A Two Year Old

Miss Kara had her second birthday two weeks ago! We've been delinquent in blogging due to other life circumstance craziness, but this has also given me time to collect my thoughts on her new stage.

The good and the bad of it all seems to be summarized in one word...independence. It's just different sides of the same coin. Some of it makes me so proud, other times I need to go to my room and have a time out before I can deal with the issue.

We'll start with the bad side of this independence because that is what most people associate with a two year old. Last year there was a lot of focus on the word "disobedience". Big word, but Kara is very familiar with it. Well, we have noticed lately that her disobedience has morphed from something that was completely self-centered (I just want to get my own way) to something that is a bit insolent (you won't get your way). She will very confidently do the opposite of what we've asked, even if we give her options, and it is sort of a slap in the face. I can't tell you how much I need to check my own pride in these moments. We have a feeling the word for this year will be "disrespect". We even made up a nursery rhyme for her...

"Kary, Kary quite contrary,
Show me how you disobey,
By saying no, by ignoring mommy,
Or simply by running away."

This is pretty much the extent of the bad. Lee and I have just found ourselves in a place of needing to be more intentional, more humble, and more gracious than ever.

Now for the good of independence! Woohoo! Her most used phrases are "I do it," and "On my own". Some things are really helpful, others are just cute. Here are some things that I love...
She gets in the car seat by herself
She picks out her clothes in the morning (not always what I would pick, but it gives us all a good laugh)
She eats by herself
She tries to make her own food
She attempts to put on and take off her clothes
She tries to order her drinks and food at restaurants (she'll always let the waiter know when she needs a refill)
She wants to be potty trained (we'll start this in Ft. Worth)
She wants to sleep in big beds, eat big food, and do big people things
She is excited about doing chores as long as it's her idea
She helps take care of the dogs by feeding them and picking up after them (yeah, I know)
And there are probably other things I'm forgetting.

In summary, she is TWO!