Ariela is officially halfway through her terrific two’s. With my first kid, I made a big deal of it filled with cupcakes and a photo shoot and this and that. Poor Ariela spent her second-and-a-half birthday washing our car. Lol. She loves it though. She’s such an interesting little soul. She’s just so aware, and wants to let us know all about it. This girl can TALK. She never stops. She puts some pretty nice sentences together and the words she uses often surprise me. Some words she says with a little lisp which I think is adorable. If she’s not talking, she’s singing. She makes up her own songs, which is pretty rad. Oh, and her facial expressions… priceless.

I LOVE THIS STAGE. Two-and-a-half can be hard, though, for sure.

The hardest thing we’ve had to do recently was wean. Nursing two kids was just toooo much, especially with a baby who pretty much never leaves the boob. I didn’t necessarily want her to wean, but it kind of just happened. None of us could really get comfortable when both kids were nursing. The last memory I have of it was kneeling up on my bed, with one babe in each arm, in a dark, quiet house. It was a beautiful moment, for sure, but my back was aching, I was so tired and emotional. I was sad for Ari that she was being kicked off the boob by the new baby in the house. But I guess no baby nurses forever, and it was our season to let go. Every now and then she asks me for chichi, but I always find a way to distract her with something else (and always big hugs). My heart sinks a little, but I am accepting of it. I am so grateful for that time in our life, and that I was able to offer that to her. But I’m also afraid of how much I’ll miss these days when they are long gone. I have to remind myself the best is yet to come.

Ariela is a full-fledged toddler now. Climbing things, jumping, dancing, tantruming, and shining so brightly. She loves to draw pictures and use ALL the colors. It’s hard to keep up with the messes she makes sometimes. Her favorite foods are avocados and bean tacos. I try to keep her outdoors as much as possible and show her how the plants grow. She loves animals of all shapes and sizes, but sometimes the farm dogs scare her. She likes building sand castles and making mud pies with her big sis.

She adores all of her siblings, even the baby brother who has stolen quite a bit of her attention. She always wants to hold him and touch him and love on him. She gets along best with her big brother, Damian, though. He is always looking out for her. Her big sister Eva plays with her all the time, but she doesn’t appreciate when she starts to get bossed around, hahaha.

I am so grateful to the Creator for my little Ariela Selah and all my babies. Even on the hard days it’s all so just wondrous and magical. What an amazing journey this is…