The girl loves balloons...

My favorite part of this is when she suddenly stops and says "little pumpkin!"

Happy Birthday Holly!

Holly had a pretty big birthday weekend. Thanks to Grammy, Pappy, Nana, and Papa for being with us to celebrate and make it so special! And for the presents...so many presents... I'm still trying to find a place for everything.

It was especially fun to see that Holly sort of understands what a birthday is. We started telling her last week that her birthday was coming up, and she immediately asked for birthday cake. She knew she wanted a cake and a balloon. Actually, we could have stopped there and she would have been happy.

So hard to believe that two years have passed. While part of me always looks forward to what's ahead and seeing more of the the person she is becoming, another part of me wants to have my baby girl back. I guess that's just part of being a mom.

Fun with Daddy

Yesterday was kind of a Daddy-Daughter day for Matt and Holly. I got to steal away for a long-overdue brunch with my great friend Brenda, and got a little grocery shopping in. Even when I returned home, the afternoon consisted of lots of play time with Dad while I held the camera. And when you see the videos, you'll understand why I didn't join in...

Will Anna have a tail?

Holly and I spent a long time swinging on the front porch today with her baby and teddy bear (loving this weather!). She pointed out the bear's tail, so I asked her if she has a tail. She reached behind her and said "yes!" I explained that, no, little girls don't have tails. She then patted my belly and said "Anna tail!" Hmmm. Let's hope not.

(Aunt Leigh, this video is for you!)

Megan is home!

After battling complications from a blood clot in her leg, our sister-in-law Megan is finally home after nearly 2 long weeks in the hospital. Thank you God! It is completely by His grace and mercy that she in home now with her family - especially her precious little baby, Evan.

Matt, Holly and I went to Greenville this weekend to spend some time with Kelly and Megan, and Grammy and Pappy. This was Holly's second time to be around 3 month old Evan, and she was quite the character. It was interesting to watch her jealous streak come out...and she wasn't at all jealous of me. In fact, when Matt's mom was holding the baby, Holly would say "Mommy hold you!" She wanted ME to hold Evan so that Grammy could be 100% hers. Pretty funny. She really did try to be sweet with him, even it was just to get our praise. She would give him (hit his head with) his little toys, and lean in to give him hugs.

I have a feeling we can expect lots of crazy cousin antics in the years to come.

Happy Days

Last Saturday was the Happy Days Festival here in Hapeville. Yes, our little town has a festival! It was a great time with neighbors, friends, great weather and yummy food. Holly had a blast - here are some highlights.

Fun with pretend play

In the last couple of weeks, Holly entered the brand new phase (for us) of make-believe. All those stuffed animals that used to just sit in her basket are now her friends, and her baby dolls need frequent naps and diaper changes just like Holly. They sometimes even have to sit in time out.

The other day Holly put one of her babies in her new baby doll stroller (thank you Aunt Boo!!) and walked her up and down the hallway, saying something that was at first unintelligible. I soon realized she was saying "Going to Starbucks! Going to get a coffee!" Grammy and Pappy, I think Holly misses those walks to Starbucks in downtown Greenville!

I love this stage - I'm getting to see more of the little person Holly is becoming. While there are plenty of babies being dropped (thrown?) on their heads, she almost always follows it up with a kiss and "Poor baby. All better now." That's somewhat reassuring, since there will be a real little baby in her world soon. I did only say somewhat.

As I write this, she is in the living room, feeding coffee to her baby doll and stuffed llama. And I have a few precious minutes to myself. Thank you, God, for imaginations.