Sam is TWO!

Me: Sam, how old are you?

Sam (proudly): TWO!

~

It's hard to believe we now have a two-year old. Two years ago, after she came into the world on October 9 at 9:16am, Sam looked like this, and was so tiny she almost fit in Ryan's hand:

Last year, she wasn't walking on her own, only had two teeth and was still looking very much like a baby:

And now, she definitely looks like a little girl:

And a cute little one, at that! :-)

We had a great birthday weekend with lots of family around. It was so nice of everyone to come visit and bring Sam some great gifts. Thanks everyone!! The kitchen (thanks for sharing yours with me, Morgan), legos, Leap Frog computer, and awesome purple sneakers from Auntie Meg were definitely hits :-) I'm not quite sure Sam was as into the cake, but at least she took a few more bites this year :-)

Sitting with Great Grammie

Fun with her new-to-me kitchen!

Modeling her adorable purple Adidas sneakers

Working on numbers with Great Grammie

Sam and Mama

Taking a first bite

Ummm, cake :-)

As Sam grows, we are constantly amazed by how much she is learning and changing every day. Her vocabulary has grown so large that we're no longer keeping count of her words. She is putting together three, four and five word sentences, minus a few verbs here and there of course :-) She is like a little sponge, reciting back anything we say in front of her, and then using the words or phrases correctly at another time. It's fascinating to watch her make associations between things and form her own opinions about things.

She loves to read and color. To be outside and race around. She is very observant, always taking everything in, and commenting on little details I would never have thought she'd notice. She is a bit particular about the order of her little world, and loves to clean up and organize things - she is very excited about "her new broom" (a little kid-size broom I got her, upon request) :-)

She is a sweet and loving child, and very polite, using please, thank you and you're welcome correctly. She shares well. But there is also an impish glint in her eye. Or as our daycare director says, "it's always the little ones that end up causing the most trouble." :-) Said with a smile, of course, but it is true! There have been some instances of hitting and hair pulling - after all, she is just two! - and if she knows she is doing something she shouldn't be, she'll often look over at us, smile and continue to do so. However, we have been very lucky in that she does yet seem to be a true tantrum thrower, and she can usually be distracted in other directions if necessary. She has a flair for the dramatic, and is in a bit of a 'mommy' phase at the moment, but she loves her friends and family. It is adorable to watch her face light up when Morgan, Neenie and Pip Pop, or Grammie and Grampie, come into the room. She willingly gives hugs and kisses and pats, and in the past few weeks has learned to say "I love you," which just melts my heart.

Although each and every moment isn't perfect, Sam adds joy and happiness to our lives every day, and for that we are forever thankful.

Happy Birthday to you, sweet little girl of mine! Mama and Daddo love you so.