Almost Two

Katelyn has been... challenging lately. Don't get me wrong; I feel like the luckiest woman in the world that I get to be her mother, but man-- age two (almost) is HARD! She's a bit unpredictable. One day she is an angel, and the next day will be filled with time-outs, tantrums, and tears. She wants SO BADLY to express herself and be independent and as I've mentioned before, she is very strong-willed. As am I. We are growing together.

At school she made a clown face and, unlike her classmates' clowns, her clown has a frowny face. I know it wasn't intentional, but it makes me laugh because it very much depicts her mood lately.

Also, meet Susie, Katelyn's new sidekick. She has actually had Susie since Christmas but never really noticed her until now. The funny thing about Susie is how she came to be a part of our lives. One day Katelyn showed slight interest in the doll and Dave asked what her name was. Katelyn responded with a blank stare, so Dave said, "Is her name... Susie?" And the rest is history. Personally, I'm a big fan of Susie because when I can't get Katelyn to do something, Susie comes to my rescue. After all, Susie likes to behave like a big girl, eat dinner, and pick up her toys.

Susie rode with us to school because she was "coughing" and Katelyn needed to "comb her hair." Leaving Susie in the car seat reading a book was the only way I could pry her away from Katelyn when it came time to go inside.

Recently we went to Annabelle's dance recital. Now, I had explained to Katelyn that Annabelle was going to be on stage and we were going to watch her dance, but as my mom pointed out, Katelyn had no frame of reference for what that meant. And as Dave predicted, Katelyn was NOT happy that she couldn't go play with Annabelle on stage. Devastated and hysterical, in fact. Of course, we took her out in the foyer for the remainder of the recital and Christy even arranged for us to see Annabelle backstage while another group was performing. But until the recital was over and she actually got to be WITH Annabelle, Katelyn was a mess. "Annabelle!!!! See Annabelle!!!!" At least she was screaming for a good cause.

That night around 1 a.m., I heard Katelyn running down the hallway. She has never gotten out of bed before, so I was immediately alarmed. She was a little groggy but was all smiles. Being a gifted sleepwalker myself, I concluded that she was sleepwalking and put her back to bed. The next morning I asked what she was doing in the hallway. Katelyn thought for a minute, smiled, and simply said, "See Annabelle."  :)

Baby Zoe

I'm a little late posting this. Katelyn has a new cousin, Zoe. She loves talking about Zoe and asks on a daily basis if Zoe is sleeping. My favorite comment is when she pointed to Jesus her Nativity scene snow globe and said, "Baby Zoe." Haha.

I love this picture. Such personality in those pigtails!

Since Katelyn and Annabelle go to the same school, sometimes we see them at pick-up time in the afternoons. Such was the case a few weeks ago and we couldn't resist taking pictures.

Painting

So, Katelyn loves to paint. I mean, she REALLY loves to paint. We've been doing it a lot lately, and I've realized that if we don't get the paints out frequently, she'll "paint" using unconventional methods, such as with applesauce or lotion. Watercolors it is, then! Here are some pictures taken over several different days of painting:

I love how she's sitting IN her painting.

This child never sits still and rarely maintains focus on anything... but painting is serious business.

And then she discovered that her little arm makes a perfect canvas.

Toddler tattoo sleeve?

While happily singing "E-I-E-I-O," she hiked up her pants and began painting her feet and legs.

A brush is helpful when painting a beard...

...but fingers work just as well.

And finally, proof that some paint DOES actually end up on the paper. I promise I didn't help her with this AT ALL, except to tell her when she needed more water or paint on the brush. I love it, and I LOVE having a creative, messy child!