She's two. And it shows.

Lia is so good at being two.  Really really good at being two.  Apparently I have forgotten how to tuck her in to bed properly, how to dress her in clothing that isn't too big (or too tight, itchy, loose, scratchy, hot cold, etc, etc, etc) , and how to fix her hair because she informs me of the correct way incessantly...  sigh.  She has perfected the exact pitch and tone of voice for whining that makes my ear bleed.  "No" is her response to everything, even if she actually does want the item.  If she is given two choices, she will pick secret option number 3... every time.  I'm not sure if it is blood sugar or what, but when she is hungry, watch out!  Most of the fall apart moments we have happen to be about food "NO LIA NO WANT THAT NOW!" when I know that she would feel better if she would just eat.  She loves having the full attention of any loving adult and thrives when her "cup" is full.

Lia loves to paint and do any sort of art project.  She wants to paint ALL THE TIME - this is by far one of her favorite activities.  She has recently started playing more imaginative games (which is so cute I could cry).  "Lia making snack for Sydney Mama - hot, don't touch (which is a pile of leaves on a plate).  Going to the store now (gets in little tikes car with the snack) be right back Mama!  (gets out of the car and walks over to me putting her face directly in front of my face and says very seriously) be right back Mama okay? Lia go to the store."  Cue lump in throat.

First thing each morning she comes downstairs and says "bood muning mama" and goes to each of her sisters and says "bood muning baby" while stroking their heads (and again, I could cry...).  She lives for "muffin dates" and "going to the store, more stores please?"  She is testing boundaries and when she is breaking a rule, she says "hi!   hi!  hi!" in a particular voice that means "hey, look at this... is this okay?  look what I'm doing!"  and usually it is something that she probably shouldn't do - like covering herself (and the large section of floor around her) in baby powder...  Again - she is really good at being two.

Her favorites of the moment are trains and train tracks, water play, baby dolls, swinging, painting, and balloons.  She is not an overly picky eater and will try new things readily, but will also spit them right back out if she doesn't like them followed by "Lia no like ababado (avocado) YUCK. I don't want THAT"  Her favorite foods are pb&j, cheese, bread, fruit snacks, blackberries, popcorn, blueberries, yogurt, eggs, and most recently watermelon.  She still loves to dip things in sauces and if I can add a sauce to her plate, odds are she will eat more food.  She does not like to eat meat, beans, broccoli, chips, or avocado.  She LOVES bacon but never actually swallows it - just chews it up and spits it out.  See - right back at the the fact that she is two...  many things remain a mystery.

Todd and I were looking back at videos of Lia when she was little and were amazed at the similarities that we saw in her personality and mannerisms from way back then.  In the video below, Lia is about 10 months old.

The video itself is pretty boring unless you are a superfan of little miss, but around the 36 second mark and beyond she makes some facial expressions and little smiles that we still see today.

Then, there is the same little giggle:

Above all else, having a two year old is pretty awesome because we are seeing all the things she has learned and her own personality be put into action.  She is a spunky, witty, caring, endearing, and creative little kiddo.

Then, to top off this blog post about living with a two year old, Todd and I were sent these hilarious videos from youtube and were completely cracking up in hysterics.  This is our life.  Played out in the funniest way we've seen in a long time.

There is a whole series of them, so if you also live with a two year old I bet you will be sucked in and will watch all of them (not that I did that or anything....)