Happy Birthday, Emma Rose!

To my beautiful Emma Rose,

You turned two a few weeks ago. I know every parent says it, but I cannot believe how fast time has flown. You have grown from a tiny infant into a precocious little girl in the blink of an eye! You bring me joy every single day - even when you are at your crankiest - and I treasure every moment I get to spend with you.

We love you Emma Rosie. We love you, it's true!! Here are ten things that we love about you!

1. You melt our hearts when you sing to your baby dolls. You rock them back and forth gently while singing "Little Daughter.....Little Daughter"over and over in a tune only you seem to know. It melts my heart because you picked that phrase up from me. Whenever you fall down or hurt yourself and need some consolation, I wrap my arms around you and tell you: "It's alright, my little daughter." It's so touching to see you imitate me while interacting with your own "children".

2. Like your brother Matthew, you scorn all things potato (with the exception of french fries or tater tots) but you eat pretty much everything else. Including cat food. And if there is gum on the underside of a pew at church, you'll find it.

3. You love to dress up in pretty dresses, complete with sparkly shoes. However, you insist on wearing your shoes on the wrong feet and are so rough-and-tumble in play that your dresses all are doomed to be stained!

4. Ever since the snow thaw, you have been begging me to spend every second outdoors. You love to play, to run, and to dance in the sunshine. You also love to take walks with me around the neighborhood.

5. You talk to animals as if they are people. All animals seem to love you too. You charmed the ancient German Shepherd up the street into coming down the sidewalk to receive a pat from you while you were on your tricycle. I have never seen that animal move in the three years we have lived here.

6. You copy everything your big brother does. You think he is the funniest guy and laugh heartily at everything silly he does. You drive him a bit crazy when you mispronounce words, call every cat you see "a Riley", read a book upside-down, refer to magpies as "penguins", color over his art projects, and destroy his block towers. However, you almost always say "Sorry Matthew!" and win him over once more. He loves you so much too.

7. Your favorite animal is a ducky. Your favorite color is pink (followed closely by purple). Your favorite cereal is "Honey Bee Cereal" aka Honey Nut Cheerios. Your favorite drink is orange juice. Your favorite fruit is an apple. Your favorite snack is cheese.

8. Your favorite bedtime stories feature pigs. Your favorites are the Little Pookie books and the Olivia books. You still fall asleep only once wrapped in your Pooh blanket, stroking the tassels with your hands and with your baby doll wrapped up in her own blanket next to you.

9. You are so friendly to other children on the playground. You go right up to any kid of any age and say: "Hi! My name Emma!" Most of the time, the kids just stare at you blankly, but you don't seem to care. You also always seem to adopt an older child to act as your "maid servant" while at the park. Normally, this is a little girl about the age of 7 or 8 who follows you around wherever you go, helping you up and down stairs, slides, and bridges. You love it.

10. You always have ChapStick in your pocket to keep your lips hydrated. You normally stole this ChapStick from your mother's pocket while she was distracted.

Emma Rosie, you are so loved! Your laugh and smiles are contagious. You are adored by all who know you because of your sweet temperament, your spunky personality, and hilarious facial expressions. What a blessing you are in our lives.

Happiest of birthdays to you, my sweet little daughter.

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