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lila:
piper:

oh my sweet, sweet girls…it has been SUCH a fun and exciting year, i can’t even believe you’re almost a month into being 2 years old {mama’s a little behind}. you’ve truly been our greatest adventures and you make life so much sweeter.  i never knew i could know such love and to be honest, i was never sure i would make it this far and feel so much pride. as i sit and scroll through videos and pictures, i can’t even believe how much you have grown, matured and turned into these beautiful little girls.  we no longer have babies, we simply have little girls.

we’ve had SO many adventures together..from the mundane day to day tasks of life you have made magical to our many explorations.
the zoo
boonshoft museum
your first bubble baths
being dedicated to the Lord
your first plane ride, beach days + trip to sanibel island
your first popsicles and sandbox adventures
pool days
fourth of july with your favorites
you started tumbling + learned to do a somersault
park days + splash pads
twin play dates + library story times
discovering lovies, hugs + holding hands
cincinnati museum + aquarium
first overnight weekends with mammaw and pappaw while mommy + daddy took a trip
your first lake trip to dale hollow
lila’s first haircut
apple + pumpkin picking
golf cart rides with daddy
piper getting braces + getting diagnosed with ehlers-danlos syndrome
lila getting tubes + finally hearing
toilet training
big girl beds {coming soon}
stickers, paints, coloring, and more crafts than we can count
finding out you’d be becoming big sisters
and of course a donut + jammie birthday party

lila {bean} marie

goodness gracious girl, have you grown… from this quiet, sweet old soul to our silly rough + tumble goof ball, you’re personality has blossomed.  i wish i could bottle up your love for life and share it with everyone. you have become this adventurous little girl, so hilarious, and cracking me up on a regular basis. you’re ‘tude has become hilarious and i just can’t contain my giggles when you sass me with your ‘no!’.  you’ll do anything to make people laugh and think you’re the funniest person ever when you take a fall and are a ‘tumble bunny’. mama’s lovies will make all your boo-boos better and you need a kiss on every single body part when you bump your knee…and i happily oblige.
you’re finding your voice + words, making all of us so proud with your improvement.  you’re hearing now is in the normal range and i LOVE watching you come up with new sounds, words and imitating sissy every chance you get.  you can count to 3, know most of your colors and are into everything.  you want to know how toys work and love to build ‘cool towers’.
your favorite foods are broccoli, hot dogs, mac n cheese, blueberries, french fries, pancakes + peanut butter, oreos and the newly discovered cotton candy.
you hate having your hair played with but will tolerate a bow when requested now.  it’s like pulling teeth, but when given the choice, you will sometimes be okay with a pony, although my favorite is your pig tails.
you’ve turned into a mama’s girl but your favorite thing in the whole world are golf cart rides with daddy.  from the moment you wake up, you request a ride upwards of 75x in a day and are ecstatic when daddy comes home so you can ask him yourself.
your second favorite thing in the world are horsey’s right now.  you’ll go potty so you can peak out the window to see ‘rudy’ and then will carry-on for another 20 minutes about what rudy is doing.
you love your sissy with your whole heart, quickly running to her rescue…but love to push her buttons and get a rise out of her.
everything you do is full of passion and intensity… you’re as sweet as pie and as ornery as can be.  i still look at you and see your aunty every single day. i couldn’t be more proud of who you are becoming and take mental notes every day to try to be more like you with your love for life. you’re the happiest soul i’ve ever seen and i want nothing more than to watch you continue to grow into that big personality.
i love you more than i could ever put into words, my sweet lila bean.

piper lynn {ducky}

sweet. sassy. lovey.
you wear your heart on your sleeve, my little ducky, and you are full of emotion.  you feel everything with every ounce of your being and get your feelings hurt so easily. you’re sensitive and it’s what makes you so special… you love with everything you have and aren’t afraid to show it.  you want to give everything kisses, including every buggy, stuffed animal and person you love.
you are so smart and love to learn.  you can independently count to 13 with 1:1 correspondence, know all of your colors, most of your shapes and are beginning to learn letters. you have a love for books that is more than impressive and will bring book after book to listen to the story and talk about the pages.  most of all, you love babies, dolls, animals, and bailey.
you talk in 8-10 word sentences and come up with phrases that surprise me on the daily. with all that emotion comes the tantrums and girlfriend, you got that down. jumping, stomping your feet, and giving me a run for my money… you are s.a.s.s.y through and through. you want what you want, when you want it, and are hard-pressed to move on when it doesn’t go the way you think it should.
you love your cousins, your aunts, uncles and grandparents with everything you have. praying for them nightly and asking what they’re doing throughout the day.  you love to snuggle and have recently discovered the magic of snuggling in mommy and daddy’s bed when you need some extra love.
your favorite foods are sweets {you are so your mama – and you steal anything out of my hands that you can}, yogurt, cheese, cereal, mac n cheese, cheese, chicken nuggets,cheese, french fries….and cheese.
you’re getting stronger by the day and handle all of your doc apts and therapies like a champ.  you’re the hardest worker i’ve ever seen and continue to surpass all of the goals we set out for you. your team of docs is working to figure out the best plan for your physical development and while we wait to make decisions on your bracing and therapies, you keep beating those odds, girly.
you’re so beautiful, ducky and i wish the world could see your love. you are simply the sweetest little girl and i only want to bottle that little squeal up and replay it for the rest of my life.
hearing you say ‘i love you, mama’ the night before your 2nd birthday will continue to be one of my most treasured memories…
from that teeny little ducky inside of the incubator to this fighting + feisty little champ, i love you girly.

if nothing else, i hope you always remember how lucky you are to have a best friend right beside you. having a sister is the biggest blessing you will ever experience and i hope you treasure it as you grow older.

we are so proud of you two.
you will forever be our babies, the ones who made me ‘mama’.
dream big, love hard, and be kind.

no matter what, know we will always be here for you. you will never outgrow our love.

i can’t wait to see the plans God has for you this year and most of all, i couldn’t be more excited to watch you grow into your role as big sisters.

we love you.

the happiest of 2nd birthdays, sissy’s.

i love you, forever.