Kaleb's Second Birthday Letter

Dear Kaleb,
You are two years old and it seems like youv'e been a part of our lives for much longer. You are the cutests little boy. I have to say little boy because you've transitioned out of the baby stage. Sometimes I like to call you my baby, but in reality you are truly a little boy. Youre blue eyes, sweet smile, and sneaky expressions make everyone around you smile and fall in love with you.
You are so smart and you learn new words every day. You can point to most every part of your body, tel me the names of everyone in our family, tell me the sounds and names of a ton of animals, and are learning to count, say the alphabet, and distinguish your colors. You've even begun ot joke around with us. We'll ask you where your nose is and you'll point to your hair, grin, and say "no!" There are still a lot of sounds you can't say yet, but I'm sure you'll get them. Right now it's the sounds for l, j, z, and r. When you say your name you call yourself "Habub." It's SO cute!
You're very into transportation lately so we're having a transportation themed birthday party. You love trucks, trains, and airplanes the most. You also love to jump. You jumpon beds, couches, chairs, trampolines, and just the floor. You could spend all day outside just running, jumping, kicking, throwing, and exploring. You've recently started loving to play with chalk and swinging on our glider. You throw the biggest fit whenever we have to come inside. I literally have to carry you in screaming and crying.
You love cookies (soo-says) almost more than any other food. You also love juice, milk, spaghetti, chicken nuggets, apples, bananas, raisins, chips, goldfish, yogurt (dodote), beans, and peas. Basically, anything except tomatoes (unless they're covered in Ranch dressing). You can distinguish between milk, water, and apple juice and will ask for which one you want. Mainly you want chocolate milk (chomate milt).
After everything we ask or tell you you say "huh?" It's really funny. We're pretty sure you can actually hear us, but you're so used to hearing us say "huh?" to each other that you think you're supposed to say it. You still don't like a lot of tv. You ask for Elmo and Bob (Spongebob) but you wont' watch them. I guess you just like to know they're there.
You're a little small for your age and may be built more like your P-Daddy. You weight 28 pouds and are 35 inches tall. According to an old wives tale, that means you'll be 5 feet 10 inches tall when you grow up. You idolize your P-Daddy. To be honest we get a little jealous because you always want to spend time with him and you are always aksing about him when you're not with him. He idolizes you, too so it's a pretty even trade. Of course, you love all your grandparents and want to be with them often. On one particularly bad night you were so upset to leave them so I started singing songs to get you to calm down and go to sleep. I was singing "You are my Sunshine" and when I got to the line that says "you make me happy when skies are gray" you started crying again and asking for Happy. It was so sad and sweet at the sam etime.
You say things in the funniest ways. When you cough you say "soff," when you burp you say "bup" and when you poot you say "foot sooze me." You also have an excited face that always make people die with laughter. You put your fists in front of you and smile so big you actually shake. It's hysterical. If you get in trouble for doing something you either say "bad bad" "uh oh" or "hey." You also lvoe toe "fush da fotty" or flush the potty. We have a potty for you, but I don't think you're quite ready for it. If you want us to go somewhere with you you reach up and say "hand" then take our hand and pull us where you want us to go.
We love you so much and it's been a joy to see how you've changed over these past two years. We can't wait to see what a difference a year will make when you turn three.

Love,
Mama and Daddy

Birthday Tears

I'm going to be honest. I shed a few tears after Kaleb's second birthday party. It wasn't because I was sad my baby was growing up or because I was reminiscing about how small he used to be. It was because only 2 people came who weren't grandparents. TWO! Of all the people I invited, all the friends I thought would want to be there to celebrate my son's birthday, only two came. It broke my heart. It still breaks my heart to think about it. I know Kaleb doesn't care and won't remember it at all, but I was counting on those people to help make his birthday special. Two of the people I invited had legitimate reasons not to be there, but the rest didn't come and didn't even let me know they weren't going to be there. I had to text them 20 minutes after his party started and ask if they were coming. That shouldn't happen! I had a flashback to my lingerie shower, the most hurt I've ever been, and I never want Kaleb to feel what I felt. I'm really going to have to think about things for his part next year. I'm very disappointed in my friends and family.

Book Review: Irish Born trilogy

This is my first experience with Nora Roberts. I borrowed this book from a friend. It's technically three books but they're all bound together in the Irish Born trilogy The three books in the trilogy are Born in Fire, Born in Ice, and Born in Shame. They follow the same family of sisters and their love lives. The first book focuses on Maggie, a glass blowing artist in Ireland. She's very talented and stubborn and is signed on by Rogan Sweeny, also stubborn, who owns Worldwide Galleries. Of course they eventually fall in love. Theh second book focuses on Brianna (Brie) who is Maggie's sister. Brie is quiet, kind, and owns a B&B. She is a miraculous chef, excellent gardener, and all around home-centered individual. During the winter months she has an America guest, Grayson Thane, who authors mystery novels. His latest novel is set in Ireland so he's there to research. Brie and Gray fall in love in an altogether different way than Maggie and Rogan. I think I like the second book best because I like to relate to her. The third book is about Shannon, the other girls' unknown sister from another mother. Shannon learns about her true past rooted in Ireland and travels to meet Brie and Maggie and find out more about her father (their father). Along the way she meets Murphey, the strong farmer who is like a brother to Maggie and Brie. Murphey and Shannon share an otherworldly connection that is revealed at the end of the book. Shannon takes more time to fall because it means forsaking everything she's worked for up to this point. I really like the books even though they were considered smut. I don't know that I'm going to read Nora Roberts exclusively, but I'll definitely read more of her series. I've heard the wedding series is amazing so after I down a few other books, I'll return to her. I honestly hate to return the book.