Tonight was one of those nights filled with sweet moments that I hope to never forget. Because I want to remember them, I’m writing them here.

• We stopped at Home Depot to pick up pots for the vegetables that we are growing with Claire and she was delighted to help “water” all the flowers in the nursery area. She went around to each one with her empty watering can and made a “shhh”-ing noise as she pretended to water them.

• We stopped for dinner and, when leaving, found a dog wandering the parking lot with their leash still attached. The three of us walked around for 20 minutes trying to find the owner, and the whole time Claire was so excited to have this new dog with us. Finally, the owner drove up and was so happy to get their sweet dog back and Claire started clapping then exclaimed “Yippee! Hooray! Doggy’s Daddy!” It was so sweet!!!
• When we got home, she played in her little playhouse for a bit and asked Daddy if he built the house for her. He said yes. She then put her hand on his shoulder and said, “Good job Daddy.” 😍😍
• Then, we were putting her to bed and I told her I had a headache. She pretended to give me something to help and asked if I felt better. I told her yes and she promptly put her hand up to her ear (as if she was making a phone call) and started saying, “Hi, Nana. Yeah Mommy head hurts. Mhmm mhmm it’s okay now. Yeah. Yeah Nana. Her head hurts. But it’s ok. I helped.” I asked if she was talking to Nana and she said yes and then proceeded to pretend to talk to Papa. It was so sweet.

I can’t get over how smart and caring she is. How did we get so lucky??

And just like that, Claire is TWO!!! We had the best time celebrating her birthday with family and friends. We had a little party on Saturday and then went to a delicious brunch on Sunday. Her birthday fell on Mother’s Day this year which I loved.

Claire is so fun to be with these days! She’s definitely a mini-me, that’s for sure. What else can I say about 2-year-old Claire? Well…

• She’s quite particular and opinionated about what she wants.
• She’s very methodical. She loves to organize her toys in neat lines and count them.
• Loves anything and everything that involves being outside – playing in her new playhouse, the playground, walks, and riding her bike.

Her amazing playhouse

• She’s an amazing helper – folding laundry, cleaning, carrying stuff to the car, cooking, etc.
• She’s a picky eater and we never know what or how much she’ll eat (unless it’s Nana’s cooking, which she always seems to inhale!).
• She LOVES to read!
• She loves to play with her life-sized baby doll. She’s very much interested in little babies. She met her baby cousin recently and was so interested in everything about her. It was the sweetest!!
• Her favorite thing right now is to ask, “Why?” about EVERYTHING. We love it and think it’s the cutest phase. She also likes to point out random people and say, “Who dat?”
• The first thing she does every morning is ask for Daddy. She really doesn’t like it when he’s not home when she wakes up!
• She is talking SO much. She says little sentences and we are constantly amazed at what she knows. I love knowing more about what’s going through her cute little mind. We are constantly giggling at her comments.
• She still loves dogs, cats, trucks, buses, and airplanes.
• She loves backpacks! CJ wears one to work which I think is what sparked her interest.
• She occasionally pretends to go to work, answer emails, cook, and talk on the phone. She’s a huge fan of playing pretend.
• She loves to go to the grocery store with CJ.
• She has amazing memory. We’ll tell her something and she’ll bring it up a while later, even if it’s a small detail.
• She is still a cuddler which we’re so happy about. She likes to say, “I hold you?” to either CJ or me when she wants us to hold her. Our hearts almost can’t take it each time, she is so sweet.
• We’re told that she’s very social which we’re happy about! I say “we’re told” because, if we’re in the room, she only wants Mommy or Daddy… unless Papa is around and then she just wants him. 🙂

We can’t get enough of her! If I could follow her around all day videotaping everything she does, I would because I never want to forget any moment with her. Her little voice, the way she plays, her little comments, everything is the best!!

UPDATE: I totally forgot to mention one other fun fact about Claire – We (CJ and I) get in trouble if we leave a mess around the house. If CJ leaves his shoes in the kitchen, or I leave my purse on the floor, she’ll say something like, “Uh oh, Mommy, your purse. Here I get it.” and she’ll carry it back to my room. It’s hilarious!

Claire is endlessly entertaining. A 2nd birthday update is coming soon but, until then, here’s a little preview of our hilarious 2-year-old.