Daniel is two!

My little man has turned two!  My, how time flies around here!
I don't remember time going quite so fast with Emma.  I feel like this time around, I have missed a lot of his growing up.  Or maybe I just don't remember it.  With Emma, I felt like her baby stage lasted a long time, a very enjoyable time that I almost felt was permanent.  With Daniel, one moment he was a baby, and then he wasn't.

That being said, he is happy and healthy, and that is what really matters.  I divide my attention between two kids, so I probably spread myself thinner than I was when Emma was the only slice of bread.  He is talking up a storm, and has started having fewer tantrums, particularly since we went on holidays last month.  Spending all that time together as a family was good for us all, and brought us so much closer together.  I loved the all inclusive aspect of no cooking and no dishes too :)

As soon as we got back, the nanny was no longer available for a short while, and I put the kids in daycare.  They loved it, so we stayed with the daycare and I gave the nanny a generous severance allowance.  She was very good for us while we needed her, but at the moment Daniel needs stimulation, and he is thriving in the new environment.

Summer has come in our neck of the woods, i.e. although there is still a thick layer of snow on the ground, it will be gone next week, and the week after, although it will snow again, it probably will be short lived.  In another week, the trees will start budding leaves, and three days later they will look like they do all summer long, green and lush.  Half a day later the mosquitoes will appear, and five minutes later the sun will be up until midnight (so called midnight, but not quite night anymore).  The birds will be back, and the bears will wake up.  And then I won't be able to run in the forest anymore without my 1 lb bear spray banging into my thigh.  It will be a small price to pay for shedding the four layers of clothing for one simple tank top.

This weekend we are having a small birthday party for Daniel.  Both kids are getting their bicycles (if the local bike shop manages to order them in by then), and he is also getting a bag pack and a lunch box for daycare.  I am much more relaxed about kids' birthday parties.  I used to make everything from scratch, and now I buy hot dogs and order a cake and we have a good time anyway.  Much less stress, and less opportunity to lick icing, all of which should help my mental sanity.

As I am getting older, I find that I accept things as they are much more often.  I have less to prove, less to worry about.  I take life as it is, and try to learn from mistakes and move on.  I enjoy the moments of peace and closeness, without worrying much about what comes next.  I like being older.

Hopefully Daniel does too! Happy birthday dear sweet little man!