We had a pretty major scare when visiting the Denver Science Museum this summer. We were exploring the extensive dinosaur exhibit. Holli found a dinosaur she wanted to show Ian, and she told Ainsley to go by Daddy. Ainsley set off on her way to find a father that was not in the direction she was headed. When Miles came around a corner to find Holli and Ian, the obvious question was asked: where's Ainsley?

Panic overtook everyone. We scoured the multi-level exhibit, first calling her name, then shouting it. All while trying to keep Ian apace and calm. We wound our way up and down staircase after staircase, through serpentine, dimly lit hallways, but it was clear she was gone from the exhibit hall. Holli made her way out of the exhibit, searching out an employee to raise the alarm. When she arrived, a Good Samaritan was talking to the same employee there, Ainsley in tow. After a tearful reunion, a new family rule was drafted: eye contact is required for every child swap.

This is an incident that Ainsley recalls with a certain amount of detachment. "Mommy was sad," she says.

Ainsley reached a major milestone this year when she became potty trained. Careful allotments of Skittles (and plenty of enthusiastic praise) helped her get the hang of it. Next, we'll work on staying dry overnight, but we're taking it one excrement-related victory at a time.

This past year, Ainsley got her first haircut. The experience was anxious but tearless (unlike Ian's first). It was just a trim. Although she's asked for a haircut dozens of times, Ainsley is an ardent fan of her long hair (like Elsa), and she was relieved that the operation was a simple trim.

Said Ainsley: "I told mommy on the drive I would cry, but when we got there, I didn't cry."

For her third birthday, Ainsley got her first bike, a Frozen-themed bike complete with tiara helmet. She showed some aptitude for it this summer after climbing onto Ian's bike and making some successful, unguided circuits around the driveway. It wasn't until September, though, that she would get a two(ish) wheeled vehicle of her own.