Thought process of a 2 year old

I get such a kick out of listening to Mary Elizabeth. It doesn't matter if it is listenting to her play with her "people" or sing along with the theme song from one of her favorite shows, or explain life events through her reasoning. This past weekend she was sick. It started Friday night shortly after we got home. I felt so horrible for the little peanut and told her so:

M.E.: My tummy hurts
Me: I'm sorry your tummy hurts --
M.E.: That's okay mommy
She can be so sweet.

After she had gotten sick a couple of times she explained it to me like this:

M.E.: I spilled my cough, mommy; I'm sorry

I had actually never thought of it that way, but to her she spilled her cough.

She also carries on entire conversations with and between her toys, it is so fun just to sit back and listen to her when she doesn't know you are paying attention -- it also shines a light onto what she is picking up within her environment when you don't realize she is paying attention.
It is quite a treat to get a glimpse into how her thought process operates. She is at that age where she freely talks about anything and everything that is going on and what ever she is thinking.

I love each and every stage they go through and although I miss each stage as it passes, I am always astounded by what comes next.

I go to school...

Mary Elizabeth goes to "school" (day care) every morning. We drop off Jason at high school, Mallorie at junior high, and then we go to school. She really likes her school. She tells me every day about her friends she played with and when we go by the baby room she lets me know whose baby is in there (some of her friends have younger brothers or sisters). Even after three other kids I am still amazed at how much they grow and develop in these first few years. This is her school picture this year. I cannot believe what a grown up little girl she is becoming. She wants to do so many things by herself and clearly lets you know if she doesn't want to do something. She sings songs and plays along and tries to be a part of whatever everyone is doing around the house.

Case in point -- this morning, because the other kids didn't have to go to school, I had to load all the Monday morning stuff in the car without help (boy do I like having that teenage help sometimes).

Mom: okay, I'm going to go put stuff in the car and get the car started...

ME: I want to put stuff in the car, too.

When I'm cleaning --

ME: What are you doing mommy?

Mom: I'm cleaning...

ME: I'm want to clean, too (I wonder how long that will last).

When something is cooking --

ME: I want to see, I want to see it cooking...

She also has her own opinion on how things should be --

ME: Tucker and Mookie are fighting...no fighting guys!!!

Mom: Should I put Mookie outside so they won't fight?

ME: Yes

Mom: Should I put one of the girls (Hannah or Mallorie) outside when they are fighting?

ME: Yes

She really doesn't like anyone fighting.

Mary Elizabeth continues to make herself heard and make her mark on the family scene.

Sneak Peek

Mallorie has the distinct advantage of having a sibling just one year older than her. She is constantly getting a sneak peek at what is coming next. For Hannah there is, of course, the possibility that things may change in the four years before she reaches the point Mallorie has just passed, but for Mallorie, whatever Jason is facing this year she can be pretty sure she is going to face next year.

So far this year he has given her a peek at just fairly routine stuff to expect when she reaches the high school, not unlike he did for junior high. This morning, however, he gave to her a level of anxiety she really hadn't anticipated. Now, remembering that Mallorie is a 15 year old girl and, by the way, let me remind you that four out of six of us get up and leave the house at about 7:15 a.m. (with just one bathroom), so mornings are not exactly a joy around our house in any event. Okay, this is how it went at the high school drop off at approximately 7:25

J: Oh, by the way, we start swimming in gym class today.

Need I really say more?

Tuck Everlasting...

This fall Mallorie brought home a new kitten. His name is Tucker. Here Mary Elizabeth is holding Tucker -- while holding her head back away from Tucker in a way that makes her look like she has 4 chins. When Tucker first arrived Mary Elizabeth just COULD NOT leave him alone. She was constantly trying to pick him up and cuddle him and pet him. We did teach her the correct way to pick up the kitten and kept encouraging her to simply sit next to him and pet him. We decided not to have Tucker's claws taken out. To begin with, we've had two cats decide, after having their claws removed, that they preferred to be outside cats. Of course, as I have previously mentioned, this lack of claws has never stopped either of them from doing their part to rid our neighborhood of the rodent population. Secondly, we really felt that Tucker could use his claws as a defense against Ruby (who loves to play "chase and catch" with anything that has four legs and fur that will run from her) and also from Mary Elizabeth.

Amazingly, with everything he goes through on a daily basis between "chase and catch" and the four chinned toddler constantly picking him up, Tucker has been very kind with his claws. Mary Elizabeth showed me a speck on her hand the other day that I nearly had to get a magnifying glass to see, and declared "Tuck Tuck scratched me." If she only knew what a real scratch was.

Tucker is a bit of a nut, though. He climbed our Christmas tree many times, both before and after it was decorated. When there is no tree in the house he sometimes starts at the bottom of a pant leg and climbs up one's back. He loves water -- in the tub, the kitchen sink, the Christmas tree stand. He actually seems to just get a kick out of splashing in the water and really doesn't care if he gets wet; and he is MOUTHY!!! Our other cat, Mookie, is mute. She can't make a sound (except for a hiss). Not a meow to be heard. Tucker, on the other hand, never shuts up!!! He talks to you constantly. When he isn't meowing, he's purring. Not a sweet little purrr -- no, it is a loud right in your ear purr at about four a.m.!!!

Tucker is a true "people" cat. He prefers to be right in the middle of things -- laying in my lap while I'm trying to knit, burrowing under the covers when I'm trying to sleep, and following me all over the house -- I did mention that this is Mallorie's cat, right.

The cutest thing, though, is when Mary Elizabeth and Tucker are both all tired out and they lay down on the loveseat and take a nap together -- occasionally Ruby even gives up "chase and catch" to join them.

New Year!!!!

Well, it's a new year. Yipeeeeeee!!! The holidays were great, I have no new pictures to share because for Christmas I gave my father a digital picture frame and took my camera card to put in to his frame, giving him two years worth of my favorite photographs. I downloaded all my pictures to my home computer, but at home I never seem to have the time to sit down and write.

We had a fantastic holiday season. I started early this year knitting a lot of my gifts for family and friends and ordering gifts on line. I don't think I set foot in the mall until two weeks before Christmas, and that was only for some last minute things and a little bit of atmosphere. Needless to say, we cruised happily through the holidays and I enjoyed every minute of it. We did some visiting, some hosting and spent a lot of time with family.

We're all back in to the regular swing of things now. The kids are back to a full week of school and Kevin and I are back to a full week of work -- let the madness begin all over again.