Hayley: Two Years

Oh how I love our Hayley bug! She is such a joy and light. She keeps us on our toes but we're always entertained. Of course she is a little stinker at times but for the most part she is a really good little girl. We are lucky to call her daughter!

Hayley loves to be active - she will cry when we have to come inside the house or leave the park. She has the best Grandpa Ted who spoils her and takes her on walks to the park and plays with her outside almost every time we visit. She likes to pick up rocks and carry them around or pt them in her pockets if she is wearing something that has them. She also loves to play in the water and swim. We did swimming lessons together and she loved them. I loved them too when she wasn't running away from me trying to jump in. She enjoys riding in the bike trailer when she can find someone to pull her behind them.
Hayley has a sweet, kind little heart - she often asks to give hugs and kisses to people when they leave (even people she just barely met). She kisses her stuffed animals and pictures in books and tells them she loves them. That was one of the best moments, for me, of her life when she said, "I love you too," and now says it to us and family members without being told to. She also cries whenever I'm hurt and is protective of me. She is also the best big sister to Eve. She loves to hug, kiss, and smother her. She loves to show Eve off to people and always has to know where she is. She also has pretty good manners and will say please, thank you, and you're welcome without being told. It's pretty darn cute in her little girl voice.
Hayley is a little chatterbox - she gets complimented often on how well she speaks for her age. She likes to call her family members on the phone and "talk" to them, and she pretends anything and everything is a phone so she can talk into it. She loves to sing - she knows "The Wheels On the Bus", "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star", her ABCs, "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and various parts of other kid's songs. She loves to act like she knows the hymns at church and will "sing" along, it's pretty darn cute when she doesn't sing super loud. We were listening to the radio in the car and "Let Me Love You" was playing and she started singing it! What the?! Stop growing up so fast!
Hayley loves all animals but especially dogs, she chases them down and wants to pet them whenever we see one. There are some (dogs) next door to our apartment and at the Harris Grandparent's house and she asks to go see them everyday. So it's no surprise that her favorite things to watch have animals in them. Her go to movies/shows are: Curious George, Clifford, Zootopia ("Bunny"), Cars, Trolls, Minions, Tarzan ("Monkeys"), Lilo & Stitch, Finding Nemo/Dory, and Secret Life of Pets ("Pets"). She likes trains, airplanes, and motorcycles. We have to leave the sunroof in the car open so she can see the airplanes ha.
Hayley did really well in nursery her first day and then it went downhill after that, she fooled me thinking it was going to be a smooth transition. It was getting better and then our ward boundaries changed and we had to start all over. Plus with all the holidays and having a new baby we haven't been consistent with having her go so we kind of gave up because I am not fond of sitting in nursery with her for 2 hours and neither is Dan ha. We are moving again at the end of the month so we will try again in our new ward, wish us luck!
We also attempted potty training. The first day was horrible, but the second and third she did great. Then it was kind of off and on from there. So we pretty much gave up on going number 1 but still try and get her to go number 2 on the toilet, which is also kind of off and on. She wears mostly pull-ups so we can still use the potty but don't have to clean up a mess when we don't. We will try again after moving. I think she was too young because she would start to go pee and then realize she was going so we'd hurry to the potty but by then we'd have to change her panties anyway, so I don't think she had developed the ability to control it yet.
Thankfully Hayley isn't a very picky eater. She will eat whatever is for lunch or dinner for the most part, and when she won't she will let you know by saying, "I don't want it." She loves to eat the marshmallows out of lucky charms, and I bet she would eat fruit snacks and goldfish all day everyday if we let her. She loves juice and chocolate milk.
Hayley has turned into more of a snuggle bug than she was when she was a baby. I don't know if it was because I was pregnant, but it was hard sometimes with a big belly in the way. She is pretty good about going down for naps and bedtime. You know when she's really tired because she asks to lay down by saying, "I take a nap," or, "I go to bed."
Hayley has started the dreaded "terrible twos." I don't recall where we were but she was not happy and threw herself on the ground with her face down (this started in April). How do kids just know to do that?! She did it consistently when she was unhappy for a few weeks and hasn't done it so much anymore. Sometimes it was hard not to laugh at her because she was so calm about it, she wouldn't kick her legs or scream she would just lay there mad.
Hayley loves to play with play-doh, color in her coloring book, play with bubbles, read books, play with her dishes, throw balls, wear mommy's shoes, and play with her doll (she is learning new things to do with her baby after watching me with Eve - like burp her). I love when you ask her to find the sun in a book or talk about it she covers her eyes and says, "bright." She loves to be chased. She is a little climber and always has bruises from falling down or off something.

She pretends to take naps or go to sleep in the bath tub.

Happy Valentine's Day!

We love Fiiz around here.

She loves her hats.

Treehouse Museum.

Playing with her "makeup".

We love when Hadley comes to visit!

She loves to give Eve kisses.

Tired girl just fell asleep on the couch.

She's a little fishy!

This girl loves her Grandpa SO much!

She likes to sleep with her blankets over her head.

She has to carry every stuffed animal she can find all over every store.

We celebrated Hayley's birthday on Saturday, July 15 at the Hayward's. Her theme was "One in a Melon." I made her cake and it was not at all what I had envisioned but it tasted good and I guess that's all that really matters ha. It was a fun evening and Hayley is sure spoiled!

That hole in her cake is from her sticking her finger in it.

So excited to get some fruit snacks.

Side note: Hayley had her 2 year check-up on July 17. She weights 25 lbs. 8 oz and is almost 30 inches tall. She is easily hitting all her milestones. We are super lucky to have such a healthy little girl.