Our Little Grease Monkey

One good old regular week night Aaron and I agreed that I should go do our 2 week grocery shopping while he got the kids ready for and put to bed.  I had a peaceful time doing the massive amount of shopping and came home to a quiet house with kids in their rooms.  Aaron turned to me and said, "They're both still awake." and since it was an hour past bedtime I knew we'd need to help the kids out and check for dirty bums.  Aaron took Porter's door and I was headed for Priya's when Aaron let out some loud frightened exclamation upon opening Porter's door.  I hurried over to look and Porter was covered in something reflecting the little bit of light we had.  We quickly started asking the same questions, "What is that?  He's covered. Is that vomit?  Blood?  Diarrhea?"  While we fumbled for the light.  Once we got the light on we were able to quickly start putting the pieces together.  Porter was having terrible eczema with the changing of the seasons, we were applying aquaphor (a healing ointment) multiple times as day to his skin and we were just keeping the container on his dresser.  Well Porter didn't get any before bed, was having a hard time sleeping, found the container, opened it (kind of a big deal for our boy who struggles with fine motor skills) and then completely emptied the entire container and applied the ointment all over himself.  Once Aaron and I realized Porter was not in any apparent danger we curled up on the floor next to each other laughing until we cried.  Thank goodness we could laugh about it.  The clean up process was not easy. It was impossible to hold on to Porter and everything he touched became a slippery as he was.  The internet is amazing and we found some tricks.  We covered Porter in Corn Starch to absorb the oil based ointment.  Once again grateful I keep corn starch in my food storage because it has endless play recipes, we had plenty on hand to clean up the mess, we do need to restock now though.  We did this several times then we used his regular soap with a little bit of baking soda to cut through the oil and clean him off.  It works pretty well but it took 2 hours.  Then another hour to get him carpet to a point that we could leave it over night until we had enough energy to clean up the whole mess.  The next day we used a Dawn dish soap solution in our carpet cleaner to attempt to get the mess out of our carpet and it worked.  Not harm, no foal!  It could have been so much worse and what's life without a few curve balls.  We sure do love the adventures and laughs our children provide for us.

We took this at almost midnight.  He watched a show while we worked on his room.  Porter had some really awesome spiky hair the next few days that followed.  

It actually cleared up his eczema.  Guess he knew what he was doing!  

Priya's 2nd Birthday Party

Before I get into the party details I just wanted to make sure and note that per tradition Aaron took a day off to spend with Priya for her birthday.  We took the kids to This Is The Place Park.  It was so much fun and the kids really love everything we did as a family. 

From the moment Priya got up she knew it was a day for her.  We kept the party simple and only invited family with the exception of one of Priya's best friends.  We did a Tinkerbell/fairy theme and she was very into it. 

Cousin Whitter came early to the party and Priya loved the gift Whitley brought her.

We served pancakes for Priya's dinner because pancakes are her favorite.  I had a picture but lost it when my phone broke down on me.  We cooked up with pancakes with Purple party sprinkles adding a little flare for the party.  She was crazy about them and so was everyone else.  It was a labor of love to make that kind of meal for everyone but I knew our guest were the most patient, easy going people that I wasn't concerned about it.  

Addison was also pretty excited about the fairy wings.  While Porter refused to wear his.  Porter went into hiding when our house go crowded.  He hates crowds so he parked his behind in front of the Tinkerbell movie and stayed put most of the night. 

Opening presents. 

The guests:

When she started to get clothes she had to try them all on.  It was not an option.  You'll notice by the end of this post she's in a completely different outfit. 

A soft fuzzy princess blanket that she now sleeps with every night.  She still snuggles her baby blanket but this one is actually big enough to cover her body.  I'm grateful my Mom knew this was something Priya would love and need.  It's been a big help with bedtime. 

All night long Priya begged for her cupcakes.  I kept telling her she had to wait after opening presents I asked, "Priya do you want a cupcake?" and I will forever remember the excitement as she threw he arms up in the air and ran from the front room to the kitchen with her arms in the air squealing with delight.  My girl loves her cake...like mother...like daughter. 

Friends 

While I was researching possible big gifts for Priya this Little People Disney Princess castle showed up #1 in multiple toy review for her age group so we decided it was the winner.  As you can see Grandma Judy thought so as well.  It has proved to be worth every penny.  It's such a cute toy! 

We had fun decorating and the canopy we put up in the kitchen is still up a month later.  Priya comes down each morning to say, "Beautiful star for me!" then she spins around dancing underneath it.  Melts my heart every time.  

The after party. 

Throwing this girl a party was the most fun I've had in a long time.  She loved every little bit of it! 

Priya Lynn is 2!!!

This is a picture of Priya at her Party this weekend.  The week leading up to her birthday she would randomly exclaim  "Priya's Birthday Party!!!" usually with a Tinkerbell invite in her hand.  She loved it!  More on that later. 

We've had a chance to keep a sheet of notes the last few weeks of all the cute and different things Priya does regularly these days.  We want to remember what a feisty spirit she is in our lives right now.  So here's the list we came up with... although it's not complete, it's a nice snap shot.

Priya Lynn at 2 years old: 

• She has impeccable manners.  She hardly ever has to be reminded to use them and often goes to extreme measures to make sure people understand that she's grateful.  She even greets us with a, "Nice to see you again!" when we get her up in the mornings.  That's something she just picked up from our interactions with friends. 
• Our favorite manner however is, "G-wel-come!"  She loves to say, "You're welcome" after you thank her for anything and even when you don't.  There is always a G at the beginning and a spike in her voice at the end of the phrase.  Cutest. Thing. EVER!!! 
• She walks up and down the stairs like a boss. 
• She is a very affectionate little girl.  She loves to love!  My Mother pointed this out to me as she was returning Priya from an overnight stay with them.  I've really noticed it ever since.  I've often taken for granted how willing Priya is to give soft gentle reminders that she loves you.  Hugs, kisses, cuddles (which she actually calls "cuddles") and whispered or yelled "I Love You...(Momma, Papa, Grandma, Porter, Daddy, etc)"  She's a lover! 

• She doesn't take naps most days.  We just lost them somewhere along the way.  She still goes down for naps every day and occasionally she'll sleep.  More often than not she gathers up some books, toys, or her favorite ice cream kit from her kitchen, piles them up in her bed with her and plays.  She doesn't see this as a violation of the rules.  Nor do I.  I've started calling it quiet time so she doesn't feel confined to her bed.  Little smarty pants.  It's worked just fine for us because she has just added that extra rest on to her night time hours which makes 14-15 hours.  I will never complain about that!  Her behavior doesn't suffer and so I don't really care. 

Sleep deprived due to teething-- not happy about it

• She is quickly learning her ABCs with her brother.  She has a ways to go but she can recite about 50% of the alphabet in order and if she's looking at the letter she can tell you what sound it makes.  As we go through our ABCs each day I always have to pause at E while she repeats several times, "*sigh* Oh! Cute Elephant!" something about that card just melts her little heart. 
• Fine motor skills are a strength for Priya. 
  
• She speaks in complete sentences.  It really blows me away.  Several months ago Aaron wrote this one down because she was only 19 months old and it just didn't seem possible but he swears it happened, "Daddy look those cute baby birds are flying!"  She speaks with very advanced logic and understanding of vocabulary and language structure.  We've always thought this was a gift her Heavenly Father blessed her with so she could enrich her brother's world with words.  And she certainly has increased his vocabulary. 
• Now above I said that Priya is affectionate and that is true, but it's very much on HER terms.  If you ask for a kiss or hug she will have to ponder your request before responding yes or no.  Usually she responds by leaning her cheek towards us to kiss or her forehead.  Let's hope she keeps this habit up in her teen years with boys! 
• The girl can EAT!  We haven't found anything that Priya isn't willing to try 3 times and she likes everything.  Occasionally she'll turn something away because of texture but only certain days.  She's also a very messy eater.

• Priya and her brother Porter are BEST FRIENDS!!!  Making me feel like I have arrived as their Mother.  They entertain each other, care for each other, read together, play all day long and my life is so much better because of it.  I can't help but get caught up in the little moments between them as they go through their day together.  *Honesty Disclosure: they can still fight like little tasmanian devils but it doesn't happen much.*
  
  
  
  
  
  
• To go along with the best buddy's above she waits for the bus to come in the mornings to pick up Porter.  She waves and says, "Bye Bus."  Porter just got a new driver who is an older plump joyful man who has a full long white beard.  She now says, "Bye Santa, love you."  Yeah, it makes me smile too! 

"Bye Bus"

She was saying to me, "Where's Porter?  I miss Porter."  Mommy just isn't as fun. 

• She has a set of go to conversation gap phrases like: "Huh?" she drops her chin, raises her eyebrows and lift her hands in the air with the palms up.  The other thing she does a lot is, "What?!"  She does this to avoid questions or conversations she'd rather not participate in.  
• The girl can sit and work on puzzles until you interrupt her.  She knows all of her colors and is a very patient learner.  She's fine to sit and think about problems, a skill I think she get's from her Daddy.  She is starting to count but only get's 6,7,8,9 right consistently.  Not sure how we got off with the first 5 numerals.  
• She can identify triangles, squares, stars, hearts, and circle shapes. 
• She HAS to dance during the end credits of every movie and will drag you into the party, no excuse will get you out of it. 
• We blame her for anything that goes missing.  She's very curious and because of that she just picks everything she can reach.  She manipulates it, studies it, and then walks off with it.  Several items are still missing. 
• Every night after tucking her into bed she says, "Mommy stay.  Mommy, Please, Stay."  To which I always reply, "Mommy can stay 1 minute."  That's enough for her.  She just likes to know that I'll listen when she asks. 
• One of the things she says in the morning is, "My hair is EVERYWHERE!" It's usually out of control.  Her hair has remained in finger ringlets.  It's darling all the time and if you recall from Porter I kind of adore messy bed head so we let it be.  I do it a couple times a week and it's cute then too. 
  

•  She's a girly girl in so many ways.  She loves jewelry, clothes, all things princess and pretty things.  She has a sense of her own style. 

3rd outfit change of the day

• Priya desperately wants glasses like her big brother.  Every time we go to the eye doctor she has to try on a dozen different styles. 

• She doesn't seem to care for the cold.  Our spring like weather was interrupted by a 3 inch blanket of snow one night.  When Priya woke up and saw the snow she said to me, "Snow a mess Mommy!  What happened?"  She spent some time bundled up in a blanket that day. 

• She likes to sing and picks up lyrics to the chorus lines pretty easily.  Her favorite song is, "Try" by Pink.  She'll sing it randomly through out the day. 
• Her favorite movie is any Tinkerbell movie and Sofia The First (which she refers to as Princess Priya). 
• One of the silliest and most delightful things about this girl are her facial expressions. They never cease.  See for yourself: 
  
  
  
  
  
  

  

  these first 3 were taking in a 2 minute time frame

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  

  She was embarrassed by her parents head banging when we took this. hehe

• She still loves her books! 

• She is determined, strong willed, and persistent; all things that will serve her well in this world.  At times it can be a trial for me as her Mother.  But she's becoming more respectful and I in turn more patient.  We meet each other half way. 

she didn't want to leave the Minnie chair 

• It is a rare thing for Priya to stop talking.  Even when you ask her to stop,the sheer will power that requires is written all over her face and at best she can last 2 minutes without using her voice.    Even when she's by herself she's labeling things, thinking out loud and just a goin'. 
• Priya says her prayers very willingly each night and has started kneeling with me to do so.  I often peek and just want to scoop her up in my arms cause it's so cute!  (Porter lacks the trunk strength to do this so it's new to us.) 

These days we find it hard to remember life before Priya.  She's such a special person and has a significant place in our family.  I don't know what we'd do without her.  We just think she's the prettiest, smartest, kindest little thing :-)  I am rightfully biased though. 

I know this for sure, we thank God for her every night and our hearts are full of gratitude for the joy this little Miss brings into our lives. 

We love you baby girl! --Mommy, Daddy & Porter

p.s. Porter says, "Pound it!"

I couldn't pick which I liked more so you get both.