Princess Hadley is 2!!!!

     Things have been crazy around here....3 sick kids, a broken computer--which resulted in losing all our contacts and then the icing on the cake---a bathroom leak that came through our ceiling and light fixtures in the kitchen....whoooo 2016 has been a doozie so far...this is in part why this blog is coming SO late...along with the fact that I just cannot believe that my baby is TWO!!!!
     Enough with excuses though...If I am being completely honest I think that this blog is truly coming later than it should...because I was in denial about the fact that my little girl is growing WAY TOO FAST....I just cannot believe that she is 2! So, without any further delay from this mama....here is a little letter to my little lady (who will always be my baby)
Dearest Hadley,
     Happy Birthday Sweet Girl!!!!  I have had the joy of being home with you this year and am loving that I can focus on being a mom and taking a break from teaching.  I am so lucky that I get to have this year off work to soak in you and your brothers---and I am relishing in it. 
     When you turned one, you had started to get into babies and cooking----but that has now become your love!  You are always either in your kitchen cooking up a cake and singing Happy Birthday to Jesus or serving me up some coffee--you know me all too well.  And if you are not in the kitchen cooking up a storm, you are caring for your babies---pushing them in your strollers, feeding them bottles, changing their diapers or handing them off to me to babysit while you go shopping.  You love pretending....and I am loving it!!!!  I also love when you hand off your babies to pawpaw and great pawpaw to care for...they cannot resist your sweet smile and so they play along with you----you know they have a soft spot for you!!!  You also know that your brothers have that same soft spot too-they sometimes refer to you as the wrecking ball---boy you can destroy lego towers and buildings so quick....but they are always quick to forgive you and offer to cook and play princess with you---although I am sure they will never admit to it! 
     You have become obsessed with princesses!  When we first talked to you about a party---all you said was princess.  Princess party, princess cake....and so that is how we celebrated!  You also must read and sleep with a princess Halloween book every night....I can recite that book in my sleep....but it really doesn't bother me to read it to you each night---as I know how much you love it....and I have caught you reading it to your babies.  While we are talking about bedtime--you require quite a few things to go to bed--- you need to take about 5-10 books to bed each night, a baby doll (or 4), your mimis (tiny blankets) and we must sing twinkle and sunshine each night.  The biggest change at bedtime came on my birthday this year Hadley....my heart was sad as you were ready to be done with the crib.  You climbed out---we watched you on the video monitor do it a handful of times, before I cried and said to your daddy that my baby cannot be done with her crib yet---I am keeping her in it until she is 5----well Hadley, although I want to keep you little as long as I can--you my little lady have big plans, big ambitions and do not want to be slowed down.  So, we put a tent on your crib to keep you in....yep we zipped you in every night....and we called it a princess bed and you loved it...until you broke out through the zipper and have now graduated to a toddler bed (which is still the crib minus a side---so we are both currently winning the battle).
     While you love sparkles and tutus and have truly embraced princesses---which I love---it's amazing you know all their names by heart at age 2---you can also hold your own with your brothers.  You are not scared to run, tumble and rough house with them....actually you get upset when you are not included in the rough housing.  Just the other night you were dressed in a sweet sparkly princess dress with a light saber in one hand and your mouth making the light saber noise---you are just too much!!!  You love to run and play with your brothers...I can tell that you are going to be a girl who loves to shine with girly things but will not be pushed around...and I know that you brothers will always be close by keeping an eye on their sister who they love so much.
     You are a pretty good little eater---more of a grazer--but a healthy eater---your favorite foods are hard boiled eggs, berries, cheerios, hummus...and then of course some not healthy things like dum-dums and fruit snacks....you are an addict of these!  You refuse to sit in a highchair....and refuse to sit on your bottom, which results in many falls onto the ground during meals....but even if a tear is shed, you are a trooper and can take a hard hit and get back up and continue the meal----I hope that in life this will be the way that you approach and deal with hard situations---never giving up and when you are knocked down---you get right back up.  You are such a sweet girl....your smile is contagious and your laugh is infectious....if I could bottle it up it up and save it.....I so would.  The truth is Hadley, I am sad that you are growing too fast....but I love watching you grow, learn and change each day.......it's just going way too fast.  I pray that you will continue to grow and stay healthy and strong....and I thank God for giving you to us...we are so blessed to have a little rose---so beautiful and full of life to watch blossom.....Happy Birthday Hadley Rose....I love you more than you will ever know.....Love, Mom