My girl

My mom has been bugging me to write down some of the cute things Jacey is saying and doing. So like Kelly, I'll warn you that this is going to be me bragging about my kid.

The best phrase right now is "I can't want to ___. " I can't want to read, I can't want to color, etc. The companion to this is "I can't like ___." Today she told me that she "can't like tuna fish." (She does, she just didn't want that for lunch today.) I don't know exactly where she picked this up, but it's been around for a long time. And it's sweet. She is such a good talker that most of the time things are very clear. Yesterday's cute comment was that she told me that she was little, not big. I think this stems from us telling her what a big girl she is.

Thanks to our 2 week visit to my parents, she is generally potty-trained. She still has a hard time during naps and through the night, but that doesn't bother me. As she plainly told me, she's little and I don't expect her to hold it all night. The best part is that I haven't changed a diaper in weeks!

I've been wondering if and when the "terrible twos" were going to show up. Jacey for the most part is good-natured and willing to listen. But then this week happened. INDEPENDENT. That's the word for her right now. It's driving me batty. I know that it's the result of the craziness in our lives right now. And her age. And the fact that my energy level is nowhere what it used to be. But still. If I tell her to do something, it's either "No! Go away!" or she'll do the opposite. Tantrums, kicking, tears. We've had it all. She has to turn lights on by herself, dress herself, go potty by herself, walk by herself. The funniest, and yet most annoying part is that if you do something to help her (like carry her down steps), she throws a fit and proceeds to go back to the beginning to do it "mySELF!"

And on the other side, she's so precious. She's started making up songs to sing and readily entertains us. She refuses to let us sing to her before bed because she wants to. (The independent thing again.)I've been meaning to record her singing "ABCs" and "Finkle Finkle" (twinkle, twinkle). Most of the words are missing and the letters are all out of over, but she's so proud of herself. She also wants to say her prayers by herself. These consist of thanking God for everyone she remembers. Then she'll pause where we say usually "in Jesus name," skips it, and says a hearty "Amen!" I know she has just said one of the purest, sweetest prayers.

She can color in the lines (generally) and has a very artistic eye. Her favorite color is orange. She loves the Berenstain books and reads them aloud to us. Barbies are her friends, along with Mickey, Minnie, "Dit" (Eeyore), and "Kittycat." Stickers are the greatest invention and will get us through church. She knows how to use the iPhone to watch movies or play games. She can now pedal a tricycle - she goes so fast she's fallen off turning a corner. All in all she's graduated from being a baby to a big girl. Or a "little" big girl.