The Best Year

Happy FIRST Birthday, Tenley!!

You are doing SO much these days that it's hard to keep up with you. Lets see if I could remember all the new things you're doing this month...

• Believe it or not, you only weighs 22.5 pounds and are almost 31 inches tall- super model status right there.
• You now have 8 teeth- 4 on the top and 4 on the bottom.
• You now wear a size 6 diaper and a size 6 shoe (for now).
• You started to walk right after you turned 11 months old and quickly took off with it. Now you can pick things up as you walk and carry them all around the house. You're a total walking machine and it is thee cutest thing I've ever seen!
• Your favorite words are Momma, Dadda, "Golly" (we think you are referring to milk), and "Oggie" (referring to Pearl).
• You love to shake your finger at Mommy as if you're saying, "no, no, no!"
• You can sign milk, all done, hello/goodbye, and you can also point to what you want. Although you know the sign for milk you still think it is appropriate to lift my shirt while signing because you're impatient- silly girl.
• When you need your diaper changed you walk to your room, when your ready for a nap you go to your swing, and when you are ready for a bath you go to your bathroom. You are very good at communicating what you want.
• You love to be a "big helper". You carry your diapers that are in trash bags to the garage, you love to "fold the laundry", and you love to clean the tile with dryer sheets or your picnic basket blankets.
• You are now able to climb into the bath tub and you refuse to sit in the tub; which makes bath time very difficult. For some reason you are terrified of your butt touching the bottom of the tub, but I've grown to accept this phase because I know this phase will soon be over and then you'll be doing something that will show me that you're an even bigger girl so I better cherish this phase while I can and make the best of it.

It seems like just yesterday that your Daddy and I were welcoming you into this world and now we are looking back at your monthly photos to see all of the changes you have made over the past year...

...you have developed thee cutest/silliest/funniest personality and everyone that knows you will agree that your giggles are contagious. I don't know what I did before your smile woke me up everyday. Your presence truly makes each day brighter. You have changed me into a stronger person and really shown me what it is to be a mother. I would do anything for you and I love you more than words can express. Your father and I always say that you're a pretty awesome kid and that you "crush it" a lot because you are so awesome. I don't know what we did to deserve you as our daughter, but we thank God for you everyday. Thanks for making this year the best year of our lives!

Here's to another happy and healthy year of you "crushin' it"- I'm sure it will go by much faster now that you are practically running!

Mommy and Daddy love you, Sugar!