Miriam - our 2 year old

I took these pictures of Miriam right around her 2 year birthday (April 29th), but am just posting them now. I've been wanting to do an update on her and I figure I better do that before she's 2 1/2! It's been harder to get to the computer these days when the weather is nice and we want to be outside more. I love the above picture of her with the light shining in from outside.

While Miriam definitely seems to be experiencing the "terrible twos" more than I remember Eleanor doing, she's gotten a lot better. She had a real hard period (very cranky & lots of tantrums) between 15 months and 2 years. She's been talking more and more and I think that helps. She's finally starting to use 2 & 3 word phrases and seems to be able to express herself better. She's a lot fiestier than Eleanor ever was, but I think that just comes with being the 2nd born child. When she's happy (like in the above picture) she's very happy and fun. She's our little entertainer and already has a sense of humor.

One of her favorite things to say is "I did it!" She also likes to blame things on her sister or the dog. For instance, if she has a scratch on her leg we'll say "how did that happen?" And she'll reply, "Eleanor did it." It's just too funny. Eleanor is at her grandma's house until next Wednesday and Miriam is still managing to blame things on her! Another cute thing she just did this weekend was to fake a burp, cover her mouth, and then say "excuse me." She was so tickled by this because we laughed at her. She likes to make us laugh - and she's good at it! Speaking of saying excuse me & manners, this girl is good at them. She often says please, thank you, & sorry without being prompted. I'm impressed with that at only 26 months old.

She didn't used to have much patience for reading, but now enjoys it more. She loves any story about a Disney princess and loves the movies too. How does that happen so early? I know that Eleanor didn't even see a Disney princess until she was about 2 1/2, but having an older sister makes a huge difference. She loves Cinderella, Rapunzel (from Tangled), Snow White and Sleeping Beauty. She also loves to play with her baby dolls - that is usually what she gravitates to in the toy room.

She also (thankfully!) enjoys music. She loves to put on a tutu and dance to some Glee music (along with her sister, of course). She sings a cute version of the ABCs and you can almost make out each letter that she's singing.


One of the cutest things that Miriam does is "remind" us all to pray before our meals. Once everyone is seated she puts her hands together and says "Amen." That is our reminder to say our prayer. She can't really say much of the prayer, but always says an enthusiastic "Amen" at the end! Too cute! She's a joy and even though she has her frustrated moments, she's our little sunshine. We love you, Miriam!