Maggie had her 3rd birthday a couple weeks back. It was a transition of a few days for her.

She had a family party (she got her requested mac&cheese, olives, and broccoli) two days in advance,

then spent the day of in her car seat on our roadtrip to Utah,

and proceeded to spend several days insisting that she was still two. I’d say “You’re three now, you already had your birthday.” She’d reply “NO! Nuhnuhnuhnuh no. Not yet. I had a party and SOON I’ll be three.” We tried to sing Happy Birthday to her and she screamed “Not YET!” We had cupcakes for her and she said “just a little longer.” My parents called on the evening of her birthday and she cried and screamed and wouldn’t be consoled when they started to sing to her.

Finally, about a week later, we got a second set of cupcakes and she consented to finally let us sing to her and she blew out the candles and reconciled herself (mostly) to the idea of being three. Now she agrees that she’s three most days.

I love Maggie.  I’m grateful for her every day.

Maggie loves to dance right now.  For her, dancing means either running in place or turning in circles until she’s dizzy.  She dances any time she hears anything she thinks is music, whether it’s a drum beat, classical music, rap, or kids’ music.  It’s so cute!

Maggie loves to color, or “lolor” as she says it, and I need to hide all my ball-point pens because she keeps writing on herself.  Just now, I gave her a pen and paper and said “Only on paper, Maggie.”  She grinned, colored on the paper, stuck her leg out from under her dress, looked at me with an impish smile, and started drawing on knee.  Cute?  Yes.  But how do I get her to stop!  And how do I keep from grinning back at her?