Happy Birthday Lee Lee!

 The happiest of birthdays to our sweet, wonderful, Addallee Marigold!

This child is so much fun and has added so much spunk and light to our family.

She as a huge surprise when we found out she was on the way, but I am so very grateful God knew exactly what was needed in our family.  She has rounded out our three big kids so very well.

When Addallee came home from the hospital, Caroline was less than two years old (21 months) and it was like she had waited her whole life to be a big sister.  She truly found her footing in our family once Addallee was there to nurture and care for.

Howard and Tracey have always had a certain adventurous spark, and Caroline spent 21 months watching them, cautiously deciding what activities were for her, and what she would watch them do from afar.  When Lee Lee arrived, Caroline had found her place in our family, as a loving big sister.

Likewise, Addallee allowed Tracey to enjoy being a big sister.  When the twins arrived on the scene, Tracey had little to no interest in babies.  Even today, I don't know that Tracey really considers them her younger sister and brother -- probably only when she is reminding them that she is the oldest.  But she truly loves being Addallee's big sister and understands the responsibility that comes with that in a way she never embraced with the twins.

And, our Howard... he relates to Addallee in a completely different way than he does his older sister or twin sister.  He truly understands that he is her big brother and he speaks to her and looks out for her in a way he does not do with anyone else.

Addallee was the first baby that I felt I hit my stride as a mother.  With Tracey, everything was new.  With the twins, everything was new and hard.  With Lee Lee, I finally got to enjoy her in a way I did not my first three children.  If anything, Addallee gave me the confidence and joy and courage to keep growing our family.

At two years of age, Addallee is our most communicative child at this age.  She has been speaking in full sentences for months... anything to keep up with her older siblings.  While she used to just echo what they would say, now she hears what they say, and will repeat what they say with her own emphasis or point of view.

She will say things like, "I pulled my orange hair tie out," and "I see two horsies.  Horsie say 'Neigh Neigh!'"

None of our other kiddos were speaking that well before age two.

I also think she is our toughest child.  She wants to do anything her siblings are doing, and when bumps and bruises result from the big kid activities, she usually jumps back up and simply tries again. 

She has quite the temper when she wants to assert herself, and has even taking to just screaming when she's not getting her way.  This is not my favorite of her qualities... but we're now in the toddler years, so a lot of big emotions come with being a toddler.

She is so much fun to talk to, and so much fun to love.  I cannot imagine our life without our precious Addallee Marigold.

Scroll down for some of my favorite Lee Lee pictures over the past two years: