2 and a half!

Hannah is 2 and half today! I just read her 18 month post here and WOW, so much has changed.

Hannah, some of your favorite activities right now are:

• Painting
• Going to school
• Playing with big boxes like they are houses
• Climbing
• Ring around the rosies
• Jumping 
• Swinging in a big girl swing
• Walks 
• Barbies and little princess dolls
• Making art
• "cooking" with sprinkles, rice, and anything that makes a huge mess
• The zoo
• Playing with teapots in the water
• Making sand castles
• Playdoh 

At two and a half you:

• Wear size 7 shoe
• Wear size 2T tops and 18-24 month bottoms
• Weigh about 25 pounds
• Are potty trained! (at 27 months)
• Still don't care for vegetables, but recently tried celery and liked it. You will eat carrots on occasion.
• Have a really extensive vocabulary and we pretty much just talk all day  (I can't believe on your 18 month post you only had 40-50 words and could "follow commands." Now you are giving us commands - ha!)

Things I love most about this age:

• That we really do just talk back and forth all day
• Your zest for life and how everything you do is done with a giggle
• How you are such a great big sister and love Ethan to pieces
• When you sing to your babies and you put 4 different songs into 1
• How when you can't see yourself in my rear view mirror you continually say: "I can't see myself" until I adjust it 
• How you've gotten more into "big girl" toys and books
• Watching you pretend play
• Watching your imagination develop
• When you see older girls or boys playing you always point it out and say: "mommy, big kids!"

What is difficult with this age:

• It's been extremely difficult watching you grow into a little girl this year. You aren't a baby anymore. 
• Some of the fusiness that comes with teeth, sharing, doing things yourself, etc.
• Letting you be independent and do things on your own, in your own timing when we're in a hurry. We've unbuckled carseats so you can strap them yourself, reopened doors so you could close them, unstrapped shoes so you can strap them....ya know, things I said I'd never do. 
• Staying at home all day. You get cabin fever EARLY in the day and it's tough sometimes.

Hannah-isms I don't want to forget:

• When we are leaving the house you always say "I'll get the door" and as Ethan and I are walking through you say: "Come on, little guys."
• You call your bathing suit a bathing soup
• For some reason whenever you open the back door by yourself you say: :"I'm a big boy!"
• Every time you got out the back door you say: "No, Jersey!" - even if Jersey isn't trying to come inside.
• You call your flip flops "gwip gwops"
• Any time I say we are leaving you say: "We going to Wal-Mart?"
• You still call Marley "Riley"
• You call all your Mary-Jane style shoes your tapping shoes
• When you fix my hair you always say: "sit still, mommy" (wonder if you've heard that a few times!)
• When I put something hot on your plate you say: "It hot, mommy? I blow on it."
• Whenever you ask someone a questions, you will answer it your self. 

              Example: "Ethan, you want a toy? OK!"

• Our conversation this week:

             Me:  Hannah, what color is your hair? 

             Hannah: Pink!

             Me: Oh, what color is mommy's hair?

             Hannah:  Brown. 

             Me: What color is Ethan's hair? 

             Hannah: Ranch!!

Hannah, the past couple of weeks I've gotten a glimpse of what life might be like after the "terrible two" stage is over.  You have been the sweetest little girl. You wake up with a smile and go to sleep laughing. Your heart is so full of love and you just explode with joy every day. You have always been obedient and we haven't had to discipline you much in your little life. What a blessing you are. I thank God for you multiple times a day. We love you little princess!