Beatrix the Red Nosed Reindeer

My poor little Birdie banged up her nose just in time for Christmas.

My niece had a birthday party and Beatrix tripped coming out the jumper and banged her nose straight onto the concrete. Poor baby. She was incredibly brave.

I've dubbed her my very own little red nosed reindeer for this Christmas season. ♥♥♥

Phoebe and Beatrix have a Birthday Party!!

On November 5th my little Birdie turned 2.

Five days later my Smelly Cat turned 4.

Where has the time gone? Where have my babies gone??! They've turned into little girls. So very bittersweet to watch them grow and mature right before my very eyes.

To celebrate this momentous occasion we threw a joint birthday party for the girls. Phoebe was especially in heaven. Beatrix was very wary of the strangers but over time she got much more comfortable.

It was an extravaganza of fairy wings, cupcakes, pizza, jumpers and presents. What little girls could want anything more?!

I am so blessed to be able to call these two little munchkins mine. They've brought craziness, love and a whole lot of laughter into my life. I am sincerely blessed.

Mommy's Little Cowgirl

Beatrix has discovered cowboy boots and she's officially in love. She grabbed Matthew's black felt cowboy hat to complete her little ensemble. My girl knows how to make a fashion statement.

She is seriously so freaking adorable. ♥♥♥

Maphoo!! Bruber Maphoo!!

From sun up to sun down our house echoes with Beatrix's cries of, "Maphoo!! Bruhber Maphoo!!"

Matthew is her new favorite word. She calls for him all day with the occasional "Mama" and "Dada" thrown in for good measure.

I am actually loving the way she's trying to vocalize and talk so much. She's saying and repeating anything and everything right. She'll even try to string together sentences that turn more into a sing songy word. I will be right back turns into "Ieetahack!!". And I practically melt when she says, "Dank ou" for thank you.

Everyday she says something new. It's such an exciting time to watch her blossom and grow. She is so amazing. I am without a doubt amazingly blessed to be her Mama.

Birdie the Shoe Hijacker

Beatrix is obsessed with shoes. She hijacks any and all shoes she can get ahold of. She'll pull out pairs from the shoe cubby and shuffle around the house in anything she can manage to find.

Right now she is obsessed with Phoebe's rainboots. She totes them everywhere and insists on trying to walk in them even though she can barely lift her feet in them.

One day, Kevin was looking for his shoes and asked me if I knew where his tennis shoes were. I told him I had no idea. Beatrix perked right up and took off running down the hallway. Low and behold she returned with Kevin's tennis shoes clutched to her chest.

A few days later my flip flops went missing. I looked everywhere I could think of and I couldn't find them. Apparently Beatrix had taken them and put them in the dirty laundry basket. Kevin found them and returned them safely to me.

She seriously has a shoe obsession. I can't count how many times she has hijacked someone else's shoes.

Now we know that if any shoes go missing, we need to pat Birdie down and ask them where she hid them before we look anywhere else. She hijacks them whenever she can and hides them in places only she would think to look.

Look Who is Climbing Now!!

Yep!!! My little Beatrix can climb on the high counter chairs all on her own now!! Acks!

The really tricky thing is I can't lift her down from there until my back is fully healed from surgery, so she manages to climb it and then is stuck until I can guide her climb back down. I can already tell that this is going to be a disaster, but I suppose that I should just be thankful that she hasn't tried to jump off of the chairs like Phoebe used to.

Birdie Going Goth...

She's embracing her darker side. Being a baby sucks and life isn't fair....she's so emo.

The alternative version of her newfound look would be that she got ahold my mascara and decided to make a snack out of it.

Toe-may-toes / Tah-mah-toes. Let's not split hairs here.

Beatrix Conquers the Slide

Where has the time gone??? My little Birdie has officially conquered the slide all on her own.

She climbs up the stairs and slides down the slide on her tummy. Repeat and rinse about thirty more times and you've summed up our afternoon at the park yesterday.

She was so proud of herself and is getting so big. *** Tear*** My baby is getting bigger every day.

My Wee Tired Birdie

Little Beatrix was so tired she actually zonked out on Abbey's giant dog bed.

She is so stinking adorable. I am one lucky Mama.

Beatrix is Walking!!!!

This is such a bittersweet moment for me. My baby Birdie is growing so fast. I'm so happy and proud but at the same time I just wish time could slow down a little bit so I could savor these special moments a little longer.

She is an amazing sweetheart of a baby.

Happy Birthday Beatrix!!!

Dear Beatrix,

I truly can't believe that you are already a year old. This year has flown by so fast. It feels like just yesterday I held you in my arms for the first time.... and now here you are. A gorgeous one year old with a cheeky smile trying to stand and keep up with your big sister and brother.

My first year with you has truly been amazing. There have been moments when I have literally felt as though my heart was about to burst right out of my chest with happiness. Every day I marvel over what a special girl you are.

I am so incredibly blessed to be your Mommy. You are loved more than you will ever know.

Love,

Mommy

Birdie and Her Vampire Teeth

Beatrix is now 11 months old and has exactly four teeth. Her front bottom teeth and her little baby fangs.

When she laughs all you see is pearly glints of little white fangs. It's pretty dang funny and adorable all in one big swoop.

Beatrix and her new hat!

I think it's safe to assume she loves it!!

Beatrix Pulls up to Stand!!!!

She is growing up so incredibly fast.

The first time she pulled up to stand she actually had crawled back into the bathroom after her own bath and stood up holding onto the outside of the bathtub so she could watch the big kids splashing in the bath. Ack!!! Slippery and dangerous! I have to watch her like a hawk now. With Phoebe's tutelage she is getting more wild and independent every day.

Cutest Baby Ever

Beatrix had been fighting a nap all day. She would just not be put down to sleep at all. It was insane and she was deliriously giggly and awake.

I put her in her high chair with some sliced blueberries and cheerios for a little snack/ giving her the opportunity to make a giant mess in the hopes it would keep her occupied for a little while. I went to the garage to move a load of laundry from the washer to the dryer and came back to a sweet little sleeping cherub of a baby.

She is so stinking adorable it is on the verge of ridiculous.

We have a tooth!!!!

Two teeth to be exact!!!!!

Last week she brought in one bottom tooth. Now she's brought in a second one!!! I can't believe Birdie is getting so big.

Beatrix's Baby Dedication

Beatrix's dedication was beautiful. It really couldn't have been any better.

When we prayed over her at church I wanted to cry out of pure love, joy and faith that God does indeed have great things in store for my little Birdie.

When Kevin prayed over Beatrix I was just in awe of what a strong man of God Kevin has become over the last several years. Hearing the strength and conviction in his voice as he prayed for the Lord to shine his face upon Beatrix and guard her heart from all evil was amazing. When I stood there with my little Birdie in my arms and looked out into the congregation that was filled with our family and friends, I was flooded with the realization that I am blessed. Blessed beyond belief. Beyond what I could have ever imagined. God has given me everything that I didn't even know I wanted- everything I didn't even know I needed.

After church all of our families and several of our close friends joined us at our house for a lunch of massive proportions. We had ordered several trays of Italian food from one of our favorite local Italian joints and had epic amounts of salads, fruit and bread to top it all off. It was awesomely delicious. We ended up practically living off of leftover for the next three days. I started to reek of garlic from the marinara sauce but it was insanely delicious so it was totally worth the pungent garlic breath.

All in all it was a beautiful day that I can only hope that I will remember forever.

Phoebe, Beatrix and the Cupcake

Phoebe scaled the counter to fetch herself down a cupcake while I was in the garage doing laundry. She then decided to do a good deed and share that cupcake with Beatrix.

I came back into the house only to find Birdie gleefully rolling in the crumbs with icing from head to toe. She seemed to be very pleased with herself.

Ever since the cupcake incident Birdie makes a point of following Phoebe around. Beatrix tries to crawl over to Phoebe now all the time and wants to do everything Phoebe does. If Phoebe is building blocks, Birdie wants to build blocks. If Phoebe is hiding in a tent, Birdie tries to crawl into the tent too. If Phoebe has a ball, Beatrix chases her and cries for a ball.

My biggest fear at this point is that with a single cupcake Phoebe has bought Birdie's undying devotion and converted my sweet little baby into a mini hellion disciple.

Beatrix Baby

My little Beatrix is getting so big. It's insane how fast these past almost nine months have flown by.

In the past two weeks she has started to clap her hands, sit up by herself and crawl. Ack!

Last night she said Mama as her first official word!!!!!!! I wanted to clap my hands and jump for joy and cry all at the same time. I feel as if I blinked and my little snuggle buggy baby became so much more grown up. My little Birdie's babyhood is just zooming by. Every night as I put her to sleep I find myself counting my blessings as I breathe in her baby smell and try to just treasure each and every baby snuggle and giggle.

Birdie in her Johnny Jump Up

Every night while I make dinner Birdie sits in her Johnny Jump up where she can see me and she goes absolutely nuts in her jumper. She is crazy in love with jumping all around. She is just the cutest little jumping bean ever.