My year with a Two year old...

1. Two year olds have saying "No" down to an art!

2. Anything that I suggest that Anna should do, she will not do it! Instead, I have to remain impartial and act like I don't care one way or another! Example: I say in the morning, "Here's your clothes, Anna, if you want to put them on....or just wear your jammies all day...whatever!

3. When we want Anna to do something by herself, she refuses she cannot (like going potty). But when the subject is the last on our minds, we will randomly hear the toilet flush, and out bounds Anna hiking up her shorts telling us something like, "Mom-mom, I a big dirl...I doe pee all myshelf...I not need hep, mom!"

4. Toddlers listen to every word you say...seriously...the other day Anna asked me, "Mommy, why you say *Oh Dang!*"

5. Toddlers repeat everything you say! Anna says things like, "Oh Crap" "You not posed do dat" "Mom, dat make me vewy mad!"or "Mom-mom, top buggin me!"

6. Two year olds never have a good excuse that makes sense, for instance, one night, when we were having chicken for dinner, Anna told us, "I not yike chicken, it make me sick!" or "Mom, appsause (applesauce) hurt my mouth"

7. Five more minutes always means at least another hour or so!

8. Toddlers think they are the BOSS and boss the parents around.

9. You wonder if they are ever listening to what you tell them...they wait until you get to three and are about to follow through with a punishment before they actually do what you asked them to do!

10. One night Russ and I were at his parents house and we made everyone dinner. We were trying to get Anna to be obedient and eat her food...or be quiet for the prayer (two common things we are dealing with right now) and Anna kept telling Russ the dreaded word, "No!!" We decided a long time ago that we would not tolerate that word being said. If Anna will not listen and is "sassy" then she gets her mouth washed out with soap. Russ warned Anna that if she said "no" to him one more time, she would get soap in her mouth. She defiantly looked at him with a blaze of fire in her eyes, arms folded, and then clamped her mouth shut and vigorously shook her head "no!" Everyone at the table erupted with laughter, all of us trying to hold it in and doing poorly at it, while grandpa had to leave the table because he was laughing so hard! Very clever of her, eh?