She's 2...

and she's good at it!

Shopping trips have become quite the adventure.

I've officially become that lady that people stare at as my child lies in the middle of the aisle throwing a tantrum.

Food seems to rarely make it to her mouth...

This was discovered in my dishwasher shortly after I finished congratulating her for being such a big girl and finishing her lunch.

and when it does, it's usually because it's sugar.

Most of "nap" time is actually spent peering out her door waiting for the right moment to make her escape.

Not only is it difficult to keep clothes on her, but lately even her diapers!

I know I said that I like to keep things modest, but I think a little bum action is pretty cute every now and then. And what, didn't you learn your ABC's in the buff?

She can be quite sassy.

Many inanimate objects have taken their turn in time-out. She's even been as bold as to tell mommy to go to time-out and to "say you're sorry."

Don't go calling Super-Nanny on me just yet though, because being 2 can also mean being good at being sweet and tons and tons of fun!

She has the most infectious laugh. It's this little cackle that just makes you smile.

She is always willing to help.

And it is appreciated even when the "help" isn't actually all that helpful.

She is so in love with "Care", and always treats her so sweetly.

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I asked her to help entertain Claire while I finished getting ready. She took the word "entertain" quite literally.

She keeps me up to date with the latest fashion trends.

Here she is showing us how care-bear stickers (very 80's) can be used as ginormous earrings (also very key to getting the 80's look just right).

She has such a tender heart.

She is always telling us how much she misses us...even if we're just in the next room. She'll run up and hug me and say, "I miss you mommy." The first thing she asks her daddy when he walks through the door is, "Are you okay, daddy?" And while watching Curious George she is always sure to shout "Be careful, George!" She'll even run up to the tv and kiss him better if he falls down.

She makes a great date.

She and I were able to go on a very special mommy-Reesey outing to see her very first movie in the theater ("Bolt"). She LOVED it. (Her daddy even made her her very own popcorn to sneak into the theater.)

She and I also went to her very first concert a few weeks ago--Disney Playhouse Live.

She was stunned to see that Mickey was "real."

The days filled with these fun and sweet moments sure are easy to love. It's just the type of days where I'm literally counting down the minutes until Tom walks through the door that I need a little help with.....

"If you're still in the process of raising children, be aware that the tiny fingerprints that show up on almost every newly-cleaned surface, the toys scattered around the house, the piles and piles of laundry to be tackled, will disappear all too soon, and that you will, to your surprise, miss them profoundly. Stresses in our lives come regardless of our circumstances. We must deal with them the best we can but we should not let them get in the way of what is most important, and what is most important almost always involves the people around us. Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved."
--Pres. Thomas S. Monson

"The biggest mistake I made [as a parent] is the one that most of us make. … I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs. There is one picture of [my three children] sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages six, four, and one. And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less.”

--Anna Quindlen

Although I'm continually learning how to love some of those crazy 2 year old moments, one thing is for sure...I don't need any help in learning how to love the actual little 2 year old. That part comes easy.