Liam has nearly hit 2.5 years old! We've officially entered the "terrible twos" with a very strong willed little man. ;) I stumbled upon this letter I wrote him before his second birthday and it reminded me of how much I love this child.

Sweet Liam:

Oh, buddy. I'm stuck in an emotional state of disbelief that my baby is turning TWO. One was tough, but two? TWO!? You're officially a full fledged toddler and there's not much "baby" left in you anymore. You've lost that cute baby look and turned into a handsome little boy seemingly overnight. Your smile is every bit mischievous as it is sweet. You are constantly plotting to either give me a head of gray hair or the biggest laugh yet. There is never a dull (or quiet!) moment with you.

I love that you still need your momma, but I slowly see you becoming more independent and doing things all by yourself. You don't need me for many of the daily tasks anymore, and you claim that independence on anything you can. You can use an iPad or iPhone better than me. Your brain is incredible and you won't stop trying until you figure out exactly how to do something. You are persistent and stubborn... something that I'm sure will get you far in life.

Lately you've developed a very tender spirit. I hope you keep it. You are fiercely in love with your family, and so protective of your baby sister. You are constantly soothing her when she is sad, and supporting her through all her baby milestones. Just yesterday I walked into the room while Kate was on her tummy and found you laying next to her rubbing her back the entire time. You are so sensitive to her. The first thing you do as soon as you wake up is RUN to find her. You giggle the entire way!

You have a way of making your momma feel like the most loved person in the world.  You are always seeking me out for a hug or kiss. Your favorite place to be is as close as possible to wherever I am. My favorite feeling ever is when I catch you looking up at me with a sweet smile or feel you grabbing my hand to hold. You've changed my life in 2 years more than it's ever been changed in my 26 on this earth.

My favorite day from this year is when I took you on a date. Daddy was gone at school camp, and I decided to take you on a special day. You probably won't remember it, but I'll hold it close forever. We started off meeting our cousins at the aquarium. We had so much fun looking at all the different sea creatures! You were hilarious. It was so hard to keep up with you as you ran between exhibits! After that I took you to the Disney Store to pick out a Mickey Mouse.

I'm so proud of the little man you are becoming. You are smart, sweet, and kind... AND a whole lot of mischievousness in there too. I love you, Liam Scott. I'm so thankful you're mine.

Love, Mommy

When Your Toddler Refuses to Talk- Encouragement for Mommas

Liam, my sweet 2 year old (27 months,) is incredibly smart, understands literally everything we say, and has met every milestone ahead of time. All except one. He had the hardest time with talking. He would jabber all day long with a small handful of words thrown in, but man was it discouraging when other kids his age were talking circles around him.

After writing down every word he could say, he was at the level a typical two year old needs to be able to say (50 words) but barely used them and flat out refused when we would give him prompts like "Say dog!" Because he was at that 50 word vocab, he didn't qualify for speech therapy; however, I knew in my heart he needed help.

I started looking up videos online for speech at home. It. Worked. Miracles. I found a fantastic lady named Alina Mihai Coaching. Her videos are so simple but helped me learn how to coach him along through play and music. He loved watching the videos with me and really enjoyed her alphabet sound song. Best part? They are free!

We started watching these about a month ago, and randomly over the last two days he started busting out new words like crazy! In the past 48 hours he has said at LEAST 50 new words or more, plus started saying short sentences!

This morning he brought me my shoes from the closet (he wanted to go outside) and said in the sweetest voice "Momma? On!" I've waited SO long for my boy to address me by Momma! It was such a breakthrough for him and such a relief to my heart.

If you're a momma with a slow-to-speak tot, check out these videos. I can't recommend them enough! I hope this brings you a small little piece of comfort. Now that he's started talking we can't get him to stop. ;)

So proud of this boy!

Half a Decade of Marriage

As promised, I wanted to share some pictures from our big day FIVE years ago. I still can't believe it has been that long. We've been together nine years this month. Strange to think that I've been with Joe for 1/3 of my life! A little background for you: We met when I was around 2 years old. We both went to the same little church and went through the Awana program together there. It's so strange to grow up with someone and fall in love with them. I love looking back at our childhood pictures together and seeing how far we've come.

We were married at Castle Farms in Charlevoix, Michigan. If you ever have a chance to visit DO it! It's absolutely beautiful. Our wedding was actually very budget friendly. I was surprised that we were able to get the Castle rented so cheaply during a promotion they were running. The best part? You get to bring your own food! So much saved in just that!

My dress was by Maggie Sottero. Funny enough, I never tried it on before I bought it. I fell in love with it after seeing it on another bride and scoured bridal resale pages to be able to afford it. I found it brand new (a bride had changed her mind!) for less than 1/4 of the original price. It fit like a glove and no alterations were needed. I felt like a princess! The beading was incredible and it was so well made.

I'm so thankful for the man I married! It hasn't always been easy, but it's been so good doing life with him. We've grown up together. I am forever grateful that I'm loved by him.