2 YEARS OLD!

Can you believe that this little thing is 2!

This little girl entered our life and has forever changed us! We couldn't ask for anything more than what our little Lou has given us!

She is such a sweet and sassy little thing. She makes us laugh! She makes us smile! She loves us more than we deserve and she continues to love us when we make mistakes. She is such an example to us and so full of the spirit of Christ. 

Zach and I will often sit and talk about the kind of person we think she will be. And we think that she is going to be a kind and loving spirit. She will love to help others. And she will be one of the most Christ-like people you will ever meet. She will be a strong daughter of God that will not easily falter.  And if she does then she will be tough enough to pick herself back up and start again. She will be there for you and will be a shining example to you. She won't be easily mistreated, but rather be tough and sassy enough to stick up for herself. She will tell you like it is but with a kind heart.

She will love clothes, shoes, jewelry, and makeup but love her sports at the same time.

Look out Little Miss Rayni Lou Hoo is here and ready to take on the world!

We had a birthday party with close family and friends. It was "Bubble Guppie" themed because it is Rayni's favorite show! I didn't get any pics of the decor but is was very guppied out!

Rayni is very lucky to have her Papa Ron use his carpenter skills and make the beautiful buggie for her babies.  Mama tried her hand and painting it... and I think that it turned out pretty cute! She also got this very cute little night-gown and robe from her Grammy Lou and Poppi. She loves to wear it. When she has it on she is constantly telling us "pretty" 

She was very spoiled and surrounded by so many that love and adore her!

We had our family pictures taken since we haven't done it since Rayni was born.. and now we have another new addition to our family. Rayni is so lucky to soon have an Aunt "Lina". And I'm excited to have a sister on my side! Our family is just growing and it is so fun to see a glimpse of what eternity will look like! 

My family is obsessed with Rayni! She is so loved! When her uncles and aunt Lina are near... her dad and I don't exist! Her Grammy Lou and Poppi can not get enough of her. She is so lucky to have all of them in her life. And so many others in mine and Zach's family that love and adore her!

 This was towards the end of the photo shoot and Rayni was DONE! She was being so hyper and silly that you had to be quick to catch her face... The pic of me below was me trying so hard not to laugh because of how crazy she was being!

 I L.O.V.E. my little family!

 

As I have mentioned before... Rayni does not have time for snuggles! And when she does it lasts about 2 seconds. So when we get it we try to soak up every little bit we can. Her soft squishy cheeks and her sweet smell are the BEST!

I have also mentioned that Rayni is a stinker when it comes to her dada! She is a major mama's girl. But, nock on wood, since she has turned 2 things have gotten some what better! She still has her moments, but for the most part she is being nicer to her daddy. When I get little glimpses of these precious moments it just melts my heart! She loves to watch sports and yell at the TV with her dad. And she LOVES "pukin" popcorn. Here is one of those 2 second cuttles that dada was lucky to get.  "Ya you dada" (love you dada)

 Here is me and my mini me! I love this silly little thing more that I can even express!

 Rayni loves to be just like momma and wear her apron when we cook. She loves to scootch a chair up to the counter and be a part of everything! (My grammy told me that that was exactly what I did too)

We took Lou to her first video "Frozen" She lasted about 20 minutes but it was still very fun and a new adventure!

One of my favorite pics of the 2 of us! OOH! Couldn't you just kiss those lips and cheeks!!!

She is now in a big girl bed and has been doing great! Naps have gotten shorter since she is no longer in a cage and can freely get out. But she sure loves her new bed. She has to have all her little pals with her and don't forget her blankie!

Lamby (from her Great Grammy Larraine)

puppy (From her mom and dad)

fussy (monkey)

kitty (pink teddy that my friend Mary gave her when she was born)

This is the look we get when she doesn't want to eat her dinner!

NO shortage of crazy-loving-fun with the 3 of us! 

I have had many special moments with my Lou... but I have had 2 recently that have really been a stick out in my mind.

My Grandma and Grandpa Mcneely are two very special spirits! From a very young age I have gained a love for nature because of these two. My Grandpa Syd grew a beautiful veggie garden. I remember sitting in the garden with him eating green peppers like apples. He would sit on his patio at night to watch the beautiful sunset. He was a fisherman and hunter... but always has such respect for the land and the animals. My grandma has a very big passion for flowers. She would plant the most gorgeous flower garden you have ever seen. And despite her bad health she would be out there in the burning hot sun working on her flowers. She is an artist and paints beautiful outdoor scenes that look so real they could jump right off of the canvas. Growing up around these two you couldn't help but appreciate the beauty that is all around us and feel the love of our Heavenly Father when your eyes behold such beauty. I still notice things here are there... but along with my busy life there are little things that I often over look. One morning I was driving Rayni to daycare. I could see her in my rearview mirror and all the sudden she gasped and had the most wide eyed look on her face. She pointed out the window and said, "mama look!" I looked out to see if I could see what she was looking at. I noticed the moon up in the sky. I told her that it was the moon. She was so in love with it. She just stared at it, she often said, 'Pretty moon", and as we drove past houses she spent the entire drive playing peek-a-boo with the moon. On another time we were driving east. It was winter time. She pointed again at something and said, "mama pretty!" I figured out that she was pointing at the mountains. I told her what they were. And to this day whenever she sees the mountains she says, "mama pretty mountains" I love that Rayni has the same love for nature as my Grandma and Grandpa and I do. I love that she recognizes how lucky we are for our Heavenly Father to give us such beauty. I love it when her innocent eyes are able to point out such beauty even if they are the simplest things!

In December till about the beginning of January I was having a really hard time. I was getting really overwhelmed with all the things that I do during the day. I am a mom, I have a full time job where I take care of 10 very difficult boys, I am a wife, and at the end of the day I need to come home from my demanding job with a happy excited attitude to keep up with my little girl, show some love to my hubs, and do my wifely duties. I have been doing it for 2 years now and you would think that I would get used to it. But I was really struggling. I was not myself, I was always awnry, I became a little hermit, and I would just start crying at the drop of a hat. One day I was home with Rayni and I was very teary. I was trying so hard not to let Rayni see me but she kept trying to look up at my face because she knew something was wrong. Every time I would turn away from her she would grab my leg and try to get back in front of me. She kept saying "mama! mama!" I finally looked at her with tears pouring down my face. She said, "mama sad?" I nodded my head yes. She then reached her little arms up in the air and said, "Mama hug?" without hesitation I leaned down and wrapped my arms around her. Anyone who knows Rayni knows that she is not a snuggler. But she stood there and let me hug her for as long as I needed to. Her sweet little hands rubbed my back and her head laid so sweetly on my shoulder. Rayni was so in-tune with the spirit that she knew that was what I needed at that time. I didn't deserve that hug... but I have quickly learned that this little sweet spirit is so forgiving. She sees my weaknesses on a daily basis but she is always right there to love me no matter what!

Rayni has such a sweet spirit about her. She is a constant reminder of the good in the gospel. She reminds us almost every night at dinner to say our prayers, she reminds us to use kind words and not be too loud with each other, she reminds us to stop and notice the little things, and she reminds us how to love unconditionally. We are so blessed to have her in our lives!