Blast from the past

I spent most of the day at the graduation and subsequent graduation party of a cousin's daughter. Nothing makes you feel older than going to the graduation of a beautiful young woman, who you've known since she was a bouncy four year old child. We had an absolute blast, but I am tired and sunburned.

Since this weekend will probably be dead on the Internet, I thought I'd post something from my original blog. One of our cousins has a 20 month old and it reminded me how much fun that age is. Bailey will be five in July people. Five. Like five years old. I look at her and it shocks me how big she is. I still picture that little toddler who I wrote this post about, instead of my big girl, who will be done with pre-school on Wednesday. So, here we go.

My assumption is that this was originally written sometime in Fall, 2006.

The things I love about two year olds

You know, two year olds get such a bad rap. Yes I know they deserve it a lot of the time, you know with the constant tantrums and no's and never seeming to know what they actually want...unless it is cookies and jelly beans. All of this and way more give two year olds a bad rap, but there are things about having a two year old that I adore. I thought I'd share the loveliness of having a two year old.

I love toddlers dancing. Mine dances in the mall, the grocery store, in an elevator, in the car and anywhere else where there is music. Last night while waiting for our to-go order, she made me play the songs on my phone. She danced to all of them. She (and her sister) love to show me their "moves", which vary from actual dance moves to stuff she's made up to a lovely booty shake to gymnastics. Now both of my girls are great dancers and have complete rhythm, but even when toddlers don't, it is still cute.

I love the fact that everything can be made into a story and that stories don't have to end with happily ever after and be word for word like it does when you are four almost five years old. I can tell her a story about a woman with a cell phone talking to a dinosaur about which shoes he'd like to buy and even if I'm holding a Thomas the Tank engine book, she is okay with my story.

I love watching their chubby legs run. I love that they love their chubby legs and love nothing more than to have you tickle them and tease them about them.

I love the sing song voice they have when they are doing something they know you don't want them to be doing. "I doin nothin Mama", in a singsong voice cracks me up every time.

I love that they clap for themselves when they learn something new.

I love when they say, I hold you, because it means they want you to hold them and cuddle with them. I even love the words, I hold you, because it shows that they really know who it benefits the most.

I love slobbery kisses and bear hugs and how they wrap their whole body around your legs.

I love that they don't care if they match or if you give them a Pebbles hairdo every day.

I love shopping in the toddler section of stores. I will be so sad when I have to move to the slutty bigger girl section.

I love Jammie's with feet and clean toddlers in them.

I love that they still have some baby qualities, like rolly elbows and chubby thighs, but you are starting to see that they look like little people.

I love how they speak, not quite right, but getting the hang of it. I love that the middle of the ABC's are all lumped together and that they say things like Nem, Nems instead of M&M's. And they have no problem with you correcting them or deciding it is so cute that you repeat it.

I love that they are so active that you think you might have a heart attack trying to keep up, but when they crash they do it quickly, sometimes falling asleep sitting up.

I love that they do everything whole heartedly, whether that is a tantrum or playing.

I love that they love to hold your hand and sit in your lap, the second you need to actually be doing something.

I guess that's good for now. But I really do love two year olds. What do you love about two year olds?