dimples

she still has dimples along her knuckles, which is my official way of telling whether they are still babies or not. i'm thankful for those dimples because, though ava is not yet 2 years old, she is growing up faster than seems appropriate for someone so small. she wants to grow up, and i am merely chasing after her, out of breath, yelling, "slow down!" to this she responds by turning her head, flashing her little white teeth at me and then laughing while she careens steadily on toward becoming a big kid.

she knows better than this, but by now she is used to being scolded for whatever naughtiness she has gotten into, then smiling for the camera that i pull out straightaway to capture the event. my boys were 3 years old before i could count on dry undies and no more diapers, but this little one is determined to blow their potty training records out of the water!

she can throw a ball better than one of her siblings (i won't mention any names) and already is perfecting the art of pedaling a tricycle. when tristan goes down the end of our lane to gather the trash cans once the truck has been by to empty it, she goes right along with him and wheels a can nearly twice her size back to the house with ease.

its true that we all dote on her a bit....but how can we not? she is the forever baby, our only girl, the spunkiest and brightest little star who cannot let more than a few seconds of silence go by before filling them with her chatter or made-up songs.

she smells like sunshine and she is in love with the world. she is, by far, my happiest little accident.