Most Days We Love Her...Other Days We Want to Sell Her to the Circus

So, Aslynn just walked up to me, extended her right hand for me to shake and said, "Hello!  Nice to meet you!" This is one of those times that I don't want to sell her to the circus.   

This post is going to be made up of random Aslynn antics. 

She is talking like a crazy person!  Complete sentences come out of her mouth on a regular basis. 

Over a month ago our little family was driving home (and it was past Z's bedtime) and I casually mentioned to Luke (and not even in a loud voice) that it when we got home we needed to put Aslynn to bed.  A couple of minutes after I told him that, a little voice called to me from the back seat: "Mom!  No Aslynn bedtime! No bed!" That's our daughter, ladies and gentlemen, the eavesdropper - and she's not even two yet.

Aslynn loves to color. We color a lot; Aslynn likes it best when someone colors with her.  She will give you the color she wants you to use and tell you where to color. Have I mentioned that she is kind of bossy?  The only problem with coloring is that Z likes to break her crayons in half.  The above picture was taken after her crayons were rescued from a half-full water bottle and left out to dry for a bit.

She loves grilled cheese as much as her mother does. She likes to sit on the counter and watch me make our grilled cheese sandwiches and say things like, "Wow! Cool! Cooking!" Also, in this house, we eat our grilled cheese - ONLY if it is made with Kraft singles - with a fork.

Random information (mostly for posterity): Our grilled cheese that we dip in tomato soup (mixed with milk, NOT water) and do not eat with a fork is made like this: slice of buttered bread, light layer of Miracle Whip, Tillamook cheese, slice of deli ham, more Tillamook cheese, slice of buttered bread (Luke likes Miracle Whip on that second slice.  I don't; it's a bit much for me.)

Z and her daddy have a bedtime routine that consists of saying her prayers (which she can say almost completely by herself, without Dad's help) and being snuggled while rocking in the rocking chair in her room and singing songs.  "Give Said the Little Stream" is her favorite and she will sing it with him. 

If I put her to bed, we do the same routine, but sing different songs.  She won't let me sing the same songs Luke does so she asks me to sing the "Boat song" which is actually "Hushabye Mountain" (my favorite lullaby).   

A month or so ago I bought Z eight Disney Princess figurines.  They are all about three inches high and she LOVES them.  She takes at least two everywhere.  She now knows all eight princesses' names.  My personal favorite is how she says Snow White, "Sun Lite."  As you can see from the picture above, our princess has to sleep with an entourage - her bear, "Simba," two princesses (Ariel and Cinderella in this case) and a baby.  Everyone must be covered by the blanket.   

One of the reasons we sometimes want to sell Aslynn to the circus is when she says, "Huh?" to everything you say to her.  Us: "Aslynn go find your jammies." Z: "Huh?"  Us: "Do you love me?"  Z: "Huh?"  Us:  "Want to go shopping?" Z: "Huh?"  You get the idea.  She's not deaf; she either suffers from selective hearing or she can't think of anything witty to say.    

The next two pictures were taken by a friend at the park.  Aslynn and her play date friends decided that the playground was boring and the skate park was better.

When you ask Z how old she is, she says, "eight months."  We've been working on having her say, "two years" but so far all she'll say is "two months."  Where did she get this month thing?  Has she been eavesdropping on my conversations when I tell people that she's ____ months old?

Aslynn is getting really good at singing.  She can listen to a song on the radio and by the end she will be singing parts of the chorus.  She loves to sing "Ring Around the Rosy" including the second verse which goes like this: "Cows are in the meadow eating buttercups.  Thunder, lightning, we all stand up."  Watching her do all the spinning and the actions to the song is the best part!

Our house isn't that big, but I still lose our daughter in it on occasion.  I am also lazy so I just end up screaming, "Aslynn!  Where are you?  What are you doing?!"  Lately Z responds with, "Reading a book!"  and I can go find her in a corner of her room doing just what she told me she was doing.  As a woman who reads too much, I am so proud!

A couple of nights ago she wanted to play with her kitchen (which is in the garage until I take the time to clean it) and we told her she needed to find some shoes so her feet wouldn't get cold.  Three minutes later I heard the door to the garage open and close.  I went out to check on her and I found her in these shoes.  MY shoes.

  

Note:  Please take into account her capri pants and jammie top. You can now judge me for being a horrible mother who never does laundry. Please take into account her messy hair that I gave up on fixing after fixing it seven times already that day. You can now judge me on my lack of commitment.

Aslynn has also figured out how use the water dispenser on the fridge.  Our kitchen floor is now constantly wet but Z is super excited about her independence.  She loves the fact that she can get her own water whenever she wants; all she needs is for someone over five feet tall to get her the cup.