Minttu is Two

Somehow, without me even noticing... Minttu stopped being a baby and became a little girl. And a little girl with attitude!  Yesterday she celebrated her second birthday in style.

She enjoyed an ice cream party with several of our friends and was lucky to receive lots of lovely presents too.

Minttu opening presents with Manu

In English, we refer to the "terrible twos." If you have never heard of that expression, you can guess what it means.

Minttu definitely has a little bit of that too, as I saw when we were in a cafe today and she threw her sandwich on the floor, then smeared cream all over her hands and the table. That was after screaming when I tried to do her hair. And when Minttu screams you can hear her in Turku.

But she is also one of the biggest reasons that it is worth getting up in the morning.

My lovely friend Elvi

Anyone who is a parent knows how quickly those first years go and how important it is to savour each childhood moment (even when they are screaming!)

My hopes for Minttu are that she never loses that naughty sparkle in her eye, that she always enjoys good health and that she receives as much joy as she already brings to others every day. And I also hope that she still has her two-year-old spirit when she is Elvi's age.

Anne and Vuokko

As someone wrote on my Facebook page a few days ago... sometimes if you want to understand life you need to talk to a two-year-old, and if you look at the glint in Minttu's little eyes, I think that is probably very good advice.

Minttu and some of our friends