Happy 3rd Birthday, Caylin!

Three years ago, today, this amazing little ladybug entered our world!

(Caylin @ 2 days old)

And as she grows....

(Caylin's 1st Birthday Picnic)

we are constantly amazed

(Caylin's 2nd Birthday)

and blessed to have her in our lives!

Today, as we celebrate Caylin's 3rd Birthday, I can hardly believe that those pictures above are of my "big girl". She really seems to have grown up a lot over this past year. I'm not sure exactly when it happened, but some where along the way she has lost that "baby face" look. She(finally) has little girl hair and she loves to have "ponies" and barrettes in it! Caylin's vocabulary and understanding of language has just exploded. She has always been a verbal kiddo. But, now there is so much more to what she is saying (usually). And, fortunately for us, her strong will is still softened with a desire to please and help others!

Obviously, one of the biggest events for Caylin this past year has been becoming a big sister. I am often so impressed with how well she has taken to this new role in her life. And, now that Gavin is more interactive, she seems to be enjoying it even more. When he is around, she is always finding ways to engage with him. And, she is usually very gentle and kind to him (so far). She loves talking to him, giving him toys (and a paci when necessary), laying on the floor and letting him "pet" her face and hair, and giving him hugs and kisses. She will even share some of her things with him, which can be harder for her to do with other kids. It really is such a neat thing to see!

Though we are thrilled about how well she has taken to big sisterhood, I think Tim and I are probably the most excited about her potty training progress. There were definitely bumps along the way. However, at this point, we can pretty confidently call her potty trained (during the day). She still wears a pull-up for bed, but that is just fine with me at this point! You can also tell that this is an accomplishment that she is quite proud of as well!



This year we are opting not to do an official Birthday Party. We figure we have many years of kiddy birthday fun ahead of us. Instead, we are traveling up to PA to spend the holiday weekend with my family. We are going take the Birthday Girl to see the Ringling Brother's and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Oh, and in case you are worried that our Ladybug will miss out on bday cake if there isn't a party, I'm already planning to have her highly requested ice cream birthday cake at a famly picnic event. The following weekend, she's got a Birthday trip to Gpa/Gma's and Dave/Joan's boat. I'm sure we'll have lots of Birthday pictures to post in the near future. Below are just a few from our mini celebration, last night. Caylin chose to have chicken fajitas for dinner and then got to open her presents from us and those mailed from Great Grandparents and Aunt Lisa & family!