Birthday Party for Marley

This year for Marley's birthday we ventured into foreign territory...hosting a kid party! We have had parties at our house, but this was the first time going somewhere and renting a place out. 

Marley kept saying she wanted to have a "ninja birthday party." What does that even mean?! We decided that a trampoline park was a good fit, where she could jump around and do "ninja moves" as she calls them. 

The Saturday after Marley's birthday, we hosted a party at a trampoline park near our house and it was such a blast! So many of our family and friends were able to come and Marley was so happy. There was something for everyone to do, no matter their age. It made my heart happy to see the kids having so much fun. 

We had a room to ourselves for pizza, and to do cake and presents and we didn't have to do any set up or clean up, which was my favorite part.  

We won't do big parties like this every year, but it was such a great experience for everyone, I'm glad we did it.  

  

Marley Turns 5

Its hard to believe that my little baby girl is now five! Marley was so very excited for her birthday, she was literally counting down the days. 

I grew up in a family where birthdays were pretty special, so I'm doing the same with our girls. On the morning of Marley's birthday I decided to leave a little early for school and stop by our favorite donut place. 

Marley went to school, told anyone who would listen that it was her birthday, and brought cookies to share with her class. We picked her up afterwards and headed to Chick fila to have lunch and let the girls play. Jason took the day off so that he could spend time with us, and Marley was very excited to have him there when school got out. 

After lunch, Marley opened presents and loved getting new toys to play with. Jason took Marley to the dollar store to spend some birthday money that his Grandpa sent, and it was funny to see the things she chose with her $5. She picked a giant birthday hat, red baton, box of starbursts, an orange ball, and a heart balloon. 

To keep the party going, we then headed to Grandma's house! Both our girls LOVE when we go there, especially since they have two dogs. We had lots of fun visiting with family, Marley had her favorite dinner (Mac n Cheese), and then we had cake. 

I loved getting to celebrate our sweet girl on her birthday, she is truly one of a kind and I love that about her. Marley is spunky, silly, tenderhearted, and SO smart. 

She loves to sing, play with friends (especially cousins), make new friends, be outside, ask questions, draw detailed pictures, and make her sister laugh.   

We are so happy to have her be part of our family and I can't believe how grown up she is now. Every day I am surprised by something she does or says, and I think to myself "How did you get so big?!" 

She will do great things, and I can't wait to see her take the world by storm. 

Real Talk about Potty Training

I'm going to be real with you guys for a sec...potty training is the WORST. People, myself included, are very quick to share their successes with potty training but not the accidents, setbacks, and failures. It has been a battle, mostly for me, and we are just now beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. 

I put off potty training Marley until she was almost 3.5 because I was terrified. I had no idea where to even start, and had NO desire to clean up bodily fluids. Marley is a very smart girl, but she also had no desire to potty train and could care less if her diaper was wet or poopy. 

About a year ago I decided it was time to start because Marley would be doing preschool in the fall. (Even though being potty trained wasn't a requirement for her school.) That summer was already on the rocks because Jason was living in Logan (about 2 hours away) Monday-Friday doing an internship. I was fried, Kenzie was getting molars, and I had no help. A recipe for disaster.

That first day of potty training I did what most people suggest, and I let Marley run around with no diaper/pants/underwear on, so she could start to figure things out. We hit the ground running, and I was not prepared physically, emotionally, or mentally:

-I wasn't ready to be on my kid like glue, asking every 5 minutes if she needed to go potty, while still trying to get things done around the house. 

-I wasn't prepared with cleaning supplies for the MANY accidents that would happen on the floor, couch, etc.

-I had no clue that my laundry would double or even triple during potty training.

-I didn't know that finding pee spots on our thick, dark carpet would need to be done by hand (EEEW!) because it blended in too well.

-I hated being confined to the house, when trips out and about were how I stayed (semi) sane. 

-I didn't realize that all the reward ideas, bribes, and sticker charts from pinterest wouldn't work on my child. She was not motivated by bribes, and needed to see a reward (cooler than stickers) right away.

Any transition with a kid is rough. And this was no exception, but after a few days (and purchasing some lysol) we made progress. Marley was starting to get it, but there was one problem. I was terrified to take her out of the house without a pull up on. (This was mostly because she would NOT poop on the potty, and I was terrified of a poop accident in public.) And once she had a pull up on, her potty brain shut off and she treated it like a diaper. 

So after maybe a month of making good progress, we fell back into wearing pull ups that were basically used as diapers. I made excuses: we were busy with school, dance class, family trips, so potty training was put on the back burner. 

Fast forward to this summer. Once Marley finished school, and our schedule was wide open, I decided potty training NEEDED to happen. It was getting ridiculous to have a 4 year old still in diapers. 

This time things went much better, for everyone involved, because I had the idea to let Marley pick out her own potty at the store. Before we were using a chair for the big toilet because I didn't want to worry about transitioning her later on, or create a fear of big toilets. 

Marley chose a Paw Patrol potty, and she was SO excited to use it. I can count on one hand the amount of accidents we had during this second go of potty training. 

Every kid is different, but here are the things that worked for us:  

-I had her wear leggings to catch more pee if she did have an accident. It meant more laundry, but less floor scrubbing.

-I had a stash of rags, Lysol, and extra clothes ready to go. I also kept a plastic bag hanging on the bathroom door to collect all wet clothes. Our washer is in the basement, so at the end of the day I took the clothes down all at once instead of going up and down the stairs. And this also helped me not run around like a chicken with my head cut off when she had an accident. 

-I told Marley that if she pooped on her precious Moana panties, then they were going in the garbage. She got over her fear of pooping in the potty real quick. 

-We kept a stack of books by the little potty to help distract her in the beginning when she needed to poop. She would sometime sit for 20+ minutes, but now she has figured her body out a little bit more and it doesn't take that long. 

-We did a candy jar of treats for every time she peed, and after her first time pooping in the potty, we made a huge deal about it. We went straight to the "toy store" (dollar tree) and she got to pick out whatever she wanted. We did this a few times, then changed it to bigger treats like gummy worms or a tube of M&M's.

-Once we got in a groove, Marley was in panties right away once she woke up, and we kept them on all day...no exceptions! If I wanted to go out shopping, I either made sure Jason was with me or only planned super quick trips. It helped me overcome my personal fears, and we have been able to gradually stay out longer. 

Right now we are working on making Marley use the big potty without any help from stools or potty chairs so she will be fully independent when school starts up again. She is doing an amazing job! 

I know I could have saved myself a ton of money on diapers by starting this process sooner, but I'm so happy with the way things have turned out for better or worse. Marley and I have both learned a lot and I will have more confidence and knowledge to use when the time comes for Kenzie. 

Good luck on your own potty training journey!  

Marley Turns 4

Better late than never, I'm writing a post about Marley's birthday!

I can't believe that this little girl is four years old now. 

Marley is our spunky, crazy, happy girl! She is quick to make friends, very talkative, and loves to learn. She wears her emotions on her sleeve, and can sometimes lose her temper. (Sorry if she has ever yelled at you...you know who you are!)

Right now she is loving preschool and primary...two VERY grown up things. She is known for belting out songs during primary, making everyone smile. Marley loves going to preschool, and after a rocky start has learned to control her temper and "use her words."

She is a very good big sister, and loves to make Kenzie laugh. 

Marley is also very tenderhearted, and loves to snuggle still. 

The Saturday before her actual birthday, we had an awesome Rapunzel Party. This was the first time we invited friends from church and school, and everyone had so much fun! Marley has the sweetest friends and cousins. 

The each decorated there own crown, ate apples and "princess towers, and were literally showered by candy from a pinata. The party ended with presents and a delicious Rapunzel cupcake cake. 

A few days later Marley had her actual birthday, and loved getting to open more presents. Mommy was feeling super crummy that day so we didn't go out and do anything fun until a few days later. 

Eventually we were able to take Marley bowling for her birthday, and she had a blast! Kenzie stayed with the neighbors, and Marley loved getting some one on one time with Mommy and Daddy.

She was so excited, even when just one pin was knocked down. Marley also was very encouraging and cheered loudly for Mommy and Daddy. 

Four years with this girl have flown by, and I am so thankful she is a part of our family.   

Read Marley's birth story HERE

The Whole Story....

There once was a Marley who swallowed a screw...so we had to go through her poo. 

Last Saturday evening I was getting a bath ready for the girls, and went into Marley's room to get her. I had noticed she was hiding in her closet being suspiciously quiet, but I figured she was just playing. I told her it was time for a bath and she ran over to me crying and holding her throat. 

She kept saying, "It hurts! It hurts!" and I immediately asked her if she swallowed something. She said yes, and I started asking her what she ate. I couldn't get a straight answer out of her, so I asked her what it looked like. 

She said, "It had a circle with a line on it, and it was sparkly." By this time, Jason was in the room too and we were looking around trying to find something that fit the description. 

**Side note... The closet doors in Marley's room are accordion-type, with hinges that are screwed onto the back. They are pretty old, and the screws are always falling out. When I spot one on the floor, I pick it up and put in on Marley's dresser so that I can have Jason fix it when he comes home.**

There was a screw I had found a few days earlier sitting on Marley's dresser, and I grabbed it and asked her if that is what she swallowed. She said yes, and I looked at Jason and said, "Looks like we're headed to the emergency room."

He stayed home with Kenzie while I drove Marley to the ER in Murray. (Looking back, I realize I could have totally just gone to Instacare, but I was freaking out.)

I got her all checked in, and she loved every minute of the attention from the bubbly nurses. The doctor came in and asked me a bunch of questions. I started to get a little annoyed because I could tell they thought I was crazy. They kept saying, "So you didn't SEE her swallow the screw?" Or "She seems so fine and happy, breathing normally."

After I saw that x-ray pop on the screen I said, "Yeah, NOT crazy!!" Marley is very well-spoken, and I knew once she described the screw to me exactly what had happened. 

So we met back up with the doctor and he said that since the screw had already made it to the stomach, that we just needed to wait and hope it passes. He recommended a follow up x-ray two days later just to make sure that the screw was moving through her system.

Marley got such a kick out of getting to see her bones on the x-ray, and seeing the screw in her tummy. She kept telling the nurses (with a sigh) "Yeah, I swallowed a screw."

We headed home, with a haul of 6+ stickers, a box of crayons, and a coloring book that Marley conned from the nurses for being "so cute" (I wasn't buying it...) and brave. 

By Monday we still hadn't seen the screw so I took Marley back to instacare for a follow up x-ray. They never showed that one to me, but the doctor told me that things were moving along and that the screw should pass in the next few days. 

Finally, after 4 days of searching poop for a screw...having to tell Marley's teacher that if she happened to poop in her pull up that they needed to call me so I could check it (that was fun, I love getting looked at like I'm crazy)... Jason found the screw in her pull-up on Wednesday, the ONE morning I slept in. 

I have to say, I was a little jealous that I wasn't the one to find it but I'm just glad this craziness is over. Marley loves telling people she "pooped out the screw," and has promised that she will never eat anything that isn't food again.

A lot of people ask me why she did it, and I have absolutely NO idea. My theory is that she had it in her mouth, and when I came in and told her it was bathtime, I surprised her and she swallowed it by accident. But honestly, who knows?! 

Toddlers are the worst... 

  

My Baby is Growing up!

Lots of big changes around here for miss Marley! She started preschool and dance class last month, and is loving all of it.  

This kid is SO high energy, I decided it was time to find her some kind of organized activity to take part in. The class she is doing is very fun and carefree. Its only for 2-3 year olds, so there isn't much stress over proper technique and all that. The kids are just having fun figuring out what their bodies can do! There is lots of scarf waving, twirling, and posing. Marley is having so much fun so far, and doesn't even realize her teacher is sneaking in some dance technique.  

A week after dance class started, Marley had her first day of preschool. She was so excited to wear a backpack (Pack Pack, as she calls it.) and get to go to school. 

Her first day was a little rocky, and I got an interesting report from her teacher. Marley struggles a little bit with the structure of school, is very impulsive, and doesn't like being told what to do. I'm grateful she gets the opportunity to learn from someone other than mommy. 

Since that first day, Marley has improved so much. By day 3 her teacher told me that she has greatly improved and is listening better. Right now I'm just waiting for her teacher to tell me Marley didn't yell at all during the day, and then Marley gets a slurpee. (Her choice of reward) We're still waiting...

Our weeks are now kept pretty busy, but I like having places to be and getting Marley out of the house. Marley will have a dance recital in December, and I can't wait! It will be so cute. 

Marley Stories: April

While watching General Conference, Marley's favorite part was the songs. During one of the songs they panned over to the men's side and Marley exclaims: "Look! The prophets are singing!"

Also during General Conference, we made sure to point out the prophet whenever possible so that Marley will learn what he looks like. After one of the sessions she noticed him and said, "Its the prophet!" Then with a sigh she added, "He's a good prophet."

One night while giving the girls a bath, Marley was playing with a dark blue wash cloth in the tub. After awhile she held it up and said, "Look Mom! Its a sting ray!"

Both the girls have had colds for the last week or so, and we have been working on teaching Marley to cough into her elbow to cover her mouth. The other day Kenzie started coughing really bad and I heard Marley snap at her, saying: "Kenzie! You need to cough in your elbow!" 

Marley and I were coloring a picture together that had birds on it. Marley pointed to the tail feathers on one of the birds and asked me what they were. I told her that they were the bird's tail feathers, and then I asked her if she had any tail feathers too. She paused for a moment and said, "No, I just have a bum."

**Bonus Sunbeam Story**

I teach the Sunbeam class at church, which is for kids who will turn 4 this year. Never a dull moment trying to teach a bunch of 3-4 year olds! 

I was teaching them a lesson where I had the kids pick pictures out of a bag and decide if they were good or bad for our bodies. Most of the pictures were fruits and veggies, but I also had pictures of things that are bad for our bodies too. 

A little boy picked the picture of cigarettes and I asked him if he knew what they were. He quickly responded, "TACOS!!" 
I had to laugh, oh to be young and innocent. 

Marley Stories: March

I was putting Marley to bed when I noticed her feet were a lot closer to the end of the bed. I asked her if she was growing bigger and she responded with, "NO Mommy! I'm medium!"

Marley was running around with a plastic bin on her head, then turns to me and says: "I'm an astronaut!"   

Lately whenever Marley lets out a big burp she says, "That was a Daddy burp!" 

I was changing Marley's diaper and I asked her to hold her feet up while I wiped. She promptly put her feet up by her head and said, "I'm exercising!" 

Marley was eating a yogurt pouch when she noticed the nutrition facts on the back. She stared at it for awhile and said, "Look at this picture! It has SOOOO many numbers!"

Jason and Marley were snuggling on the couch the other day when I asked her, "Isn't it nice to snuggle with Daddy?" And she responded with, "Yeah, he's a good friend." 

I was getting ready to leave for a funeral the other day and Marley asked me where I was going. This conversation happened:
Me: "I'm going to see some friends."
Marley: "You go see Livie?" (Her friend across the street)
Me: "No, I'm going to see different friends."
Marley: "Oh. You go see Tayden?" (Her friend 3 doors down)
Me (fighting back giggles): "No, I'm going to see some of MOMMY'S friends."  

Marley has officially entered the "asks a ton of questions" phase. She doesn't ask "why" a lot, but here are some of the questions we hear a million times a day:

What is that?
Hey, what you got?
What are doing?
You know what is called? 
What is name?
What you making?
I help you?

Sometimes I just want to scream and tell her to stop asking questions!! But I'm glad she is curious and wants to learn...even if it makes me crazy. 

Marley Stories: February

The other day it was just me and the girls at home, playing around and being silly. We were laughing and having fun and I said, "I have 2 silly girls!" Marley didn't skip a beat and points to me and says, "THREE silly girls!" 

Marley was eating dinner in the high chair and I went to sit down, when I hit my knee really bad on the table. She could tell that I was hurt and said, "I kiss it better!" So I had to lift my knee up to her in the high chair so she could kiss my boo boo, and I didn't mind one bit.  

Right now Marley is obsessed with the movie "A Bugs Life." She asked to watch it the other day, so I put it in and we sat down together on the couch. Marley snuggled up next to me, and I kissed her head and said, "I love you Marley." Then she looked me in the eyes and said, "I love these bugs!" 

For Christmas, Marley got some stacking blocks. We were playing with them in her room and she was building a tower on her bed. As it got taller, the tower began to wobble. Marley got nervous and said, "Oh no! Its getting tower-y"

Marley, Kenzie, and I were in the kitchen eating breakfast when this conversation took place:
Marley: "Mommy has big feet! Kenzie has little feet!" 
Me: "...and Marley has medium feet!"
Marley: (gasps) "Yeah, SURE!"

On our last shopping trip to Costco, we camped out in front of the TV playing "Inside Out" at Marley's request. We were watching for awhile when an older gentleman walked by. Marley noticed him very said to me very seriously, "That is NOT grandpa." I had to laugh because he didn't resemble either of Marley's grandpas, and that totally came out of nowhere.   

Marley had never seen someone use the printer before just now. She was so amazed by the fact that paper was magically coming out. I was printing some of Kenzie's birthday decorations and Marley saw a giant letter "H" come out of the printer and she says,
"Is that the letter of the day...?" 

Marley Gets an X-ray

About a week ago, Marley had a bad fall. Problem was, I didn't see it happen. I was in the kitchen when I heard a thud, and as all mom's do, held my breath waiting to see if there would be screaming to follow. 

Marley came screaming into the kitchen, clutching her shoulder and asked me to kiss it better. The thing with her, and most toddlers, is that she can be over dramatic and the crying doesn't always match the injury. 

She went about her day like everything was fine. She ran, played, moved her arm like normal. It wasn't until I tried to pick her up (grabbing under her arms) that she REALLY screamed. That raised some questions, and had me pretty worried. But since she was acting normal otherwise, and there was no visible sign of an injury I decided to just keep an eye on her. 

We had a rough night, since every time she rolled over onto her left side it caused pain. The next day there was still no sign of a bruise or bump so I figured we were fine. She still hated being picked up, but we worked around that and I figured she was just sore and that it would go away. 

Fast forward to a few days ago...I gave the girls a bath in the morning, and I noticed that her shoulder was finally starting to bruise. Nothing major, but I thought that we were finally on our way to being done with it. 

THEN, when it was time to get Marley in her jammies later that night, I noticed that her collar bones didn't match up and there was a bump. I had been checking it out every time we changed clothes, so this was surprising. Luckily, at this point it was only 6 pm (I was hoping to get Marley to bed by 7) and Jason was on his way home from school. 

Once Jason got home I loaded Marley up and we went to the Instacare. We waited for TWO HOURS to be seen, all while Marley laughed and played in the waiting room. The whole time I questioned whether I even needed to be there, since she was still so happy. 

When we were finally called back they took her for an x-ray and I guess it showed that her bone was bruised. So we were given the sling, told to wear it for a month, and try to ice her shoulder as much as possible. 

I feel bad that I waited a week to take her in, but its so hard to know with toddlers when things are TRULY the end of the world. We'll see how we do with the sling. She woke up this morning with it completely un-done, so I don't know how effective it will be. I also never realized how crazy she was until I'm supposed to have her take it easy.  

My goal is to try for at least a week. 

Marley turns three!

I can't believe how fast time flies! I recently heard someone say, "The days are long, but the years are short," and that's how I feel about my sweet babies. Being the parent of a head-strong full-blown threenager makes for some very exhausting days. 
But then you blink and a year goes by! 

We had a great Cinderella party for Marley on her birthday, and she had lots of fun! Her cousins came to play, and they had the best time in a box fort made by Jason. We had pizza for lunch, opened presents, and had yummy cake too! 

After three years on this earth, Marley has developed into such a sweet, smart, silly, and loving little girl. She transitioned so well into becoming a big sister over the last year, and loves to make her sister laugh. We have some instances of toy-stealing, but for the most part Marley is quick to give her sister a toy or get down on the floor to play with her. 

Marley is the friendliest little girl, and will wave hello to anyone we pass at church or the grocery store. If they say hello back, she will respond with, "I'm Marley!" And even sometimes add, "That's my friend Kenzie!" Haha! 

Marley still has a love for learning and surprises me constantly with how much she knows. How many 3 year olds know rainbow order? (Thanks to Mickey Mouse!) Marley's favorite part about Costco is that there are giant numbers (for each aisle) and she 
yells out, "There's 27!!"

She will get to start pre-school in August, and is going to have the best time! 

Marley really is a sweet girl, and we are grateful to have her in our family. Even though we constantly argue about the silliest things, (I have to say "I'm the mommy" quite frequently) at the end of the day after I say "Good night" she always responds with "I yub you!" and that is all that matters. She warms my heart with her smiles, hugs, and snuggles. 

Happy Birthday Sweet Girl! 

Read Marley's birth story HERE

Birthday Interview: Marley age 3

I wanted to do a my take on a "birthday interview" so I searched pinterest and found the questions I could answer myself. Marley is too little to understand these questions if I were to ask her, she doesn't know what the word "favorite" means. But since I spend every waking moment with her, I figure I'm qualified to answer on her behalf. 

Name: Marlene Diane Henderson

Nickname: Marley

Favorite Food: Fruit snacks, cheese slices, white bread

Favorite Show: Umizoomi, Little Einstein's, Tayo the Little Bus

Favorite Toy: Doctor check-up kit 

Favorite Song: I Am a Child of God, ABC's

Favorite treat: Dove Chocolate hearts (used as bribery to finish meals) 

Favorite Movie: A Bug's Life, Inside Out

Favorite Book: "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie"

Favorite birthday present: Tea set, Magformers

Best Friend: Cousins and Olivia

What makes you happy? Tickles from Daddy, Playing outside, getting to see family

What makes you sad? Getting ready for bed/naps, when Kenzie messes up something she's working on, when she's having fun somewhere and mommy says "time to go."

What do you like to learn about? Letters, numbers, colors, shapes, basically EVERYTHING!

If you could go anywhere, where would it be? Both grandma's houses, the aquarium or zoo, Chick Fila play place

What is something you do really well? Make Kenzie laugh, remember the words to songs, snuggle

Marley Stories: January

Its a new year! Time so share more funny things our Marley said. 

The other day she was running around, pretending to be a cowboy. Then I noticed her stop, take her hat off and take a bow twice while whispering "Thank you. Thank you."

After a few "incidents," now every time I put Marley in the bath tub I say "No poopies in the tub." and She usually says it back to me, almost like a song. The other morning while Marley was in the tub I grabbed Kenzie and brought her into the bathroom too. She was still in her jammies and Marley says,"No jammies in the tub!" (In the same tune as "no poopies.") That made me giggle.   

One day I was sitting at the table eating a big bowl of pasta for lunch. Marley came over, and sat in the chair next to me to see what I was having. She peered into the bowl, then gasped and said, "I love it!!! What is it?" 

Whenever we do baths now, Marley has to stay in the tub until the last drop of water goes down the drain. No matter how many times I correct her, she thinks that the drain is called a "dream." That might be compliments of watching Inside Out at least 50 times.

Misheard Song Lyrics:

"The rains came down and the floods thumbs came up"

"Old McDaniel had a farm..."

"Merrily, merrily, like-a-spider dream"

Marley Stories: December

Marley is such a silly girl! These are the funny things she did or said during December. 

Right now Marley really likes kicking a ball around and pretending to score goals. The only thing is, she calls it scoring a "gourd." I tried correcting her awhile ago, and she got VERY mad. So now she runs around the house shouting, "Mommy, I scored a gourd!!!"

Marley is still going through her phase where she loves pretending to go places. She puts on socks, sometimes shoes, or a hat and says goodbye as she walks towards the door. The other day though, she got herself all bundled up and said, "Bye Mommy! Have a good Christmas!!"

Thanks to "The Cat in the Hat Knows a lot about Christmas," Marley does this bit where she pretends to be an elephant. She comes up to me and says "Eeeeew! What's that Smell?" And I say I don't know what it is, and she replies with, "Its lion poop!"

Marley, Kenzie and I were in the kitchen having dinner and Kenzie was being super loud and crazy. She was crashing around the room in the walker and squealing super loud. She did something that made me say, "Oh geeze!" And then Marley responded "No, not Jesus!" 

Now that Marley is sleeping in an actual bed, I've been working with her on saying prayers. She loves kneeling by her bed and ALWAYS reminds me that we need to do it. Normally she just repeats what I say, but recently I told her that she should do it, and this is what she said ALL on her own:

"Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for this day. Thank you for our family. Keep them safe. Help us to be good and nice. Amen."

A few days before Christmas, we went to visit my Aunt Bonnie and her family. While we were sitting in her living room visiting, Marley kept asking me for a pencil. I figured she had seen one someone in the room, but didn't think much of it. Well, eventually we realized that when she said pencil, she really wanted to play with these plastic ornaments in a jar. When we tried to correct her and tell her they weren't pencils, they were ornaments...she got REALLY mad. I have NO idea where that came from.  

The other night, Kenzie got really fussy when I set her down and left the room. She was crying and screaming, but when I came back and made a face at her, she smiled really big. After Kenzie did that, Marley yelled, "She's happy ever after!" 

On my birthday, when Marley woke up I went into her room to get her in the morning and told her what day it was. She gasped and got REALLY excited. Then I asked her what we should do for my birthday and she paused for a minute and thought really hard. Then she responded with, "Blow candles!" 

Marley LOVES to sing. But she gets the words wrong a lot.
Here are some misheard Toddler Song Lyrics:

"Row Row Row your boat, gently down the STREET."

"Sleep in HAPPILY peace, Sleep in HAPPILY peace."

"Sing sweet NIGHT IN SCALE, sing sweet NIGHT IN SCALE"

"Follow the prophet, JESUS the way"
(Supposed to be "He knows the way" for those who aren't LDS)

"IPSY IPSY spider went up the water spout."