To Ara on your 3rd Birthday,
I can't help but think about what was happening 3 years ago on the eve of your birthday. I was so impatient to see your little face and when you were finally here I couldn't take my eyes off of you. You were so beautiful, your eyes were perfect almonds of deep brown and your lips were an adorable pout. You smelled sweet and the weight of your tiny body in my arms made me feel so fulfilled and scared at the same time. Being your mother is the most wonderful, challenging, and scary task I have ever undertaken but I wouldn't change a thing.
This past year, your two's, were not as terrible as people say they will be. You are opinionated and stubborn but you are also kind and sweet. This year I have had to realize that you are not a baby anymore. You are so brave, you charge right ahead into any situation and my instinct is to always protect you. You don't mind me there but you don't need me to hover over you anymore.
This year you have developed a sense of the world around you, including the dangers. You talk to everyone you meet about thunder. For Halloween I worried about taking you somewhere people would be wearing scary costumes. So we took you to the Children's Museum where. You were dressed in a Minnie Mouse outfit that I made, it didn't look much like Minnie Mouse but you were happy with it anyway. It was so much fun, we painted pumpkins, played in a pretend grocery store, and even played in the train room. Trains are still one of your favorite things. You also love your Dora blanket and sheets although you don't really watch the show much. I think you love it because we let you pick it out. Your newest craze has been ponies. It started with an old DVD we borrowed from the library but now we check out books about real ponies and horses and you love them. We still watch a lot of Charlie and Lola but we pick new videos every other week at the library so there is variety.
We used to go to the play groups and storytime groups every week at the library. You loved to interact with the kids and to color in the children area but you had such a hard time sitting still for the stories. You love to move. Trying to stop you from dancing and singing felt futile. After our trip to California to see your great great Grandmother we started going to the YMCA instead. You love the helpers and kids at the Y. Everyone knows your name and they all smile when you walk in. You love to sing the "YMCA" song and even though you're not supposed to the workers let you go back behind the counters. Your smile lights up the building and everyone smiles back. We usually spend about 2 hours there a couple times a week. The other days you help me do the grocery shopping, house cleaning, and general errands. These are boring things but you don't seem to mind, in fact you are always thrilled to help Momma.
You are very artistic. We spend as much time as we can drawing, painting, coloring, and even making beaded jewelry. I am amazed at the control you have. You can draw shape and little characters. When you want to color something I like to draw a few pages for you. A few months ago I drew you a page that had a bunch of balloons. When I walked over to check on you expecting to see that you had colored in my drawing I was shocked to see that you had turned the paper over and drawn balloons of your own. You concentrate so hard and you draw recognizable birds, cats, and even people. You are always so proud of your art and so am I.
In April we moved into the new house and we moved you into a toddler bed. The transition went fairly smoothly although we had a couple sleepless nights. We decorated your room with pictures I made for you and a special colorful rug your Daddy picked for you. You helped us to organize your toys into bins so that it's easy to find what you are looking for. You are good at helping put them away now.
You have a step stool in the bathroom that makes you feel like a big girl. You love to wash your hands and brush your own teeth now that you can see the sink!
We just got back from a camping trip at Canyon Lake (AZ), your first camping trip in fact! We went with Grandpa, Ann, Auntie Emily, Uncle Victor, Erin, Shawn, and Shane. Heather, Preston, and little Jackson came up for the day on Friday and Saturday as well. I loved to sit and watch you play. You had an expression of joy and curiosity all the time. You were so brave in the lake I had to remind you not to pass the buoy that marked the swimming area which was way out in the deep part of the lake. You kept telling me not to follow you, so I had to give you some space (not too much though!). You loved camping so much you would go and go and go until you finally just passed out from exhaustion. The very first morning you woke me at 5:45 am and said so sweetly, "Momma, the sun came up". Even something as small as that amazed you and made me smile. I love to see the world through your eyes.
One of our special games is to make up songs. You think of something like a door and I think of a song. If I can't think of a real one I just make up a new one. You love this game and you remember the songs! You have such a sweet voice and even your Dad is impressed with your pitch and he is the picky one!
You bring me such joy and I hope you feel like the most special and loved girl in the world tomorrow!
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