Happy Birthday Tay Tay!

I'm a week and a half late but the big 2 year celebration did take place! It's hard to believe that our little girl is 2. But what else can I say but these last two years have been absolutely amazing! I couldn't have planned for it to be better if I had tried to myself. Since it was Labor Day weekend we went up to Dustin's family's cabin and spent the weekend there and then had a family day at home on Monday that revolved around Taylor and found out just how a two year old acts. Although everyone tells me 3 is worse than 2... I can hardly wait! :) It was still more than we could ask for and Tay was able to hang out with her cousins and ride around in the paddle boat and and in the golf cart, swing in the swing and play on the slide and in her car. She was in 7th heaven! I made her the world's ugliest Elmo cake for her birthday, yet it was still recognizable to her, and she didn't even eat it, just stared at it; at least it tasted good. I will cherish these days when she is somewhat in admiration of some of the things I do. I just love her so much and can't believe she's two!

Taylor helping me make the cake (sorry for the blurriness)

World's ugliest cake that shifted during transit to the cabin...

Taylor admiring her cake wearing her birthday crown from Grandma TT

Taylor before bedtime playing dress up with daddy

There is so much more to say, but I am going to embarrass Dustin a little right now and do something behind his back and include part of a letter that he wrote to Taylor for her birthday. Hopefully he doesn't kill me for doing this, but all I could think of while writing this post was the letter he wrote to her. The bond they share is sweeter than anything that I can describe and I am sure that any of you with daughters may feel the same way about your husbands so here it is... Sorry honey, please don't kill me. This is purely out of love and adoration for what you wrote.

Taylor,

I can't believe you're already two years old. It literally feels like last week when your mom and I received a phone call from Pam telling us that your birth mother wanted to meet with us to discuss placing her future baby for adoption with us.
That call was so unexpected, yet felt so expected at the same time. We had been fasting and praying for months for you. We just didn't know when that would be and we knew that it would be possible that we'd have to wait years.

But the call came much sooner than expected and we were filled with hope. The day came for our lunch appointment. We were both so nervous and excited to learn a out you. But we received another phone call that morning, on September 3rd, telling us that she had to cancel our appointment because she had gone into labor two weeks early. What did that mean? Did she still want us to be your parents, even if she had never met us? That day was one of the longest of our lives.

But as you now know, your birth mother was inspired to still meet us while you were in the nursery in the hospital and our meeting was so touching. All of us realized that our Heavenly Father had a special plan for you and xxx, your birth mother, wanted to give you a life she couldn't provide herself. The next day, we brought you home from the hospital and our lives became even more complete because of you.

Its hard to imagine now, but you were such a quiet and mellow baby. And just like now, everybody fell in love with you at first sight. Not only your beautiful red hair, but your sweet temperament and special, soothing spirit. I always wanted to spend quiet time with you, just holding you, singing to you, and thinking what an amazing gift you were.

Two years have past and you're now not the quiet, mellow baby. You're curious, climbing onto everything, craving to touch everything and wanting to speak so badly. You have amazing coordination, which makes me feel like a seer, because I told everybody you were going to be my little gymnast, and your ability to do somersaults and climb on anything is playing itself out that way (like how you can climb out of your crib!). And you're speaking more each day. Your new favorite toy is the Little Mermaid doll mom got you. And you call her Arielle and you say it so sweetly. I turn on the movie almost daily just so I can hear you say it over and over.

I also love how you can actually tell everybody how old you are. You get annoyed with how often I ask you, but its only because I've never heard the word 'two' sound so cute and sweet in my entire life. It won't be long until you're speaking sentences. You are one of the happiest little girls in the world.

I just want you to know how special you are. You are so loved by me, your mom, Quique (your dog, who's just jealous of your toys), your grandma Ann, your Aunt Ashley, your Grandpa Ross and his wife Cary, your grandparents Papa and TT, your great-grandparents Marilyn and Alph, your aunts and uncles Brooke and Tyler, Tim and Lindsay, and Steve and Savannah, and your cousins. And you are known as the ward baby, because the entire ward just loves you so much. You are going to be so talented and are going to be able to connect with so many people. I know that Heavenly Father is going to use you as a tool to show His love towards His children. Your mom and I hope to provide you with every opportunity to cultivate your talents and hobbies, and we will do everything we can to give you brothers and/or sisters so we can all share your natural nurturing skills (you're obsessed with babies!).

We're spending your birthday weekend at our cabin near Manti. Mom made you an incredible Elmo cake(you're also obsessed with 'Memo'), and TT gave you a new car to ride in. Then we're coming back to our house to open your bike (from Grandma Ann), your kitchen (from grandpa Ross and Cary), and your baby and baby accessories from mom and dad. It will be a great weekend, because we're all together.

We just want to tell you how much we love you. Happy 2nd Birthday Taylor!

Daddy