Dear Natalie,

I begin this letter with a very big smile on my face. I've always been told that "dynamite comes in small packages" and that certainly describes you as well.
Happy 2nd Birthday my love! You are getting so big!

Let's see, at two years old you are a very happy, smiley little girl all the time and constantly on the go. You are adventurous, daring, and curious. Nothing scares you or will stop you from doing what you want.
You are also very independent and you like to try things on your own.
You get this little smirk on your face when you are about to do something naughty. It is pretty funny actually.
You are a total tease and you totally get that from daddy. I think your favourite person to pester though is your sister.
It's a good thing you have such a sweet, innocent, darling face to get you out of trouble...

Despite your active, outgoing personality you are and always have been since birth, my cuddle bunny.
You love to cuddle and smother me with kisses endlessly. I always tell daddy that you have the most perfect lips and that you are such a good kisser. You know how to pucker those lips of yours! Don't get any ideas as a teenager...
And you for sure prefer me over Daddy.

You like to use this high-pitched sweet little voice to get your way with me and daddy. Daddy always caves in to that. I don't know how many times you have had chips and pretzels for breakfast because of him.
You say the absolute sweetest prayers. You never need help knowing what to say and you are extremely mindful of what we are doing in the moment!

First thing in the morning right after you wake up and climb into bed with us is probably our favourite time of day with you. We always get plenty of alone time with you before your sister wakes up. You like to chatter-chatter away non-stop laying right between us in our bed and you say the funniest things. You cuddle with me and daddy a good 30 minutes before we get up. It is a really good way to start every day.
You are also a total ham. You know how to make a room of complete strangers laugh and smile. And you love to laugh. When you laugh, you laugh hard.

You are such a fun little girl Natalie and I hope that all these precious qualities of yours will lead you to someday be a strong, confident young lady. You are a beautiful daughter of God and I am so blessed He has entrusted me with you and your beautiful big sister.

You bring so much joy and adventure to our lives and you add such a sweet spirit into our home. You are growing up so fast into such a cute little girl. I'm excited to watch you grow over the years and witness your many accomplishes for I know you are bound to do many. Love you lots baby girl! Kisses!

Love,
Mommy




Your 2-year-old lingo...

dop: stop
coo-me : excuse me
Mee-sa: Marisa
straw-bees: strawberries
wa-low: water
my-naladees: my natalie; basically meaning "me"
strow-go: stroller
ruffies: dog

A few other things...

You are left-handed.
Your absolute favourite fruit is strawberries.
You hate meat.
You don't ever casually walk from A to B. You run and stomp everywhere as if you were a baby elephant. It is the funniest thing because you are so tiny yet manage to make so much noise. We always say loudly, "Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump!" when you enter a room. haha
You like to sleep with two binkies; one in your hand and the other in your mouth with the handle from the binkie facing upward against the tip of your nose.
You like crisps, but the more complicated flavours like sour cream and chive.
You are still a total mommy's girl.