Happy Birthday, Zater Tater!!

It's hard to believe, but we celebrated Zayda's 5th birthday over the weekend. Zayda is my adorable niece who brings so much laughter and fun to our family. She's got an exbuberant personality that seems much bigger than her little petite frame. Even at the age of 5, it seems like she changes and "grows up" more each time I see her. And without a doubt, she always makes us laugh!

Getting ready to blow out the candles...

Zayda's little brother, not to be outdone by his big sis, is always the life of the party too. It's so funny how different his personality is from quiet little Andra, who's just a few weeks younger than him. She's never quite sure what to think of her cousin Garrett who seems like a little tornado compared to her!

Our Little Bookworm

I can recite Andra's favorite book, "Llama Llama Mad at Mama," from memory. Word for word. Because that's how many times we've read it! Andra is absolutely addicted to her books, and I couldn't be happier about it.

I happen to be a voracious reader myself. Well...let me rephrase. Once upon a time (pre-marriage, pre-house, pre-dog, pre-baby), I had a lot of free time and spent much of that free time reading. :)

It started when I was a little girl. Anybody out there remember the Babysitter's Club series? Sweet Valley Twins? Both series had well over 100 books, and I'd read every single one. I was the girl counting the days until the next book in the series would arrive in the bookstore so I could get my hands on it! In fact, I loved reading SO much, that when my parents built a house, they designed my bedroom with a book closet (SEPARATE from my clothes closet...and much bigger too) AND a perfect window seat where I could read all my books. It was divine. I miss that room. And...my parents made a wonderful tradition of giving me a BIG box of books every Christmas. I loved opening that present every year! I could always find it under the tree...it was huge and HEAVY with the weight of all the books waiting to be read. In fact, they gave Andra a box of children's books this Christmas, and I nearly cried.

I think my lifetime love of reading is why I'm able to make a living as a (news) writer...I just got to know words and their rhythm, and the (sometimes frustrating) art of stringing words together so someone else might enjoy reading them.

So nothing brings me more pleasure than seeing my little girl already addicted to books--craving them, just like her Mom. We have a pile of about 20 in the living room, and she insists we read each and every one...everyday. Several times. I try to rotate them occasionally for the sake of variety...although I've discovered toddlers love repitition. And that's probably why I can recite "Llama Llama Mad at Mama" from memory. And because I think I love that book as much as she does!

Learning Her Words

Andra is quiet and observant like her Dad, so it's a big accomplishment that she's starting to chatter! Her vocab is steadily increasing, and she's just started repeating after us if we tell her to say something. She says "dad" a lot...so here I am working on "mom." (Note: the bruise on her head is from a recent stumble on concrete, and the magnificent hairstyle is a result of her smearing dinner through her hair that night!)

Spring Fever

What a breath of fresh air this weekend! We soaked up every minute we possibly could. I know it's way too early for spring to have officially arrived, but I'm so grateful God gave us just one day of reprieve from winter. It was so much fun to get outside with Andra and watch those early spring wind gusts toss her little blonde curls every direction. I think it really lifted our spirits just to be out in the sunshine!

Dave and I took advantage of the warm weather and did a Mini training run on Saturday morning. We're both right on track with our training (translation: Dave's way faster than me and always will be). Then we were anxious to get home and enjoy the day. We played most of the morning in the front yard, and then made an afternoon trip to the playground.

I have to share the picture below because it's Andra's new habit. She'll grab onto your finger and pull you wherever it is that she wants you to go. I absolutely love it. The only time it's difficult is when I'm trying to get dinner on the table or some other task, and she nearly pulls my finger out of socket trying to get her way. :)

It's just so interesting to me how she fluctuates between wanting my help and refusing my help. In one moment, she'll desperately need my finger to pull me somewhere, and in the next moment, she's Miss Independent and refuses any assistance so she can prove what a big girl she is. I think that's something mothers must always struggle with as their kids grow...when do you help? And when do you let them discover new things on their own? For now, I'm glad she wants my help a lot more than she refuses it.

Family Portrait

We just received the family portrait we had taken for our church directory, so I thought I'd share. Andra was so smiley that day, so we got a good shot of the three of us. Sometimes I'm still in awe of our little family and the fact that I'm REALLY a mom. :) I'm so grateful God blessed us with such a beautiful, charming, healthy little girl.