The joys of being, and raising, a toddler.

Piss & Vinegar. That's her new name. She's earned it and wears it proudly. The 'terrific 2s' will be upon us in just 2.5 months but she's always been a little ahead of the game. She's got this being 2, and acting it, thing down pat already. A childcare worker at the gym called her "a little pistol" today. I think she was just trying to be nice.

The screaming. The full-out tantrums. The chasing. The opening & emptying of drawers. The opening & emptying of bags. The screaming. The opening & emptying of cupboards. The markers. The pens. If it can draw, she draws on her body and oh yes, she's even done the walls already. The kicking. The screaming. The running. The climbing. The whining. The screaming. Oh, that ear piercing screaming.


The independence. My ever-dependent baby is being replaced by a stubborn do-it-myself'er.


The constant inquisitiveness. The exploring. The love of learning.

The new-found love of Dora the Explorer. The adoration of music & dancing. The love of laughter, being silly and finding out what makes other people laugh. The discovery of language and communication. The never ending thirst for being read to.

The rare moments between the former baby of the family and his much undesired little sister, playing together, caught on film. For the most part, to our dismay, he avoids her. Kissing her is acid to his lips. But in those rare moments, unprovoked, I know he thinks she's the bees knees, just like I do. She hangs onto his every word and wants to be exactly where he is. I know he thinks its pretty cool having someone look up to him, even if its really annoying at times.

It's not in the posed, formal pictures you take - it's just not there. But when you look at the "outtakes" of pictures you've taken, you can often see the magic of a persons personality shining brightly through. Our family has a lot of "outtakes" ~ perhaps its because none of us are lacking, even remotely, in personality.

Did I mention the screaming?!