Two and a Half!

Well, this weekend marks the official two and a half mark.  If the second half is as hard as the first half, then you may have to wipe me up off the floor!  As you may have read, we're dealing with potty training, big kid beds, and an assortment of other two year old challenges.  Nevertheless, every day is a gift and the trio always does something precious and endearing just in the nick of time (there is a REASON God made two year olds so cute -it's the only way we'd keep them in the house!).  So here's my random assortment of observations from the deck of two-and-a-half:

1.  Being Bossy.  Good heavens these children are bossy.  From what I understand, I was a fairly bossy child.  Now I was incredibly obedient (unlike MY two year olds), but I've always wanted things a certain way and have expressed that way to those around me.  Funnily enough, the baby is the bossiest.  His favorite commands are:
Right Now Mommy - for example, I tell him we're going to the zoo this weekend, and his immediate response is Right Now Mommy!  Everything has to be RIGHT NOW!  (It is said in adorable toddler voice - ryenow mommmmie.)
Sit Down Mommy - If I'm feeding them dinner or in the play room, the baby wants my attention and his command is a persistent Seedown (his take on Sit Down) until I comply. 
Lay Down Mommy - See above except this one is given at bedtime or naptime when I put them down.  None of them want me to leave so they in unison instruct me to lay at their bedside.  You can imagine what a time suck this becomes if you do it twice a day. 
Read The Book Mommy - Fairly obvious what this one is all about.  It comes out, "reeddabouk."

2.  Being Inexplicably Hysterical.  Luckily this one word, hysterical, encompasses the many ways in which the behaviour exhibits itself.  It can either be that they are super funny, which they are.  It can be that they are inconsolably upset, which they are.  It can also be that they are fuming mad. 
My mom taught them this song, Ida Mae, which is not widely popularized, about a skinny lady who goes down the bathtub drain.  You should see there faces when they get to the part of the song that says, "Oh my goodness, Oh my soul..."  They clasp their face in their hands and shout out, "ohgoooness, ohsoul..."  Hysterical!  On the flip side, the eldest cried uncontrollably for half an hour at dinner time this week for no apparent reason other than he wanted me to hold him instead of serve his siblings their meal.  I was worried he was going to throw up he was crying so hard.  And when the little lady did not help pick up and only the eldest got a treat for helping, she punched him in the face.  Are you kidding me?  Of course we immediately sent her to time out and afterwards she had to apologize to him, but c'mon.

3.  Being Mimics.  Bray and I really have to watch ourselves.  While neither one of us are prone to profanity, there can still be other words that they just pick up.  The baby especially just parrots back everything we say.  I did have a slip a couple of weeks ago when we were getting ready for church.  I was solo with the trio and we were running behind, which I hate, and my little man had a big blow out in his church clothes.  As I was trying to clean it up, a da#*@t slipped out.  Don't you know he just started saying it back - and we were headed to CHURCH!  I said, oh I meant to say do-dah.  Luckily, he bought that story and started saying do-dah - thank heavens!  (From now on out I can assure you that I WILL be saying do-dah.)  They're little sponges and even learning how to say longer and longer sentences. 

It is definitely a crazy time, but also really fun.  I learn right along with them and am amazed at how quickly they are changing and learning and understanding.  I am hoping that they are a little less defiant in the months to come.  This testing boundaries phase is acute, although I understand from moms with older triplets that the two's have nothing on the teens!

(For those sweet friends visiting from my sorority sister's blog, Kelly's Korner, here's some shots of my trio, for more photos you can click on Wordless Wednesdays:)