Happy Birthday Hayley

Wow, can't believe I am sitting here writing your 3 year letter!  How quickly this last year went by.  I remember planning your 2nd birthday like it was yesterday...I think I'm still trying to catch up on the late night craft nights!  You were so obsessed with Elmo so it had to be an Elmo party!  Now a year later you could care less about Elmo it's all about the princesses!

You are such a fun, caring, loving, sweet, adventurous little girl!  You were definitely a good first baby for your mommy:)  We've had so much fun with you this past year watching you grow and seeing your personality shine!

You love love love to play!  In fact no matter what we are about to do you say "can I play just a little bit more"?  Granted the majority of the time it's before naps and bedtime, but still playing is one of your favorite things to do. You have such a great imagination.  Anything can turn into whatever you want it to be!  Currently your favorite is playing with your princesses and dressing up.  You will choose a princess for the day and asked to be referred to by that princess's name!  Your favorite is Ariel, but Cinderella and Bell follow closely (usually sissy is Bell and I am Cinderella).  You love your princess Barbies and take them everywhere I let you!  In fact, taking a bath is super easy (not that it was ever that difficult) because I just tell you to be like Ariel and you dunk your face to get your hair all wet.

You love school!!  You know you go on Tuesdays and most mornings you wake up asking if it's Tuesday so you can go to school.  Ms. Diane and Ms. Julie (but you call her Ms Julia) are your teachers and you talk about them all the time!  They say that you are so smart and sweet!  You come home learning a new song every week!  Sometimes I'm even amazed at what you learned and what you recite back to me!  You love going to chapel once a month with them.

Your biggest accomplishment this year has been potty training!  I would say you were fully (where you could hold it if you had to) potty trained by mid-January!  Once we made the commitment it took about two weeks for you to be potty trained!  You love to wear your panties and you know exactly which ones you want when you wake up!

You love to read your books and have someone read them to you (especially daddy).  And some of your favorites you can even recite back to us and comprehend a basic storyline.  I've gotta give all the credit to daddy on that one since he does most of the reading with you!  You really love reading books to Ainsley and as long as she sits still you are happy :)

Unfortunately, you are such a little drama queen!  You probably get that from mommy.  You will cry at a drop of the hat and stop just as quickly!

Hanging out with your friends is one of your favorite things to do.  Each morning you will wake up and ask what friends you are going to see today.

You love being a big sister!  You always want to be around Ainsley.  You will even ask if she could stay with you at school (momma only wishes she could!).  She is the first person you ask for in the morning.  Your favorite is to wake her up if she's not already.  I love watching you two play together!  For the most part, you get along great until you decide that she has a booger and needs it gone!  Or when you decide that you want to go play in another room and just (literally) drag her with you.  You are in for a real treat when she gets bigger and can handle her own!  Your current new favorite is to put her in your baby doll stroller and push her around the house!

I think your favorite time of day is when daddy comes home from work.  You come running down the hall to welcome him home.  You have no idea what that does for daddy.  He absolutely loves it.  His favorite thing to hear from your mouth is "Daddy, I'm glad that you're here!"  His heart melts when he hears that, and you say it every time he walks in the door.  You also love to watch sports with daddy, and I'm amazed every time I see you sit with him to watch a sporting event.  You don't even care what it is.  You'll just sit in his lap and watch.

About 4 months ago you FINALLY started watching TV!!!  And let me tell you it's been a nice break after a long day :)  Your favorite movies are Rio, Tangled, and "Woody" (Toy Story).  It's a great incentive for you to be good all day because if you act out you don't get movie time and that just infuriates you!  And me too, since it's usually the only quiet time I get after I put Ainsley to bed and right before you go to bed :)

You continue to be a great sleeper!  Your naps are still about 2.5 hrs and you sleep 12 hrs at night!  YOU ARE NOT A MORNING PERSON, but that doesn't surprise me because neither am I!!!  I usually have to wake you up to get to school or the gym.  And that does not make you happy :)  I'm in for it when school starts, that's for sure!

Nobody loves you more than your daddy and me (except you make sure to tell us that Jesus loves you more!).  We cannot wait to see what this year has in store for you!!  We love watching you grow, learn, experience, and figure out the world :)  Only when you have your own kids will you ever understand what you have brought to our lives.  We are so lucky to have you as a daughter, and we love you more every day!