Why I love two year olds, but more specifically, mine.

It's been a while...a year almost, but I am back again. I write mostly so I can remember and so one day I can show these posts to my kids. I am currently awake before my family, which hasn't happened much in the past year, but it is welcomed when it does. I was laying awake in bed thinking about why I feel 2 is the best age. I made myself get up to write it out, because I honestly never want to forget.
Am I alone when I ask God why he didn't create a PAUSE button or possibly a DO OVER button??? Since we don't have that luxury, I try to close my eyes in the moments I want to pause and try hard to be extremely present through them. Everything in me wants to remember every year of my children's lives, but we all know it sometimes just blurs together...so in an attempt to remember specifics about ella's second year of life...here I go!
Why do I love 2 year olds so much?? Well, I am convinced they are the cutest things on this planet. Show me a 2 year old and I will find something in them that is pause worthy or hysterical laughter worthy or at least "AWWWWW" worthy. Ella possesses those every single day. I get that I am bias, but I watch other people watch her and not a day goes by where she hasn't made someone else laugh, smile or at least chuckle to themselves. There is no other age where a child is learning to be independent but is still, quite honestly, a baby. Ella can string together little adorable sentences. She can state her dislike for something, try to climb a jungle gym alone, attempt to put her own boots on and then at 1 o'clock curl up into a ball in my arms, stick her fingers in her mouth, and fall asleep. How can you not love nap time?
Her love for babies is unmatched. She will march around the house with a baby in her arm or push them around in a stroller. She also loves real babies and baby animals. Don't believe me? Take her swimming, she will spend half the time trying to swim free from your arms (because 2 year olds are invincible) and the other half pointing out every baby in the pool. "AWWWWWW BABY!!!!!" as she points and gets this tiny little scrunchy face. She just loves them. We recently had a 1 month over at our house and I think she spent the entire visit yelling, "I hold it! I hold it!" while jumping up and down like a mad man. Baby animals are next, you don't need to teach someone that babies are cute, it really is just instinct.
She thinks she can feed herself. Somewhere over the past year, we have progressed from assisted eating to independent eating. She wants nothing to do with you giving her food when she is perfectly capable to feed herself. She is getting a lot better, but I'll never understand how yogurt ends up covering every inch of her face! But, I love this so much because it means I get to eat my food while it's still hot! I don't have to try to stuff bites in between her bites anymore! And baby yogurt faces really are the cutest.
The girl has got moves. I have yet to meet a 2 year old who doesn't know how to dance. It's because they don't care what anyone thinks. They hear the music and they dance. They don't care where they are, the grocery store, the mall, the gas station, the bank, church, it doesn't matter because they don't know what public shame is yet...so they just dance. My daughter loves a good beat, and when she hears it, rest assured she will be dancing, unless she just woke up because she likes to be a grouch for a few minutes.
Her sentences make me want to record everyday of her life and just sit and watch it back over and over. We make her repeatedly say the things that are too cute for life itself. She says, "cary bida" (scary spider) and "peda buda" (peanut butter) in the cutest way ever. I don't care if you are the angriest person on the planet, these words are sure to make you smile. She recently tried to correct me as I took her little mug from her hand, "Mama you no touch that, okayyyyyyy?" and when she is done eating she will say, "I no wan it" and flick her hand to motion to take it away. So much sass in a little body, but I want to raise a girl who can stand up to people and say what she thinks, kindly of course, so we will work on that!
Dressing her up is one of my current joys. This girl can rock any outfit and it is so fun to put them on her. Yesterday at the pool, she marches out with her pink fishy swimming cap, frilly pock-o-dot swim suit and her water wings...that cuteness is unmatched. I actually walked behind her as she proudly marched out into the pool area, because I had to see that cuteness in its entirety. Also, I have yet to hear someone say that a 2 year old in a full piece snowsuit with hat, mitts and boots, is not adorable. The waddle is second to none. I have a little too much fun with dresses, shoes and hair bows... but all my hobbies can't always be fruitful, ok??
I can still put Ella in my carrier, which is one of my favourite things. I love to take my kids on walks, Isaac has become a great walker but Ella is still figuring it out. I don't know what it is about putting my kids in carriers, but it has to be in my top five favorite parts of being a mom. I love holding them close. I love that she will rest her head down, grab a fist of hair and just be content. She will also still fall asleep, which is pretty much the best ever. We missed their first year of their lives and I feel like my carriers have allowed me to gain back some of that lost time. Resting my cheek on that soft, curly fro fills me with joy. Ella is so loving and sweet, I am so happy I've gotten to carry her everywhere for a year.
She has learned how to love back. I am going to end with this one, although I feel I could write all day. This has been one of the biggest blessings for me. Our kids were scared and did not show much affection for their first year home. But, the more we gave, the more they learned. It has been the most rewarding experience to begin to receive love back. Ella will wrap her little arms around my neck and just squeeze. I don't even care that I am partially being choked out, I am just in awe at her ability to learn how to love back. She will say, " I lub you!" and she gives the sweetest kisses. She doesn't hand them out too regularly so when you get one that you didn't ask for, it is precious.
Well, there are some of my top reasons why 2 year olds are the best. I remember saying when Isaac was 2, that I wanted to have a 2 year old in my house forever. I know that isn't possible, but I will be eating up this next year with my daughter and then every year that follows... because whatever age my kids are, is also my favourite age :)