Two Already?

 It's heartbreaking, but Tziporah is turning two tomorrow.  At the big Dopp party, we had a slide show going of the day she was born.  She was about as big as Scott's hand, dripping with awareness and exuding celestial light.

How times have/haven't changed.  Tziporah is still an angel.  It's hard to believe that our family once was Tizzy-less, and for quite a long time, too!  Almost every day, I think about how afraid I was of losing her throughout the pregnancy, from the second I found out I was expecting to the moment she was born.  I guess I just knew that there would be no second chances to get her here.

Ryan and Jennie were shaken today when Lexie and Jackson were in a car accident.  Fortunately, it could have been a lot worse...and wasn't.  How many angels are watching over this batch of Dopp kids?  Hopefully, enough to keep them all safe.  So far, so good.

 Jennie's salad:  crave-able and pretty.

 Michelle's drinks were a big hit.

 When it came time to open her presents, someone handed her one and said, "This one is from Jake."  Tziporah immediately countered with, "Not this one!  Don't need Jake present!"  She went to the pile of gifts and chose the biggest one, saying, "Need this one!  This Tizzy present!"

 I'm convinced her favorite part of it all was pulling out the tissue paper piece by piece and tossing it over her shoulder, the same thing she does with Coco's box of puppets.  With each gift, she demonstrated a fleeting, yet wholehearted expression of joy before tossing the gift on the floor and moving on to the next one.  Man, she has this Cute Baby act down pat!

 Cousins!  Notice the Christmas tree, forlorn on the back porch?  We don't have any desire or impetus for taking it down.  It's not bothering anyone out there!

 After the party was over and the kids had straightened up the kitchen, we had our little family council/family prayer, then off to bed.  Except Tziporah had no intention of letting her big day end.  She was in her crib singing, "Hey-O!  Hey-O!  Hey-o bop bop a hey-o!"  When I finally fell for her song and dance, she patiently walked me through what she wanted to have happen.  "Hold you, Mommy!...I go a kitchen, look at fictures."  Scott let her see all the pictures again of when she was born.  She looked at her five-pound newborn self and scolded, "No crying, baby!  OK?"

I agree.  No crying, baby!  Let's all remember that at 2 in the morning when you're exercising your lungs for no reason other than to entertain yourself, you crazy little thing!  Then again, cry all you want to.  Baby tears are the easiest to wipe away.  I should know.  I have teenagers.