Baby Singewald: Emma Turned 2!

Well, it's sad to say, but I didn't make my goal of having our blog life caught up with our real one before Kieran made his debut! Since he arrived 11 weeks ago, life has certainly not slowed down, but our days have been filled with love, laughter, memories, lots of family time and CHAOS! However, we'll enjoy looking back on the last half of 2013 now and once again, it'll be a New Year's Resolution to stay up on the blog and post a few times a month! (Hopefully life won't take over faster than we can keep up again!)

On July 8, Emma turned 2! She has loved Minnie Mouse over the last year, especially since our trip to Disneyland, so we weren't surprised when she said she wanted a Minnie Mouse party and cake!

At 2 years old, Emma:

* loves singing songs (and will even create a microphone out of anything within reach!)

* Can't get enough Sofia the First, the newest Disney Princess

* She is talking up a storm! At her 2nd birthday, she was putting several words together into fairly good sentences. By 2.5, she is now talking fluently in paragraphs, with expression!

* loves talking on the phone

* reads stories, especially counting books with the 3D bugs, butterflies, etc as part of the countdown

* Has an incredible imagination as she plays with any figurine, animal, princess, etc.

* her memory is ridiculous! Emma remembers lines from shows, complete songs, and conversations!

* is a definite spit-fire!

* wants to be little Miss Independent and will do things HER way!

* loves "reading" books herself! She will create her own story using the pictures and storyline she knows from the book.

* uses her imagination to tell stories to Kieran. She creates "Once upon a time, there was a boy named Kieran, who... " stories and he LOVES it! Her creativity is never-ending!

* could draw or paint for hours.

* enjoys all play-doh, paint, stickers, glue, glitter, and anything else she can get her hands on or into

* loves being the center of attention! She has her own dramatic side!

* enjoys dance parties, especially to "Mama, I'm a Big Girl Now" from Hairspray, Katy Perry's "Roar" and any Sofia the First song!

* wants to be part of anything and everything John does. She loves her big brother!

* is an incredible helper with Kieran and is quick to have a new diaper, wipe and Desitin ready for a diaper change!

* Can't fall asleep without her thumb and little blankie! (and LOVES when her blankie has the clean smell!)

* loves the "pretties" we put her in hair and always wants to be the one to pick it out.

* has enough hair to finally make a pony tail (with clips to help on the sides where it's not quite long enough) or pig tails, which we refer to as "piggies"

* loves wearing dresses, or any long shirt, as it makes her an instant princess! "Me princess!"

* enjoys cooking with me, as well as making yummy meals on her grill or in her kitchen

* loves to snuggle and have her hair played with

* has been incredibly healthy! Since her ear tubes were put in last March, Emma has only had a few minor colds!

* is a joy to be around!

On July 7, we were excited to celebrate with our families just how much our lives had changed in the last two years with our spunky, sweet and loving little lady in our lives!

Before...

After...

Emma has always loved all food and hasn't been picky, so we weren't surprised when we asked her what she wanted for dinner and she responded that she would like chicken and pepper kabobs, along with a variety of yummy summer fruits and berries for her birthday!

Our niece, Corinne, had just been born on July 3, so Grandma and Grandpa were in Chicago with Mike and Jeanna and missed Emma's party. However, they all wanted to be part of the celebration, so we did a FaceTime call with them while we sang to Emma and also had a chance to see our new little niece/cousin!

Time for cake!

Hmm... tastes pretty good....

Time to dig in!

Emma loved opening her presents and was excited about each and every one! She took time to study and play with/try on each gift before moving on to the next! John was more impatient to see what she had gotten then she was!

When she opened the clothes, her instant reaction was "Hmm...too big!" for each item as she held it up to herself to measure. It was priceless!

As you can tell, John was also excited about the princess dress-up clothes....

Time to try them on! Emma didn't understand that dress-up clothes can go on over your actual clothes though, so she had to take off her dress in order to try them on! She loved being a princess and couldn't wait to dance around!

Phil was jealous and had to have his chance too...

Precious moments with Aunt Katie!

Emma was so excited to get her own reading chair for her room, just like John! She also loved her camera and that she could take "pictures" whenever she wanted!

On Monday the 8th, Phil had to work, so we just had a fun Emma-centered day at home! She was able to pick what she wanted to do that day and without hesitation, she responded that she wanted to blow bubbles, especially with the new bubble-blower she had gotten for her birthday!