Happy 2nd Birthday, Josephine Mae!

Dear Josephine,

Happy Birthday sweet girl! Today you are 2 years old and I can hardly believe it. It seems like just yesterday you were learning to smile, crawl and walk, but here you are transitioning from baby to big girl so quickly. You talk and have so much personality all rolled up into one. There are some things that I would like to remember about you when you turned two years old and some things I think you might like to know about what you were like when you turned two. Here goes……..

1. We call you Josephine, JoJo and Jo. Josie hasn’t stuck as much as we thought, but on a rare occasion we’ll use that name for you.
2. You are such a character. All of your facial expressions and the things you say are very exaggerated. It is the cutest.
3. You are very caring. Anytime someone coughs or sneezes, you say ‘You ok?’
4. You are very polite and use your please and thank you often. Instead of just saying ‘no’ to questions, you say ‘No, thank you’. For example, ‘JoJo, do you need a new diaper?’…… ‘No, thank you.’ ‘JoJo are you ready for bed?’……’No, thank you’.
5. You are a big meat eater. You love meat more than any of the kids in our family. And oddly enough, you are the only child that does not like berries. You also love string cheese and fish crackers.
6. You have curly hair. We absolutely love it. I can’t help myself, but to play with your adorable ringlets. Your sisters and brother all have straight hair. Not sure if you’ll keep these curls for forever, but they suit you so well right now.
7. This year you are having a small family birthday party that is Mickey Mouse themed.
8. You call chips….’pips’ and you got a taste of nacho cheese Doritos one day and you think those are the most awesome ‘pips’ on earth.
9. You love Mickey Mouse, Caillou and Elmo.
10. You love to play pretend with your babies. You like to put them to bed and stroll them around in the stroller.
11. You still love your pacifier (aka binky). I’m thinking it’s about time to give that up now that you are a big two year old.
12. You don’t use a high chair anymore. You sit in a booster seat at the table with your brother and sisters. You also use your fork and spoon very well. No more eating with your hands. Yay!
13. You are a shoe girl. You know what pair of shoes belongs to every person in this family. Whenever we get ready to go, you always bring everyone their shoes.
14. You loooooooove hair bows. After I get you dressed, you are saying ‘hair bow, hair bow, hair bow’ until we get a nice big one on your head. I’m thankful for your girly-ness since your two older sisters are now anti-bow.
15. You like to help with tasks around the house. You especially like to help empty the dishwasher. Whenever you see Mama or Daddy doing something you say ‘Help Me!’…….which we know means ‘Help You’.
16. You are constantly asking for hugs and you called them ‘Huggies’. If you are upset or need attention, you say ‘Huggy!!’ And we have to pick you up and give you a hug.
17. You like getting into the cat food. We have it hidden away, but sometimes, when it’s very quiet, we know you have found Lily’s food and water and are mixing the two together. You know that you are not supposed to do that, but you do it anyway.
18. You go to bed very easily and generally sleep for 12 hours per night. You are still taking 1 nap that lasts for about 1.5 – 2 hours long. Thank you for being a good sleeper!
19. You are funny and very smart. You like to tickle Daddy and you know when you are testing the limits. You are so darn cute (have I mentioned that yet……I can’t get enough).
20. You still let me rock you in the rocking chair before bedtime and lay your head down on my chest. I will miss that so much when you decide that you’ve had enough.

Miss JoJo you are such a light and joy in our family. Things wouldn’t be nearly as fun and exciting if we didn’t have your cute little self running around. You add personality, quirkiness and laughter to our lives. We are so thankful for your joyful spirit and happy demeanor.

Happy Birthday, JoJo!

I love you from here to the moon and back again!

Love,

Mama