Happy 2nd Birthday Sweet Sierra Rein!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SIERRA REIN!!!!

Sierra at TWO years old

Today our baby girl turns TWO years old! I really can't believe it has been two years ago that we were meeting our precious first born for the very first time. Wow! Time sure does fly. I am over come with joy in my heart when I think about what Sierra has meant to our family in these past two years. She is such a precious blessing from the Lord, we are thankful that He has allowed us to be her parents and we don't take a single day for granted.

Sierra on her birth day, meeting Daddy for the first time!

This past year has been so wonderful, with many changes in Sierra's life. She has learned to walk, talk, run, jump, eat with a fork and spoon, use a big girl cup, put her shoes on by herself, and sleep in a big girl bed, among many other things; also, she left Mama & Daddy for 4 months this past year and had to stay with a babysitter during the day, and just recently, she became a big sister! So many changes.

I have not done an "update" post on Sierra's development in a very long time, so I am going to use this post for that and to brag on her a little. She is growing up so much these days. She has become little "Miss Independent" and the phrase "I do it" is a common one in our house. She has learned how to sing her ABC's (and many, many other songs - she LOVES to sing) and she can count to at least 10; sometimes making it to 20 with a few repeated numbers thrown in. She is learning her shapes and we are still working on those colors; although most things are either blue or red in Sierra's world.

Sierra on her 1st birthday

Her language development is simply amazing to us. She can (and will) repeat any word you say around her. Lately we have heard her say "Oh, man!" "Holy Cow!" and "Oh my goodness!" Just the other day, Chyler was fussing and Sierra walked in the room and said "Oh my goodness, Chyler! Oh my goodness, Chyler!" I could probably write about 6 pages with everything she comes up with and all the words she says. She definitely keeps us laughing! She talks so much these days and can put together many 3-4 word sentences, like "Shut the door." or "What is that noise?" (She asks that one A LOT!!!). Most people we meet think she is at least 2.5 or 3 years old. She is the regular old chatter box...not sure where she gets that from!!

She loves her baby dolls and wants to share everything with them. When I am nursing Chyler, her babies have to eat too and when Chyler is getting changed, her babies need clean diapers too. She is such a big helper and definitely a little Mama. We love watching her pretend and interact with her baby dolls!

She still loves her books and loves to read. Often at night when we read bedtime stories it is "my turn" then "her turn" as she takes time to read to us now. She has many of her books memorized and her most favorite seems to be "Brown Bear, Brown Bear." Just the other day she was overheard in the backseat of the car reciting the book to her baby doll . Too cute!

She is still sleeping like a champ, taking a nap every day for about 2-2.5 hours and sleeping very good at night too. She loves her big girl bed and snuggles in under the covers every night. She knows not to get out of bed and is a very good listener. The week we brought Chyler home, she was getting out of bed after every nap time and every morning, but with discipline and consequences, she quickly learned that getting out of bed is disobedient and she stopped. I think it was just another reaction to the new baby in the house.

She has become quite the picky eater, which I guess is normal for her age. She LOVES cheese, yogurt, goldfish, bread, and any kind of pasta with red sauce (especially Mimi's homemade sauce). Honestly, I am not sure how she keeps any weight on because many nights she doesn't eat a thing for dinner. But at her 2 year check up she weighed in at 28.5 pounds and 35 inches tall - definitely growing so fast!

Honestly, words can not express how much we are in love with this precious little girl. She certainly has her "toddler moments" - don't get me wrong, but more often we have precious moments. When she looks at you with those big brown eyes and says "I love you Mama" your heart just melts. I feel like I see a glimpse of heaven every time. After loving and losing and then loving again, I really never thought my heart had any more room to love something else; boy was I wrong!

Sierra is so special and we praise God for her life each and every day. As much as we love her, we know that God loves her even more and we continue to pray that as she grows, she will come to know Him personally as well. We can't wait to see what this 3rd year of life will bring for our little girl. Hopefully more learning, more love, more faith building, potty training (!!!), and LOTS more fun!!! Thank you for helping us celebrate Sierra's Birthday and for always loving her and praying for her sweet, little, precious life!

Here's a cute video of our sweet little girl playing outside: