Happy Birthday, Bear!

 

These days, you will our Bear singing any one of the bazillions dozens of songs that she loves.  The theme from Disney-Pixar's Cars, Jesus Loves me and numerous Donut Man tunes are among her favorites.  Her current movie fetish is (surprise) Cars, and she's fascinated by all kinds of vehicles.  She is wondrously captured by airplanes, and her amazement in seeing/hearing them is so precious.  We are excited to introduce Disney-Pixar's Planes to her soon.

 

I'm so thankful that she still loves to read books.  Her all-time favorite is Go, Dog, Go!. So that was her birthday party theme.  We decorated in primary colors, ate hotdogs and everyone wore paper hats (like the dog party at the end of the book!).

 

 

If I would let her, she would eat pizza, mac n cheese, sweet peas, bananas, yogurt, cupcakes, ice cream, grapes, and PB&J all day every day.  She's learning how to take tea with us in a big girl teacup, and loves it!

She carries around a little Lightning McQueen, exclaiming "Ka-chow!" and "Brrmmm, brrmm!"  Or you will find her with her Calico Critters family, trying to shove their furniture through the doll house windows.  With obsessive delight, Bear loves coloring and writing.  We enjoy cuddling with a notebook, while I draw basic shapes, letters and numbers for her to identify.

 

Bear loves her Sissy-Bee, too.  Much to Sissy's disgruntlement, Bear likes playing the Woller-all-over-Bee game.  She snuggles her, squeezes her, swoons on her, and its all fun and girly giggles until Sissy gets bonked or near smothered in love.

 

 

Ever since the labor pains that October week night, we knew our Bear was not textbook.  At two years old, she still doesn't come with an instruction manual for everything she is.  Even though the second year has been the cliché year of predicted terrors, I love being her Mommy.  Her strong-willedness is still smothered in a sweetness and an eagerness to please that melts me.  I've resolved that the Word of God and the work of the Holy Spirit are the only successful roadmaps of parenting...I haven't found any other manuals or formulas that work on my toddler (and on ME at the same time!).

 

Through shepherding her little heart, the Almighty has shown me so much about the Gospel, my own selfishness, anger-issues, lack of patience and desperate need of him in every moment.  Praise God, despite my very feeble efforts to rely on him on the bad days of parenting, he has been gracious, and Bear is blossoming so beautifully.  There's a light at the end of the terrible-two tunnel!