Anna at Two and a Half!

Our baby girl is not a baby anymore! Anna turned 2.5 today in style with some cupcakes to celebrate, as well as her Pop-Pop in town to celebrate!

Anna is doing so well at so many things. Her vocabulary is simply amazing. She continues to wow us with the phrases she picks up from conversation and then uses them appropriately in her play. She never stops talking - even when she's upset or in trouble, she's trying to negotiate a better result! She still sings a lot and can often be found changing up the words to songs to fit a pretend scenario she's acting out or just to be silly. She's doing a better job of playing with other children now, rather than just around them.

Physically, Anna's getting stronger all the time. She climbs all over the playground with no fear, entertaining her father and making her mother very nervous! On our trip to Hawaii last week, Anna impressed onlookers with her strength and fearlessness in the water. She had no trouble dunking her head and was able to swim short distances underwater with no training (she kept her eyes open in the salt water pool, which led to some sore eyes!) We've got to get this girl some proper swim lessons so she can develop that talent!

In other news, Anna's made great strides in potty training and is able to wear "big girl" underwear. She is a wonderful big sister who is always happy to help her mom and dad fetch things to help Colin.

While it's a little sad to think how quickly our baby girl is growing up, we are thrilled to see her thriving. It's so much fun having real conversations with her in which she can so beautifully express herself already. We are looking forward to so many more milestones!