie Mouse or as the above picture illustrates even Winnie the Pooh. Lucky for her Mommy and Daddy recently brought home a real baby for her. "Baby Stella" gets a ton of love also!!! This was perhaps the best gift we gave you this year. As a girl with sisters I know that they rock!

* Amelia has the best facial expressions!! Awesome expressive eyes are truly the window to her sweet soul. Showing her emotions and making us want to snuggle her sweetly. The picture with her and the smoking ice cream just makes me smile. Graham and I were laughing so hard enjoying her experience this, so fun. How rad is this chick, with little peepers huge, full of surprise and anticipation. Oh how we love her!

Two years ago our hearts grew beyond what we knew possible, Amelia Ann joined our family! We knew that being parents and making a family would be great but we had no idea just how wonderful it would actually be. Amelia has blessed our lives!! There is so much more I could write about her; a kickin vocabulary, sweet folded arms for prayers, singing songs, requesting songs, furrowed eyebrows in classic 2 year old style and her lovely hugs! I wrote a ton in the journal we keep for her but wanted to capture a few of her 2 year highlights here on the blog.

Two years in - WE LOVE HER!!!

~Love Mom aka Mrs. P