Christin is Two!

Well, two months later and I'm finally posting pictures of Christin's birthday! It just so happens that yesterday was sweet Chloe's fourth birthday; so maybe I have birthdays on the brain! Or maybe I just need to catch up on posting pics! At any rate, here's a glimpse of Christin's birthday.



We were so excited to celebrate the day with the Carini family in Rochester, New York. Beth Carini is John's sister; she moved from Minnesota to New York to go to college in the 80s, then met and married an Italian New Yorker, and they've lived there ever since. And Rochester is only about a 12 hour drive from Louisville, so it worked out great to go and visit them!



On to the pictures of Christin's birthday. . . here cousin Amanda and Clara Anne are getting in the birthday spirit! All the girls put on their special party dresses and birthday hats! Christin wasn't exactly sure what was going on, but thought it was fun anyway!

I had to post this next funny picture of John and Uncle Steve, they weren't too manly to be afraid of wearing these hats!

Here's that sweet, blue-eyed, wispy blond haired, two year old!

She thought the princess plates and hats were lots of fun!

Aunt Beth made her a special lamb cake which made things so special. Blow out those two candles, Christin!

What a fun gift from Uncle Steve and Aunt Beth--a set of three princess outfits! The girls were so excited, they could hardly wait to get the clothes on!

Unfortunately the lamb met an untimely demise. I think John looks a little too gleeful with that knife, don't you?!

Christin had a great birthday, surrounded by family, with some special times to honor her, and much love given her on her second birthday! It's hard to believe she's two! Was it just two years ago I was wondering if I would be the world's first permanently pregnant woman? Hah!

What is Christin like at two years old?

*she loves to be a helper. She's my best table clearer, and usually gets things back into the kitchen without dropping them!

*she still loves to suck her left thumb while fingering the ear of her bunny head blanket lovey that she's had since birth, called "wa-wa" because that's the name for doll in the local language. Oh, that thumb is precious to her, especially at the times when she wants to fall asleep.

*Christin loves to be doing whatever Clara Anne and Chloe are doing. That's probably typical of younger siblings, but it is so true in her case as well. Whether it's freestyle ballet in the living room, singing in her high voice, playing with the "Arielle Dolls" (polly pocket-style princess dolls), doing a puzzle, playing with play dough, picking flowers, you name it; if the other girls are doing it, she wants to be doing it too!

*she loves to eat, especially summer fruits like blueberries, cherries, and watermelon. Drinkable yogurt is also a must every day!

*Christin has the funniest sidelong glance that she loves to do. She can be a bit sly and keep her thoughts to herself, then suddenly she'll give you this look out of the corner of her eye and a mischievous little half-smile--it's totally Christin!

*She is getting more and more independant. More and more, she wants to do things for herself--and actually can!

*She will still cuddle with me at times of her choosing.

*she's really talking a lot! Some favorite phrases include "Oh my!" and "Yeah!" Around the time of her birthday, she was using the phrase "Ice Gum" to denote anything sweet. "Mama, ice gum, ice gum," meant "Mama, could I have a treat?" It sounds like "ice cream" of course, but she also meant any kind of cookie, candy, or even chewing gum. Yes, my two year old has had chewing gum. I guess this is what happens when you have your third, you relax the rules a little! Oh well, I figure if she swallows a piece of gum every few weeks or so it's not going to hurt her!
*Actually at this point Christin can really communicate just about all of her basic needs and wants using words that sound pretty close to the real thing. She's doing great!

*It has melted my heart lately to hear her pray. She is just imitating what she's heard the other girls and Mommy and Daddy do, but still. . . hope there's something real going on in her heart and mind!

So, Happy Birthday Christin Arielle! We love you so much, sweetheart, and are so thankful for the Lord giving you to us. We pray that He will watch over you, bless you, and work in your heart so that you will soon come to know Him and His amazing love for you. May you be a bright light shining for Him in this world! May He use your life to bring Him much glory. We pray that your heart will soon be softened to the truth of His word, and that you would respond to Him in faith and long to serve Him all the days of your life. We love you, Christin!