Who's a big girl now?

Look up, Sydney. Way up. That's where you just climbed. Three times.

Call it a rite of passage. Sydney is now fearless enough to climb through the giant maze at McDonald's Playland and come down the big slide. Note that I did not say she was big enough. She still needed the help of her brother twice, and a stranger once, to climb over one of the hurdles needed to reach the opening to the slide. But it was a relief to see her come shooting out the bottom. (I confess, it was also a bit of a disappointment. I love going down that slide, and having to rescue your child is a perfectly acceptable excuse for an adult to share in the fun.)

Sydney suddenly seems to have developed into a phase that's post-toddler/pre-preschool. This weekend also marked her first party invitation that didn't involve one of her brother's friends. It was from a nice young gentleman named Carter, who turns two on Sunday. Apparently Carter talks about Sydney as much as AJ talks about his friend Hanna. When we walked in the door and were introduced to Carter's family, his grandma said, "Oh, so THIS is the Sydney we hear so much about."

I'm not sure I'm ready for this. Though, I am enjoying the perks. Carter's family had rented an inflatable bouncy cage-type thing for the party. And Sydney insisted I go in there with her. Which was almost as fun as the slide at McDonald's Playland.