Brianne,
This past year has been amazing. Mommy and I have really enjoyed watching you grow this year. We started the year at your 2nd birthday. I tried as hard as he could to keep all things Elmo from you so you would at least open 90% of your gifts before settling on a toy. I like to think I succeeded, as I think we got to about 75-80% before a hidden Elmo phone was found at the bottom of a bag. Once that phone was unwrapped, your attention was purely making calls the rest of the time.
Then in February we allowed you to make your very first big decision. You got to choose your new bedding. As hard I tried, you would not even consider the Tinkerbell theme even though you were a fairy princess in Daddy's eyes. However, the choice you made, was very pretty as well, the flower bedding will be able to grow with you for many year (and probably more years than the Tinkerbell bedding).
It was also at this time that we found out just how much you love to help Mommy bake, regardless of your allergies. You are fearless in the kitchen and that will be a wonderful attribute later on in life for both yourself and your future husband. Hopefully by that time you will have out grown your current allergies and hopefully not picked up any others.
This shouldn't come as a surprise, but over the past year you have repeatedly demonstrated just how smart you are. From your ever expanding vocabulary, to singing theme songs after hearing it just a couple of times, to telling us the story in the book instead of us reading it to you. You are a really smart girl. So much so, I have been found to say that anything less than a B is not allowed on your report card! :P We want you to know that, we love the fact that you enjoy learning new things and that you take the initiative on your own to expand on what you already know. Seeing you with books, puzzles, toys that help you learn, mesmerized by shows that are teaching you counting, the alphabet, or other life lessons, is really a wonderful characteristic that we can only help but encourage.
Then along came your brother. For the first few months this year we actively helped you understand what was coming later in the year. You tried as hard as you could to understand (to the point where you started referring to your belly as "baby"). You would kiss Mommy's belly, hug it, snuggle on it (while the baby kicked you), and so on. To say the least, you were enthused. However, when that day came, your cold shoulder to Mommy for leaving you for several hours was intense! You were mad! Thankfully a few cups of Jello and you were starting to let Mommy back in, but Mommy had to work for it. The baby on the other hand, had your instant affection. You wanted to hold him, hug him, and kiss him. Your loving reaction was more than what we could ever hope for.
Next came your determination stage. Your determination is powerful. If you have your mind set to something, you will do almost anything necessary to get it. This is both a good and a bad thing and we as your parents promise to help you see the difference. We struggled with your "robots" stage. Your determination, if shaped properly, will be very helpful in your growth.
Of course, you wouldn't be you without your imagination. From a strainer being a butterfly catcher, to your conversations with your imaginary friends, let alone your phone calls. Your imagination runs wild and we love it. You are in many ways very creative and the stories you piece together are entertaining to say the least. Creative writing may very well be in your future (we'll see). We want you to continue to be creative and let your imagination continue to blossom, as it is a really big part of who you are.
Focus, Focus, Focus! Your focus is everywhere, but that is typical for a 2 year old. However, around the middle of this year, you proved to us that you could concentrate and focus your attention for at least a couple of hours. That's right, Movie Night! To say we were shocked, is an understatement, we were astonished. Sitting on the sofa with you, eating popcorn and watching a movie without any interruptions was....perfect (after all, Daddy has a hard enough time with Mommy not needing to get up and do something when they used to watch movies together :P).
Then came the shock that about put me in the hospital. Your first boyfriend. Boy, I really didn't think it would happen at such a young age, I mean, I was only 29! I had many more years to prepare me for this moment. I was heart broken, sadden, distraught, I mean, I was an emotional wreck. Why Mommy never called for the ambulance, I have no idea, but the mental anguish was so close to putting me in the hospital. Daddy's little girl, wasn't Daddy's little girl, she was Gavin's sweetheart. Thankfully, this seemed to be more of a crush, as it never did get serious (phew! -- no offense Mrs Kaitie; Gavin is a really nice boy).
It was also at this time we found out you were no longer allergic to eggs! However, you are now allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, and anything that uses the whole soy bean. :( What we will all never forget is teaching Grandma how to use the epipen. That is still one of my favorite moments of year. What? What do you mean, "what does this have to do with me Dad?" I'll tell you. I can only hope you capture an ounce of the humor your father has (everyone else probably hopes you ONLY capture an ounce of the humor your father has :P). Life should be enjoyed, even at school, then at work and so on. If you cannot find a way to enjoy it, you are in the wrong program, career, or with the wrong employer. Living day to day unhappy is a clear sign you need a serous change in your life style, so sit down, pray about it, and ask God to reveal what that change should be.
Right towards the end of Summer and the beginning of Fall you brought out another trait that we couldn't be more proud of. Protective. You took it upon yourself to protect your brother from anything you considered a danger. We were so pleased to see you react this way, considering we think most kids would have just fed their brother to the dog.... Irregardless, it is just one more characteristic that we look forward to seeing more of throughout the next several years.
We can't say it enough, but we are proud with the fact you thoroughly enjoy going to church. In fact, many times you ask to go, or want to go a few days early (or ask to do it again as we are leaving). Mommy and I vowed to raise you in a God loving home, and when we see the reaction you have for church, we are so excited that we are doing something right. We love the fact that you will talk about church, sing songs you learned in your class, and the fact that you are usually giddy as can be when we pick you up so we can go home. The smile on your face is all we need to know that God has a part in your life. Mommy and I vow that we will always make that a priority in our home and with you and Keaten.
Oh boy, until I was going over this past year, I about forgot just how ornery you can be. You definitely get it honest (many of the family will agree to that; I know! It's amazing they all think you get it from your Mom too! :P). This is another characteristic to keep (if you ask me). We all need a little bit of ornery in our lives, just needs to be in moderation and I think you will be able to handle that without any problems.
REMINDER:
Brianne, when you are older and are reading this; if you are still
allergic to anything! Please, Please, keep your epipen near by. Mommy
and I love you too much to have to see you go through that experience
again.
Finally you ended the year graduating from a baby who wore diapers, to a big girl who wore underwear and you did it in just three days! We are so proud of you. This was probably the biggest change we got to see in you this entire year. You went from fighting us tooth and nail, yelling you wanted your diapers back to a girl who now has full control of herself. You were able to prove to yourself and to us that you could accomplish great feats, you could change a behavior that was considered ingrained, and you were able to see that despite the fact you wanted something else, that the proposition being presented to you was indeed a better solution.
Lastly, continue to love snow, Christmas, and Jesus (not necessarily in that order). At the end of the year you brought a whole new level of enthusiasm to our home as the Christmas season began, the snow started to fall, and we got to celebrate the birth of Jesus. As we left church, your welcoming attitude as you said "Merry Christmas" to several couples and families not only made their day, but made ours as well. As you made snow angels outside, participated in your first snowball fight, and ate your first snowball... we developed new memories that we'll cherish for many years to come.
We can only hope that your enthusiasm becomes contagious to everyone you meet. Continue to be the wonderful girl that you are, strive to develop these characteristics into their maturity (and really work on learning how to share), and you will become a very fine young women. You have made this past year a real joy for us and have been a champ throughout the life changing move that we did just a little over a year ago.
Love,
Mommy and Daddy
