Because it's been forever (1 of 2)

I haven't updated on the girls in ... well, who knows how long. Things are so different with them now that I really feel the need to write it down so I don't forget.

Josie. 



Josie, josie josie. This girl is a character. She never stops talking and the things she says (you can read some of them here) are hilarious. Now look. I know that toddlers say funny things; they are known for that. But Josie-girl, she says funny things. I also know that I'm biased but she is just a little entertainer. She is absolutely full of life. 

Many a morning I will stumble come out of my bedroom to find her happily sitting (in the dark) in the living room with something she isn't supposed to have in hand. She greets me with a "good morning, Mommy!" and grins like it really is just a fantastic morning. Unfortunately, my response almost always is "good morning but what do you have in your hand? Are you supposed to be eating marshmallows/chocolate chips/vitamins for breakfast????" It's not that pretty, that morning version of this surprised and frustrated mama. But I digress.



Josie is pretty much a solid 3T. Her shoe size is between a 7 and 8. She is currently in between growth spurts, something I can tell by how much she eats. While she acts hungry all the time, she truly only eats about a third given to her. Mostly, she just plays with her food or drink happily while the other two inhale it. She eats a balanced diet so I'm not worried about it. Her hair is still baby soft and the flyaways are kind of out of control. It's hard to get it to stay in a ponytail because the flyaways around her face never get long enough to make it all the way to the ponytail. If I try using a clip, it will slip out. It's growing long, but it isn't "kid" hair yet. It's still pretty much baby hair. It's mostly blond but has some darker spots in the under layers. Her blue eyes are darker than her daddy's and sister's. 

There was nothing wrong at the time. She just shows a lot of expression and I happened to capture this little gem.

We're slowly working on letters and numbers, identifying them in books and learning to write them on the black board or with crayons. I'm not too concerned about it because mostly I just want to encourage her imagination and independent play. I really believe that kids need to spend serious time playing, because after all, that is their full-time job. They learn so much from play time. 



Her imagination, speaking of, is just sky rocketing. She is constantly mothering her little teddy bear, talking to her fingers (???), using random objects as people, furniture, etc. It's so fun to see her mind processing as she looks for something to add. This car? What can drive it? I know, my pinky finger. What can I use as the diaper for the bear? I got it, the chair arm cover. Perfect! She's clever, that one.

The other day, she spent like 30 minutes working on the snowman I started and abandoned (to chase after the little sister). She was perfectly content to sit and play by herself. She talked to it, tackled it, built it back up, and happily played right next to it without any whines or complaints. It made me so happy since earlier this year she wouldn't play outside in her snow pants because she would get frustrated from falling over so often. She's grown up so much even in just two months. Ahh! Slow it down, girl!

Notice the (one) heel, the necklace, the messy hair, and the king. Audrey makes a great king (for at least two minutes).

Her most favorite things right now are ballet and princesses. At this point, they are the same. She mixes the two worlds together into a dancing, high heeled, ball room attired little lady. I love it. She puts on her dress up clothes almost every day and prances around. Any book about a ballerina is her current favorite and she constantly asks me if her doll/baby/bear can do ballet with her. While I love that she plays with trucks and cars, I love the girly side of her too. What's really cool is that since we try to emphasize both sides equally, it is truly her choice and decision what she prefers. Seeing her character and personality shine through is just starting and is really fun.

Let's see, let's see. I know I'm missing a lot.

She is so affectionate. Considering that she used to push us away so that she could explore and run around all the time, I think hubby and I are extra big push overs when it comes to the hugs and kisses. She will tell us that she loves us on her own all the time, offers hugs, kisses, and "cuddles," and will happily sit on our laps to read a story for as long as we are willing. Our busy girl has evened out a little and now her energy is more divided mentally and physically. 



Josie Grace's gross motor skills (larger movements like walking, crawling, jumping, etc) have always been dominant. She is known to plow forward without thinking it through entirely. At this stage as a toddler, she often ends up frustrated, but she's learning how to keep going and not quit in anger and she is still ready to jump in head first almost all of the time. It's fun to see her be adventurous when it comes to new things, and thankfully she doesn't do things that are super dangerous. 

Here's an example. When Josie first saw the lake and found out that we were going to go in it, she just plowed right in. There was no "gee I wonder how to do this" or "what else is in this water?" It was just, "looks fun! I'm going in!" Now of course we were with her so when she plummeted under water immediately, we picked her up and she learned that being under water can be kind of scary. She chilled out after that initial tumble and we could step back a bit more. But generally speaking, the first time we do something new with her, we have to watch her closely and explain the dangers or rules verbally as she's doing it. She just gets excited to get started.



She's always been pretty good at the bigger things (walking at 9 months, running, jumping, swinging, sliding, coloring on huge paper) but the fine motor skills take a little more work. She's not behind in that area, but it isn't as much of a strength as the gross motor skills. 

I just love her so much. She's kind, compassionate, sweet, bossy, a strong leader (already), and sassy. She keeps us on our toes and makes us laugh all of the time.