2 years of happiness and counting...

Anyone remember the old fable about the hare and the tortoise? The one where the 'slow and steady' tortoise wins the race? Well, I feel a bit like the tortoise with my blog posts - slow and steady - but unfortunately, time isn't going to stop and take a snooze. I catch up, I fall behind, I catch up, and then fall even further behind! Anyway, life with +2 is busy, so I have twice as many excuses.

As you all know, it was Samarah's birthday last week, and we just wanted to say a big thank you to all of you for the extra love and attention. Samarah has a lot to be thankful for - she really has everything a little girl could ask for, but more importantly, she's got so many loving and caring people in her life. It's hard to believe that it's already been two years, but it's equally hard to believe that it's only been two years! I know that we won't ever be able to explain to Samarah how much we love her, how much happiness she's brought into our lives, how much she's taught us, and proud we are of her.. (and Syra, if you're reading this at some point, the same goes for you!).

Some of the most fun things about Samarah these days are her burgeoning vocabulary (we're trying to use big words in family conversations), her expressiveness and her sheer joie de vivre (take that mommy!). She's definitely growing out of her toddler phase into a happy little person, and it's really rewarding to see her starting to recognize her emotions. Just this afternoon, she was running around the house saying "I'm so happy, I'm so happy!" And the yesterday, she comes up to me and gives me a kiss, out of the blue, and says "Daddy, I love you!" Incredible is an understatement.

Not to be left behind, Syra is learning some new tricks of her own. She's consistently smiling (mostly at daddy!) and even gives us the occasional laugh. She's also doing much better at night, allowing mommy to get a bit more sleep. Syra might actually be a better baby than Samarah, which is pretty hard to believe. The only time she cries is when she's hungry or in need of a change. Aside from that, it's just a lot of soulful looks (which look an awful lot like frowns).

Ok, probably enough writing for one post. If you're still reading, here is the link to the pictures from last month. Enjoy!