July 19th, 2011 
Jessica 
Dear Naomi,
Yesterday we celebrated your 2nd birthday with a family party, including the birthdays of “Dad-dad” and “Aunt Kristy.” You had such a great time! Before the party, you spotted some wrapped gifts with bows sitting on the hutch. You took one down and held it in front of you, and said in a hushed tone, “Oh, pretty…” It was the first time I’d heard you use the word on your own. The rest of the evening was full of new experiences. You are finally able to appreciate the thrill of tearing wrapping paper and discovering a surprise inside, of blowing out the candles on the cake, and getting excited about “candy,” “ice cream,” and “cake!” You wanted to study each gift individually, and said, “Thank you,” to everyone who gave you something. Your favorite gift, of course, was the kitchen set from Mom-mom and Dad-dad. You have barely left its side, even for meals or naps, in the 24 hours since you received it!
I can’t believe that you are two years old already. The last two years have flown by! When I look at you now, I no longer see the infant or baby anymore. You are a little girl now, with a mind of your own. You often use a serious tone of voice, as if you were a little adult. You are very interested in adult life. You love dressing and undressing (yourself and your babies). You love accessories (barrettes, bows, nail polish, earrings, sunglasses, purses, socks, and shoes), brushing hair, and the color pink. You nurse your baby dolls, and push them around in your baby stroller. You love to help with anything—cooking, setting the table, putting away the silverware, cleaning up, feeding the dogs, doing the laundry, putting clothes away, making the bed, etc. You also love to run with Daddy, riding along in the jogging stroller and greeting everyone you see. You love to garden with Mom-mom and Dad-dad, you love the sandbox and sand toys, and you love the pool, where you swim like a fish and jump off the diving-board to Daddy.
You are so smart! You know the names of lots of farm and zoo animals, and you know a lot of the noises they make. You can also identify the names of the vehicles you see on the road (car, truck, tractor, bus, mail man), and you are great at remembering people’s and pet’s names. You can count to four and you love to run, jump, and bounce. You are very organized and like to keep me in line, reminding me to turn out lights, pack things in the diaper bag, and care for Oliver. Speaking of Oliver, you love being a big sister! You help out with everything from gathering items to change his diapers, to giving him toys and wiping up his spit-up. You know how to make him laugh (fake sneezes and peek-a-boo) and apologize when you make him cry. When we pray at mealtimes, you insist we hold Oliver’s hand too. We love watching the two of you interact!
Hardly a day (or even an hour) goes by without another Naomi story to tell. Recently when I took too long getting upstairs to get you breakfast, you said “MOMMY! STAIRS! *CLAP, CLAP!*” like I was one of my parents’ dogs! We love your one- and two-word sentences that convey so much meaning! If you hear the least little noise in the kitchen, you’ll come pealing around the corner yelling, “Cookies?!” You give high fives, say goodbye with a “Peace!”, tip your glass with a “Cheers!” and yell “Charge!” when someone sings a little melody. We love your little voice, and your adorable pronunciations. It is so sweet to hear you pray with Daddy each night, repeating after him, “Dear…Jejus (Jesus)..Getgu (Thank you)…for…Mommy…AMEN!”
You bring so much joy to your Daddy and me. It’s hard to remember what life was like without our Naomi Faith! It must have been a very dull and boring life indeed. Thank you for two wonderful years.
We love you!
Mommy and Daddy
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