A long overdue update....

Okay okay, so I am the biggest slacker mom on the planet. This blog is, I'm embarrassed to say, almost a year overdue. Carly has changed so much since my last entry, so much that I could write a book here but I'll try to keep it focused on the highlights.

January

Carly started going to a new Montessori school and she is very happy there. The staff is great, she loves them and they love her. This month, she is Nemo, I am Dory and Sean is Marlin.

March

Carly went to her first Easter egg hunt at Firewheel Center. She had a ball collecting all the eggs she could find. Her love of reading is really kicking in, and she's sounding out words and recognizes some by sight. Still Nemo.

May

Carly turned three years old! We surprised her with her very own pink big girl bed and she was totally psyched. We took her to breakfast at Mimi's Cafe, then to Build-a-Bear where she created a rocker panda named Kaylee. Her big birthday surprise was a play called "If You Give a Pig a Party." She absolutely loved it and can't get enough of the theater. Later in the month we had her birthday party at The Little Gym. She and her friends had a really great time running around like little monkeys. Yep, still Nemo.

June

Carly started swimming again when the community pool opened. She was a bit tentative at first because she hadn't been swimming in over nine months. Within a week our little mermaid was the princess of the pool. By the end of the summer she was doing the crawl and the backstroke like a pro, thanks in part to the influence of the US Olympic Swim Team. Nemo, Nemo, Nemo.

July

Carly saw her very first fireworks display for Independence Day. We laid out our blanket and watched the fireworks for about a half hour. She thought they were really cool. We also had a great visit from Grandpa. He took her to Toys R Us where he bought her her very own drivable pink Jeep Wrangler for her birthday present. Carly loves cruising the neighborhood listening to tunes on the radio. We saw Wall-E, loved it, and now she is Wall-E and I am Eve. Carly is reading everything she can and can count indefinitely.

August

Carly counted down the days until her Aunt Kathy came to visit. She was so excited when that day came! We went to see Wall-E (for the seventh time) so Aunt Kathy would know all about Carly's favorite movie. Guess who she is? Wrong! We revisited the Meet the Robinson's DVD and Carly is now Goob big time. I am Mildred because Mildred takes care of Goob. Sean is Tiny the T-Rex, and Natalie is Carl the Robot. Carly is so into being Goob, that she writes that name on all of her schoolwork.

September

It's to the theater again for Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse. Our actress is now to be addressed as Lilly, and Sean and I are Daddy and Mommy Mouse. This kid just has to be on stage! We even went shopping for the perfect purple plastic purse. That obsession quickly changed when Carly latched on to being Bolt, and is so excited for the movie to come out in November. I am now Penny because Bolt is Penny's hero and they are best of friends. Sean is the hamster Rhino, and Nat is the cat Mittens.

This month also marked Carly's first experience of loss. We had to say goodbye to our dear cats Buster and Cricket, after 15 years of loving them. Carly misses them very much and has cried every night this week. She knows they aren't coming back but is comforted by remembering them and knowing how much they loved her too.

Carly is growing up right before our eyes. She seems to change by the hour and gets more and more amazing each time I blink. She is definitely her own person; independent and willful but still sensitive and kind. I do so love her.

More to come.