ABAS blog: Our little girl is 3!!!

In some ways it seems like only yesterday that Anna was born. And yet when I try to remember life before, and therefore without, her, it's difficult. People talk about how "everything changes" with children, and yet even that generalization doesn't quite cover the reality. "Everything" is a surprisingly weak word when you think about it. It's so obviously a well-intentioned exaggeration. What we mean is, things you wouldn't expect to change, or maybe things you didn't know could change. "Everything" is a catch-all for perspective, probably because that tends to change so little. Few things grab you that deeply.

Anna has. Her interest in books that reflects our own introverted tendencies, her plays on words that betray that paternal love of puns (sigh), her honest questions, her stubborn streak, and her love of animals, all familiar yet cast uniquely in her personality--these things cause us to see ourselves, our parents, and our purpose in life differently.

And let's not forget the diapers. Yes. Let's not. The mundane sustains the miraculous, I suppose. It's still mundane, and with a three year old, there's a lot of it.

Still. 3. What an amazing gift to celebrate.

We celebrated the day at home with a small family party.

She LOVES her balloons!

A perfect tribute to her favorite place--the zoo!

Due to family colds, we had to postpone the friends party for a couple of weeks. It's nice at this age that time doesn't mean much yet. We had 4 guests come to the house to play and do a few crafts.