2 years! (and 2 months)

Maelie turned 2 years old 2 months ago! Here are some pictures of her birthday celebration...

 

 

Maelie sure is a sweet and sassy 2-year-old! We love her so much and are so grateful that she is a part of our family!

Maelie at 20, 21, 22, & 23 months!

So yeah, I'm super behind with blogging. Poor second-born Maelie is going to think she was adopted. ;) Here's my attempt to catch up on Maelie and give you a glimpse of her big personality...

 Maelie loves to get into everything. :)

She also loves to play dress-up with Hannah. 

Peek-a-boo! 

Our coat closet is Maelie's favorite place to hide. 

Maelie loves ice cream and usually insists on feeding herself. 

She loves making silly faces. 

 Maelie's first pony tails. Cute!

 She loved turning 21 months old at Cubs Spring Training.

 

Maelie loves to cheese it for us. 

And she gets great bed-head during long car rides. 

Maelie loves to play at her grandparents' houses. 

She has big, beautiful bluish-gray eyes. 

Maelie is obsessed with her binkie, and she will not drink her milk from anything but a bottle. We've tried everything else! 

Jana and I took Maelie to her first movie in the theater, and she did quite well. 

 She of course loved the popcorn. Yum!

 



Maelie loves to copy everything Hannah does. Hannah doesn't always love that. :) 

She loves crowds and noise and ballgames, even in cold weather.  And she loves her daddy!

Maelie is beautiful! And so is Hannah! 

Maelie loves to play school or just about anything else with Hannah. 

She has mastered eating with a fork and spoon. 

Maelie loves to be involved and help with everything. And she also likes to eat dirt and play in the mud. 

She is friendly and outgoing, and I often get comments about how adorable and fun she is. 

Maelie is smart and knows when she is being funny. 

And her cheeks are still amazing! :)

What else can I say about Maelie? She is just super cute and fun and funny and sassy and a total sweetheart! She is constantly on the go and into everything she shouldn't be. Maelie is as active and rambunctious as Hannah was chill and laidback at this age. Maelie loves to eat Cheerios, toast, crackers, treats, quesadillas, chicken nuggets, strawberries, bananas, macaroni and cheese, ramen noodles, pasta, pretty much anything off of our plates, and especially her "bottle snack" (milk). She also loves to read books (the only time she will really sit still), do puzzles, watch shows (Dora, Bubble Guppies, and Daniel Tiger), run around, swing, climb up and down stairs, go down big slides, wrestle, tackle, kick and throw balls, play with baby dolls, play with Hannah and her cousins, give us big hugs and kisses, laugh hysterically, talk non-stop, build with blocks, and make huge messes. Even though Maelie sometimes drives us crazy, we all absolutely adore her and can't imagine life without her. We love our little Mae Mae so very much!!!

Hannah's 1st Day of Preschool!

Hannah's 1st day of preschool was almost 3 months ago, so I guess it's time to share some pics of the momentous day. She had been begging me for over a year to go to preschool, so she was super excited! We were very blessed to find a great preschool (with an opening mid-year!) right around the corner from our new house. Hannah and I (and Maelie) visited the preschool twice before Hannah's first official day, once alone and once with the other students there. I think this really helped her feel prepared. Hannah did shed a few tears her first two official days of preschool (she missed her mommy), but she was all smiles when I picked her up. She is learning lots, having tons of fun, and making new friends.

Hannah wanted to wear her preschool t-shirt (and have an Elsa braid) for her first day of preschool! 

I had to get a picture on the front porch! 

Hannah takes something for show and tell every single time she goes to preschool, and at least 90% of the time it is a piece of furniture from her dollhouse. :) 

Happy Hannah right after her 1st day of preschool! 

Hannah got home and wanted to play school with Maelie (and Anna and Elsa). 

Hannah asked me if Maelie missed her while she was gone. I told her she did, because she did. But I didn't tell Hannah that the majority of the time she was gone, Maelie was napping peacefully (and continues to do so). And while I did and still do miss having Hannah home on preschool afternoons, I also quite enjoy having a couple of hours to get stuff done. :)

I sure do love my adorable preschooler!!!