1/2 birthday girl :)

Happy half birthday to my lovely little lady! I can't believe we've hit 2 & 1/2; before we know it she'll be a preschooler! It's been a long time since I've given a good Brooke update. So here's a half birthday synopsis of our favorite girl :)

- This girl is just hilarious. She makes us laugh on an hourly basis. The things she says are just fantastic. Also hysterical is her dancing; this chica is an awesome dancer! She has no shame, shaking her booty like the little rockstar she is. And she really seems to love music; she sings allllll day long. Scratch that - we sing alllll day long. And it's so funny to listen to her version of a song, botched lyrics and all :)

- Brooke does everything passionately. Spunky, sassy, Little Miss Attitude - all are good ways to describe her! I'm not ashamed to admit that she gets most of it from me; we're like 2 peas in a pod. She knows exactly what she wants and isn't afraid to tell you. And when she doesn't get her way, things can get dicey (I say can because it's only about half the time.) But she really doesn't like time out, so a warning is usually all she needs if she starts to throw a fit. On that note, she's been spending much less time in time out lately, which is good news for all of us!

- She's quite the conversationalist. She uses big adjectives that are just hilarious to hear coming out of a 2 & 1/2 year old's mouth (e.g. wonderful, awesome, gorgeous, incredible, etc.) She asks appropriate and meaningful questions while talking to someone. She is always asking Daddy how his day was, which is just 50 shades of adorable if you ask me. Just today, the husband & I got home from an overnight stay in South Bend for a friend's wedding. After we asked her all about her time with Aunt Sus while we were gone, she asked us "How was your wedding?" It blows my mind that, at 2 & 1/2, she understands that being in a conversation means you have to be a listener sometimes, too.

 - She wants to do everything by herself. "Can I do it all by myself?" This includes, but is certainly not limited to, the following: going potty, shutting the car door, buckling the top buckle of her car seat (which she can also unbuckle which is very unnerving so we've had very extensive discussions about only being allowed to do so when the car is turned off), putting on her bib, getting dressed, making her lunch, etc. The independence is pretty exciting for all of us (especially the going potty thing...if she was a little taller to reach the cold water handle to wash her hands, I wouldn't have to go in there at all!) And I bet the list of things she can do herself will really blossom when preschool starts in September!

- Potty training is going pretty well, considering she is just now the age they recommend for starting potty training with girls. She wears Pull-ups most of the time, and manages to keep them dry about 75% of the time. She enjoys using public restrooms (super fun for Mom) so she usually stays dry when we're out and about. I think she gets pretty distracted while she's in her playroom so that tends to be when she has the hardest time staying dry. And, as I said earlier, she can do almost the whole process by herself. And I know she'll likely give me grief in the future for taking/posting this picture, but I think it's adorable. Plus, everyone needs a few non-revealing, mildly incriminating pictures from their childhood, right?

- She has gotten very imaginative lately. She loves role playing! She & her cousins play (in her words) "the Mommy & the Honey". (I think 'the Honey' refers to the pet name the Mommy calls the child while they play; "Let's go, honey.") She's finally taking an interest in her baby dolls & always wants me to babysit for them for her. The one she plays with the most has been named "Baby Aunt Nicole Carson Reeder" (and she's very consistent with this name; poor baby's gonna have a heck of a time fitting that on a Scantron.) Another example: one night this week, she told me she built an airplane to take us on vacation. So she, Joe, & I got into her airplane and took turns being the "take-off-er" & the "co-pilot". When I asked her where we were going, she said "Walmart". Such a glamorous vacay, no? Another game she plays all the time is Blues Clues. She has a little notebook, her "handy dandy notebook" of course, & will walk around spotting clues & singing the songs from the show.

Some of Her Favorites:

• Favorite TV shows: Doc McStuffins, Team Umizoomi, Blues Clues
• Favorite books: Anything Fancy Nancy or Pinkalicious
• Favorite foods: Mexican (she loves tacos, rice, and salsa!), corn on the cob, raisins, popsicles, graham crackers, apples
• Favorite things to play: Legos, "grocery", tea parties, Blues Clues
• Favorite songs: songs from her TV shows - especially Doc McStuffins & Fresh Beat Band, Party Rock Anthem (sung by Alvin & the Chipmunks)

About 24 times a day I utter the words "Oh my goodness, you're so old!" Because she is, you guys. She's not a toddler anymore - she's a full-blown kid! I can't even handle it. 2 & 1/2 years of loving this girl with so many more to come! :)