Life with Lydia is Lovely and Laughter-full!

People always told me that 2 year olds were difficult. When Lydia was two I figured they were all crazy or I just had an angel of a two year old. Lydia has never colored on the walls with crayons or markers or flushed wrong things down the toilet. She is super obedient and I can even jump in the shower and leave Emmett on a blanket on the floor and she will just bring him toys and safely play with him until I'm done. I've decided age two for little girls is perfect . . . but then they hit two and a half and become DRAMA QUEENS! Wow! I thought hormones didn't kick in for girls until they were 12 or 13 but no, it is two and a half! Lydia is still a delight but boy can she whine and when she's really upset with something she leans towards overly dramatic. Once in a while she will even dramatically spin a graceful circle and throw herself to the floor while saying "Boo Hoo, Boo Hoo!" While we are working on teaching her more effective ways to communicate I'll spare you the drama and tell you about some of the great things she's doing at age two and a half! Her vocabulary is amazing and I don't think there is much she can't say. Of course there are still a few words that might take some getting used to. I'll list a few below with their interpretations:
Marnkar = harmonica
Pinkin = picnic
Hoscouch = hopscotch
All My Byself = all by myself
When talking about Dad she'll also say "All His Byself!"
Cowtapitter = Caterpillar
Goopy = goofy ("Daddy you're so goopy!")
Now add her cute little squeaky voice and you realize why I will probably cry when she finally starts to say things correctly, It's So Darn Cute! The best part is that she thinks she's saying it correctly so if we imitate how she says it she will try to correct us. For example she said, "Hey Dad let's go down the TAIRS (stairs)." So Dan said, "you want to go down the tairs?" "No, Dad, the TairSSSS!" She knew that there was an S missing and soon enough she'll figure out where it goes. In addition to her super cute vocabulary she has become quite the performer and loves to Sing lately. Among her favorites are Old MacDonald, Row Your Boat and I am a Child of God. She likes to sing everything, all the time and anywhere! Two mornings ago she was sleeping on her princess air mattress next to our bed (that's part of the drama section we don't want to go into! But honestly why is it that once our baby starts sleeping through the night our toddler stops?). She woke up popped right up to a sitting position and started singing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star!" Dan and I did a double take and then tried not to let her see us dying with laughter! My other two favorite current Lydisms are: 1- Her pursuit of Christmas and 2- Her curiosity.

A short while ago we were at the store and I bought a game and movie that were on sale. When we got home she wanted to play her "new game" and I explained that those were Christmas presents. My sweet friend Michelle Christensen always amazed me because she was done with her Christmas shopping in October and was able to enjoy the Holiday Season so much more. Thus I've been motivated to finish my Christmas gifts by the end of this month (wish me luck)! Anyways, after I explained to Lydia when Christmas was and what it was all about she said, "Mom it's Christmas now! Can I have my presents?" Nice try Lydia. Well she is a persistent little one and at least every other morning since then she will try to convince me that it is Christmas. The other day she ran to the window and said, "Wow Mom, look outside it is cold. Brrrr! It's Christmas!" Nice try Lydia. And then yesterday, "Mom, Auntie Em is coming today to have Christmas with us!" Nice Try Lydia. "Look Mom it's sunny . . . can it please be Christmas?"

Lastly, her sincere and cute curiosity. We have officially entered the world of inquisition. Recently while on a walk I told Lydia that if she chose not to obey then in the future we wouldn't be bringing fruit snacks on our walks. She suddenly asks me, "Mom what does Future mean?" Wow, I never realized how hard it is to explain the concept of Future in toddler words. Then two days later we passed a policeman on our walk and I mentioned that policemen help keep us safe. Lydia responded with, "Like a Doctor?" To which I explained the different ways they both helped us and somehow I used the word Law. Yep, Lydia's next response was, "Mom what's the Law?" I think I answered that one a little better then future. Less words and less explaining seemed to do it! Then last night after her tubby Lydia looks at me all serious and asks, "Mom why do you have a neck?" This one was fun to answer. I told her to imagine if our heads just sat on our shoulders (isn't that a funny picture)! Necks are so important to hold our head up and make it so we can turn them and look around. She seemed satisfied with that and proceeded to ask me, "Mom what do if have no legs?" and "What do if have no elbows?" and "Mom what's my nose for?" Well, she definitely keeps me thinking!