2 1/2 years!

This morning all snuggled in with her pup -

I said, "give me a big girl 2 1/2 year old smile!"

Luce ~

Baby girl today is your 2 1/2 year birthday - halfway to three! I can't believe that my baby is growing up so fast. You are such a big girl now it's sometimes hard to remember when you were my baby. You are talking so grown-up and carrying on full conversations with daddy and me. You are such a smart little girl Lucy and you make me so proud. You still love reading books more than anything. We can sit and I can read to you book after book and you are such a good girl to put your books away and bring me more. Pretty soon you'll be reading these books to me!

We've also found out you are a little artist. Next to reading, coloring is your favorite thing to do. Any chance you get you to make a card for someone or work on an art project and you are thrilled. Last week we collected some bright fall leaves and spent the best night together as a family coloring, gluing and cutting. You love to say "sit down mommy and we'll color". A couple of weeks ago I let you try out painting and you LOVED it! You painted a beautiful canvas and now it's displayed in the living room for everyone to see. You spent so much time and work on this and it made me so proud. But I think you were even more excited to show it to daddy - you're an artist just like him.

At 2 1/2 you are a beautiful petite little girl but we can tell you are growing quite a bit. Your pants are getting shorter and shorter on you and we're moving up in shoes sizes. It's been so fun to do some "fall shopping" with you and you are the best at giving mommy fashion shows. As soon as you try something new on you run to the full length mirror and come back and give me your review. I love you.

You're such a big girl and you are proving your strength and talent with your dancing. This has been the best thing ever for you! Every day you ask to go to dance class and you pay attention so well in Miss Julie's class. You focus on what you are told to do and again I am so proud of you and how you work so hard. I know this is how you'll be in a few years as a student in school - but thank goodness for me that's still a ways away!

Lucy baby girl, daddy and I love you more than anything. You are our world and we are so overwhelmed at what a beautiful little girl you've become. We still want you to be our baby but we know that you are doing what you should - growing, learning, living life to the fullest! You have the funniest personality and you can keep us laughing all night. You have such cute saying and facial expressions and you are the sweetest little girl. Daddy and I are so blessed to have you as our daughter and I know this is just 2 and a 1/2 - but with you nothing is "just"! We are so grateful for you and how far you've come. We have so many fun things coming up: Disneyland, Halloween, Christmas!! So I know we'll enjoy everything through your eyes and hopefully March (and 3!) won't creep up on us too fast.

Love you, mommy