Lilah in 2011

Oh, our Lilah. This girl is 2 going on 12. Miss Independence. She's full of spunk and attitude, and yet can be the most gentle of creatures. She has more than won her Daddy's heart, and she makes me happy to have a daughter. Even after 2+ years, I'm still shocked I have a little blond hair, blue eyed little girl.

• Lilah has shown us that girls really are smarter than boys. :) Okay, maybe it's not that girls are more intelligent than boys, but she has taught us that girls do a lot of things before boys do.
• She can carry on a conversation with you as if she's much older than her actual age.
• She bosses "her boys" (Landon and Noah) around.
• She calls them "boys"--which I love to hear. "Hey boys, it's time to go".
• She is very much like her Mommy when it comes to being a combination of a girly girl and a tomboy. We love to have our nails done, but we can hang with the boys any day of the week.
• The girl LOVES school. I'm so fortunate that all three of our kids like school. She didn't even bat an eye when I dropped her off in the fall. When she walks in her class, she pushes open the door, drops her jacket, backpack, and lunch on the floor and joins her friends in play. Many times when she walks in, you hear a lot of "Lilah's here!!!" from her friends.
• Most days she asks if she's going to school or if we're going to church.
• She has know all of her colors for a while, and I've never sat and actually worked with her on them.
• She is in her big bed now. No more cribs or toddler beds in this house. My girl is in a full sized bed.
• She likes shoes.
• She has a good memory. I'm always surprised at what she remembers.
• She walks around singing most of the day. 'Itsy Bitsy Spider' and the "ABCs" being her favorites.
• She said the "Pledge of Allegiance" the other day while we were in the car. I asked her if she says the "Pledge" at school, and she said "No, Ms. Olencia (her teacher) does". ;)
• She loves reading books (see below...we find her here often).

• She likes wearing dresses.
• She loves for us to push her on the swing. The warm weather we've been having has had us outside a lot more. When we won't push her, she lays on her tummy, and swings herself.
• She still loves playing with baby dolls, and her new thing is to wrap them in her baby blankets that I've kept. She has a double stroller that she's pushed around four dolls at a time. She rocks them and quietly says "it's okay, baby".
• She has her Mommy's love of dogs. Really, she's as bad as I am. I think she and Max will continue to grow up together as buddies.
• She really is FULL OF ATTITUDE. She knows what she wants, and she finds a way to get it.
• She was potty trained a month after she turned 2. I was proud of her for that.
• Our water bill went up $10 last month with all of her hand washing. I'm pretty sure she has the cleanest hands in Loganville.
• One of Lilah's favorite activities is cooking with her Daddy. She loves it, and I love watching the two of them together.
• She really likes coloring. When the boys have to do their homework, she quickly grabs a coloring book and says she has to do her homework, too.
• She loves her Papa (like they all do), but loves to go to GRANDMA'S house.
• She's still scared of strange men (which is a.o.k. with her dad).
• She and Noah are either best friends or enemies, but no matter which they are at a particular time, I'm pretty sure they think the world of each other. She loves Landon as much as Noah does. Somehow, Landon sits on a pedestal in this house...according to his siblings anyway.

Our Lilah is sweet, funny, independent, loud, and determined. We love having a daughter. I'm amazed at the differences between boys and girls and am so thankful I'm getting to experience both. She really is just fun to have around. She still follows me around a lot, and I can tell she watches me closely to see how girls should act. She probably needs a better role model for that, but I'm trying. :) She loves, loves, loves the men and boys in her life, and I feel good knowing these male figures will give her the confidence (as if she needs more) and self-esteem that will be vital as she continues to grow.

She's a mess, our Lilah. She's an intelligent little thing that has no problem saying "I'M the princess". But I guess in this house, she is...