My Two-Year-Old Darling (Yeah Right)

Paige is taking to being a two-year-old just like a fish to water.  Therefore, once again, Greg and I are reminded of the astronomical amount of patience required for raising children.  Some days, we are blessed with the proper amount, and other days, well...we fall astronomically short.  Just a few of her latest:

• Whenever we ask her to come (even for pleasant things such as getting in her high chair to eat - that girl loves to eat), she turns around and starts running as fast as she can in the opposite direction - while laughing hysterically.
• She torments Macy to no end.  Whenever Macy is playing with something, Paige watches like a hawk, and as soon as Macy turns her back, Paige swoops in, grabs the Polly Pocket or tea cup or stuffed animal, and runs to her room screaming "Mine!  No Macy, No!"
• Whenever she isn't quite ready for a nap or bedtime, she likes to throw everything out of her crib, take off ALL of her clothes, and jump.  Occasionally, she'll wear herself out and fall asleep - completely and utterly naked!  
  
• Why walk on the sidewalk???  Instead, she thinks it is endless fun to race out the front door into the street, giggling with pride for her naughtiness.  
• Potty Training = Making Mom CRAZY!  Two months ago, Paige was having maybe one accident a week.  Now, she can seriously wet her pants three times in an hour and not bat an eye.  She hasn't had a #2 accident in months, but she has reverted something terrible with #1, and she could CARE LESS!!!  She just smiles, with wet pants and a puddle on the floor, and says, "Mommy, I need to go potty."  What makes me absolutely nuts is the fact that she can do it, she just doesn't care to do it.  I have packed a changed of panties and clothes in my purse for four months now, and she has never...not EVER...had an accident in public.  She can hold it for hours, and she actually tells me before she goes if we are in the grocery store or library.  But at home, you can just forget it!  She doesn't care!  Arggg!  It makes me want to cry to think of three babies in diapers.  

Okay, okay, she still does some pretty cute things.  The other day, she spent about an hour in her room nursing her sick stuffed animals and babies.  She gathered up pillows from various beds in the house, put the sick little darlings on the pillows, and then got every, single baby blanket out and tucked them in.  She then took a pretend baby bottle and fed each and every one of them.  

We went to temple square on Friday and ate dinner at Little America afterward.   Before we left, we ran to the bathroom.  As we were washing our hands, there was another woman washing her hands.  She had a short hairstyle where it was kind of spiked in the back.  Paige laughed and said, "Mom, that lady has crazy hair."  (I tell her this when she wakes up from a nap and her hair is out of control.)  Luckily, I don't think the woman could understand her.  

We had the Easter Bunny on Saturday morning this year.  He gave each child a package of Peeps.  Paige walked up to Greg and asked, "Is this chocut?"  Greg explained that it was marshmallow and not chocolate.  She looked at it, set it down, and walked away.  I mean, if it isn't chocolate, what's the use?  Why waste the calories?

Yesterday, Paige walked up to me and said, "Mommy, I all done."  I said, "All done with what?"  She answered, "The shoes."  Then, she took me by the hand and led me into Macy's room.  This is what I found:

These include all of the shoes that she and Macy currently wear, have grown out of, and some that have been passed down and will fit them in a couple of months.  I think we may have shoe issues.  

I feel like my theme song should be "I Will Survive."  The sad thing is that I've always said that I think age 3 is WAY more difficult than age 2.  I guess I'll just keep singing!

* Pictures courtesy of Jen.  Except for the shoe picture; that one is courtesy of Greg!