HAPPY BIRTHDAY BELLA!

Happy Birthday to our precious Bella who turned 2!! These two years have gone so quickly and I wish I could rewind and replay all the cute and clever things she has ever said and done.

For the past couple of months when people have asked me how old she is, I answer "Almost 2." Bella must have been paying attention, so when you ask her how old she is she holds up three fingers and says, "Almost 2."

I let her and Gage lick the beaters that had the cake batter on them. I remember getting so excited about doing that when I was little. Bella had it all over her!

We invited Papa Powers, Uncle Terry, Uncle Mike, Aunt Lora, Aunt Alyssa and Uncle Trevor over for dinner and cake. I made chinese noodles (a Powers favorite) and despite Gage's begging to make her a Spiderman cake which he promised she'd love, I made a simple chocolate cake with vanilla frosting. She was so excited to sing Happy Birthday and blow out her candles. Gage helped, of course.

She got some dishes to go in her kitchen from Christmas and some pretend food to serve up on her dishes. She loves to serve us "meals" all day long and she'll ask, "Is it nummy?"

Bella girl, you are our sweet girl. We look forward to coming into your room in the morning as you're calling us from your crib and you say so cheerfully, "Good morning!!" You are a busy little bee who is constantly climbing on counters and tables, getting into everything and anything, except for the toys you're supposed to get into. You love shoes, makeup, lip gloss, toothpaste, toilet paper, toilets, plungers, Daddy's razors, hair gel, and other harmful things. You also LOVE your dolls and want to sleep with them, different ones each time. You love to lie down next to Paisley when she's on the floor and talk to her. You love to play outside with Gage and try to keep up with him. You always want to help Mama when she's cleaning, even when I am certain I can do it faster myself. You'll pull up a chair next to me at the sink and grab the sponge and start washing dishes. You take paper towels and clean counters and appliances with me. You are happy to help clean your room, Gage's room, and anything else I ask you to do. Your favorite thing to call us right now is "Monkeyhead" as you giggle. You love your Daddy so much and when you get hurt, he's the one you ask for. You ask for him about 2 million times when he's out of town. You also ask for Elder Cope (the missionary who just went home) about 3 times a week. You talk so well and understand even more. I wish you could understand that when I take you to nursery I will ALWAYS come back for you. You love people and say "hi" to everyone no matter where we are. This, of course, brings smiles to strangers' faces. You go into the closest closet you can find to do your business in private, even though I keep telling you that there's no privacy like that of a bathroom. You give us hugs and kisses and cuddle with us all day long, these are some of the best parts of our day! We love you, little one, and we are so blessed to have you in our family. Happy Birthday!