2

As hard as it is to believe, in a few days my sweet little Emmy will be two years old.

Some old friends stopped by this week and played with the kids for a little while before we left for dinner.  Later in the evening, my friend described her interaction with the boys as they bounced around the house, showing off their new toys.  She finished by saying, "And Emmy was just along for the ride."  I can't think of a better way to describe her life.  Life in the middle is one big party for a little kid, and Emmy is along for the ride.

Since it probably won't make it in the baby book, at two years old Emmy loves Little People, Dora, macaroni and cheese, and slides.  She loves shoes, particularly her hot pink cowboy boots, has no need for bows, is fascinated with dinosaurs and dragons, and has a habit of biting her brother's foam bullets in half.  She hates ground meat, loves books, loves to color, has decreed that all baked goods are cupcakes, and climbs almost as well as her older brothers.  She likes to sleep with as many babies, animals, and books as her mother will allow, though lately she's been resisting naps altogether.  And as long as someone in her family is with her, she is the life of the party, chattering animatedly and doing headstands on the closest couch.  In a room full of peers, however, she is completely silent.  In fact, more than one nursery worker has asked if I am worried about her development, because they had never heard her say a single word.  This from the girl who tells me "Thank you my lemonade" and "Look Mom!  Dragon!  Dragon says roar!" all day long.  She is a tiny girl in a house full of boys, with a big personality and a lively, good-natured disposition.  And I am so, so thankful that she's along for the ride.