Lindsey Paige Turns One Today!

I'll be honest. I've been procrastinating about putting a post on here about a year in review. Just the thought of trying to condense this past year into one post seems daunting, at best. Besides - who wants to spend too much time in retrospect, when we can look forward to all the awesome things 2011 has to bring. Like, for instance, our little girl turning one.

Can you believe it? I'm so filled with pride and joy for Miss Lindsey Paige. Our Lulu. Our LP. She's a girly girl at heart, but filled with the energy and strength needed to keep up with her big brother. Who she worships. And who loves her from head to toe. Want to see Ryan move? Let him hear his sister cry. He springs into action, without any prompting from us, and finds her the toy he knows will calm her down. It's not always the same toy, but I'm betting it's sibling intuition that lets him know which one she'll need.

Ever wonder what love sounds like? Spend some time listening to Lindsey giggle at her big brother, who has mastered the art of physical comedy. He'll throw himself on the floor 20 times over just to hear his sister giggle and squeal til she's red in the face and nearly out of breath.

She's picking up more words as we round the corner and look year one right in the face. Mama and Dada still top the list, but coming in a close second - Nana, short for the beloved ba-nana. She seems to use it in reference to food in general, but certainly knows what bananas are - and would eat them all day if we let her.

She's a speed walker. It took her a little longer to gain interest and skill in the walking department - and it was slow going at first. She looked like Frankenstein, waddling through the house with her hands straight out in front of her for balance. Now? Look out. She'll run you down if you're in her way. She is a girl on a mission - foreshadowing to the future perhaps?

She's independent and opinionated. Honestly, we have no clue where she got such traits. Nevertheless, she constantly lets us know what she wants and (more loudly) what she doesn't want. Lately, she doesn't want milk. We get sneaky and slip it to her on occasion, but for the most part - she chugs water at every meal. And that's fine by us.

She's funny. Damn, she's funny. Both she and Ryan have comedic timing and a sense of humor that most people never, ever seem to aquire. How our cheeks don't hurt at the end of each day is beyond me. Maybe they're so used to the workout, we just have well-toned cheeks.

She's perfect. Not literally, none of us are, but perfect for our family. She completes the puzzle and makes us whole. Happy Birthday, Lindsey!

And now, without further delay, the moment I've been waiting for! I give you, Lindsey Paige, month by month.