On the evening of July 25th, we tucked our little one-year-old into bed and woke up to find a two-year-old!

It was mostly a happy occasion, except for the fact that July 26th marked the official date listed in the one-sided, unsigned contract, outlining a non-mutual agreement that 2-year-old Genesee would surrender her highly-cherished pacifier – cold turkey. I was certain this plan wouldn’t end well, but since Genesee didn’t read the fine print, she was somewhat oblivious to the gravity of the situation and so the celebration continued. (Note to self: Always read the fine print!)

We showered Genesee with love, unicorns, and cupcakes, and then watched her grow up right in front of our eyes.

But before time completely escaped us, we paused it through the camera lens so we could remember the defining moments that preceded age 2… like, how Genesee’s hair curls in the humidity, how she sticks out her tongue to concentrate, how she adores me to pieces, and how “yellow” and “Ashlee” somehow became universal terms in her limited vocabulary.

And then we took another snapshot because we wanted to remember how much Genesee enjoys all condiments, creams, and lotions (mostly rubbed on her face and arms), how she is fascinated with coloring (also mostly on herself), how she loves walking and sliding and swinging through the outdoors, and how she’s always down for a good dance party or playdough session.

We also captured our sweet-tooth snacker, who’s not afraid to get messy, running more gracefully, showing increased affection toward mom (although the snuggle with dad is still real), becoming a light sleeper, buckling herself into the car seat, and earning stickers for her impressive potty-training successes.

Sadly, the rest of the snapshots are now a blur… mostly because time advances quickly, but also because our diva toddler is a mover and shaker and there’s no stopping her.

However, this much remains clear: Genesee is 26 pounds of goofy, stubborn, and sassy who will surely conquer the world with her independence, charm, wit, and silly faces!

So, go on, little G! The world is waiting.