Happy Birthday Chyler!

My little girl turned 2!!

Her birthday was on July 7, but since we were going to be on vacation that day, we celebrated it on the 2nd. The night before the big day, Brian and I decorated banners, blew up balloons, and hung streamers. I have to say it's pretty fun going all out for your kids :) I think I was as excited as she was, if not more so!

 

To start the celebrations, I thought it would be fun to take Chyler and Jackson to the Oklahoma City Zoo. It was going to be another hot, humid, Oklahoma day, so we arrived when they opened at 9am. I thought it would be fun to have some company, so we planned to meet up with my friend from high school, Susie, and her two kids. The kids loved all the animals, running around, and playing on the statues.

Chyler, Hannah, & Jacob

Around noon, the kids were exhausted! I knew Chyler was done when she let me put her in the stroller because that's a rare occurrence! Too bad for us that I remembered to take our picture a little too late. This is the best we could get. (Don't forget little Jackson in there. You can see his little arms :)

Can we say "tired"

One our way home from the zoo, the kids fell asleep in the car. At home, I carefully scooped them up and put them in bed and went to work on frosting Chyler's cake. (Disclaimer: I am not a cake decorator. There are people who say they're not cake decorators, but then produce master pieces. I'm not one of those people. When I say I'm not a cake decorator, I mean I'm really not a cake decorator. But, for my little girl, I decided to give it a try.)

When the kids woke up their nap, we drove to the store to pick out candy for the cake. We drove home just in time for me to to finish decorating the cake and make dinner before Brian got home. We had noodles (one of Chy-Chy's favorites) and then started on dessert! The cake didn't turn out quite as I had hoped, but Chyler still liked it.... or maybe it was the candy on top she liked :) The face still looks funny to me, but might delicious!

It's a butterfly, just in case you can't tell.

Chyler was a little scared of the candles. 

I can't help but laugh while we're singing her Happy Birthday!

Video of Chyler picking at the candy

After cake and ice cream, we opened presents. Since Oklahoma's summers are brutal and because Chyler LOVES going outside, we bought Chyler a little pool. We've since used it a handful of times and I've come to the conclusion it was the perfect gift. She loves it and would swim in it every day if we let her! We also got her a few other water toys to keep her occupied in the pool, a new book, an ABC puzzle, and a tent with matching tunnel. These toys, along with the ones from both sets of grandparents have kept her busy, busy, busy! What a lucky little girl!

I thought it would be fun to post a few other interesting things about Chyler now that's she's 2!

Stats
Weight: 25.2 lbs. (25-50%ile)
Height: 33 1/2 inches (25-50%ile)
The doctor commented that she couldn't get any more proportional. Her weight, height, and head size are all in the 25-50%ile.)

Behavior
I've been waiting for the "Terrible Two" stage to start. If you ask me though, I think Chyler went through that stage from 12 months- 24 months. She's still not perfect. There's still the occasional hitting and biting, not listening, direct disobedience, but now that she can understand and communicate better, Chyler's behavior has been so much better!

Language
I love how much Chyler has grown and learned to communicate! Of all her fun little phrases, there's one that I sticks out: "Stomp on bug!" Being in Oklahoma, we have our share of bugs. I am a bug hater, and I guess I've turned Chyler into one too. Any time she sees a bug, she scrunches up her nose and yells "stomp on bug!" in the cutest little voice. She'll then run over to the bug and stomp on it whether she has shoes on or not. That's my girl :)

Here she is pointing out what she thinks is a bug

Chyler has also learned her letters and their sounds, numbers 1-10 plus a few more, and most of the colors. I love how much she loves to learn! I can't take all the credit though. Barney, Sesame Street, Signing Time, and more have definitely helped in a way that I couldn't.

Chyler & Jackson at
Great Grandma & Grandpa's house

Little Helper

Chyler has become quite the little helper. She'll help me pick up toys, clean spills, follow me with her toy vacuum while I'm vacuuming, throw away dirty diapers, show me where all the bugs are for me to kill, buckle herself into her car seat and booster chair, grab a new diaper, move laundry to the washing machine and then to the dryer, and even attempt to sweep the floor. I'm liking this stage :)

Personality

I wish everyone could know Chyler and her fun personality. She loves to tease, especially when it gets us to laugh. She's always up for some tickling. She already knows how to get her way, especially at bedtime. (The other night, she was calling my name after I had put her down. When I went into her room and asked her what was wrong, she said "I miss you." How cute is that? I couldn't resist and brought her into her room to cuddle.)  She loves to rough house and is always up for a game of chase. 

I'm so happy to call this sweet, spunky,
head strong, playful, loving girl my daughter.
Happy Birthday Chyler!