two years old...

birthdays are supposed to be times of celebration.  they are supposed to be moments full of laughter, bright balloons, and sweet, sugar-infused treats of deliciousness.  this year, the twins' birthday IS just that.  however, for some reason it is hitting a nerve on a deeper nostalgic level.

when you first have a baby, the first year is full of notable "firsts".  everyone is in awe of how infants go from laying to sitting to crawling to inevitably walking.  everyone is asking what a little one eats, how they sleep, what their schedule is, etc.  for some reason, that first year of a little one's life is just enfatuating.

once the second year of life begins, everything to a mommy or daddy is just as exciting but everyone else's lives move on along....as they should.  it's an adjustment, though.  i remember feeling a similar way when people came to the hospital when minnie and tully were first born.  visitors, family, friends, and the like would come to shower our little ones with joy and encouraging words and then they........would........leave.

i should have known your friends and family didn't camp out in sleeping bags with pop up tents at the hospital.  i should have known that they have their own lives to live and loved ones to care for.  i should have known that the world wouldn't stop for me.  however, i guess i kind of thought it would!  ha.....not the most intelligent bit of thought, huh?

when you have a baby, life changes forever.  every breath your breathe is different because of the breath of life you gave to another being.  every hour that passes feels longer or shorter, depending on the kind of day your son or daughter (or in our case both) is having.  and even though within the first year everything is "new",  the second year is so incredibly significant because it's when your little baby becomes someone.

soooooooooo much goes on in a little house with a little family.  so many memories are made and so many milestones get notched on a little ones belt that NO ONE other than one's immediate family sees. maybe that's why a birthday can make you just sit in the floor and melt?  maybe knowing what all happens in a year really can bring you to your knees to say thank you Lord for getting us here and bless you for the miracles that we are celebrating...

tully and minnie....where to begin?  the past year has flown by.  you two have made your presence known and have developed personalities that make you who you are....unlike anyone else.  tully, you are the doe-eyed clinger that just soaks life in like a sponge.  you are so particular and exact in anything you do.  from building to hitting the ball off the tee, if it isn't done "just so" you fall apart and then do it "the right way" again and then clap for yourself.  oh, you are momma's doll baby.  and my minnie, what a curly-headed, fun-loving little lady you are becoming.  your laugh is infectious.  your hour-long monologues entertain us all....where you are is where the party is, sweet one!

you both deserve your own celebration indeed!  however, i can't imagine celebrating one 2-year-birthday without celebrating two.  oh, how we love you to pieces...us and everyone that has celebrated your lives as blessings and miracles from the moment you were born.......