Two, she's now two years old and I can't believe it. Her behavior shows it though... let me recall her actual birthday.
We woke up early on Monday just so everything would be perfect. I was dressed and blown dry by 8am, and Sophia cooperated with me in getting her clean and in her super cute corduroy dress that I had picked out several days before to be her birthday outfit. Papa made us a healthy breakfast, and when we were finished, I went upstairs to get Jennie ready for the day.
In the meantime, Soph decided she wanted to destroy the pantry. She started with some simple re-arrangement, and continued with the tearing open, and dumping of, a boxed cake mix, making sure to get as much of the powder as possible on her dress, all over her face, and in her freshly cleaned and styled hair.
Outfit #2 that day lasted through her birthday party at least. We did a simple celebration up at our park with the immediate neighbors. The girls swung, slid, and waited very impatiently for their cupcakes. Everyone sang Sophia's favorite song, (the Happy Birthday song of course), the wind and all of the little girls helped Soph blow out her candle, we all ate Mac&Cheese, Tuna&Peas, and then Papa cleaned up. While walking home, headed for a full bellied nap, she found the only source of standing water, and splashed happily soaking her second dress, tights, and even drenching her shoes. I dressed her in outfit #3 a darling matching sweat suit, warmed her little hands, and put her to sleep... or so I thought.
I didn't hear a thing for quite a while, and dozed with Jennie on the couch. Papa heard her first, and went to keep her company in her room only to find that the little two year old decided NOT to take a nap. Instead she had spent the hour and a half emptying out ALL of the contents in 3 of her drawers including all one million of those dang tiny hair elastics, every one of Jennie's onesies size 0-9 months out, dozens of socks unfolded and spread all over, each blanket strewn over the entire room. And she was naked. Papa found her diaper in the corner just wet (thank goodness), and her pants in another corner also wet. We counted our blessings that there was no poop in sight, put on outfit #4, and she and Papa cleaned her room.
The boys came home and started in on their homework, and then I went up to her room to read her a book. Soph brought me a book that she had torn 5 of the pages out of, and I lost it. I took her little hands, and walked over to the garbage and made her throw her book away. I was so sad to be mean on her birthday, but what else could I have done?
Papa took us to the Heritage Center Cafeteria for dinner, FHE, and her family birthday celebration. We all ate what we wanted, sang Happy Birthday for the umpteenth time, and she tore into her big birthday gift. I knew she liked playing pretend, and I knew she liked "the girls" aisle in the store, but I was not prepared for how much she LOVED her princess tea set! She carried it almost all the way home all by herself, and was even more excited when we took all of the pieces out of the box and placed them on her table. It was seriously the best $7.99 I've ever spent. We did scriptures, song, and prayer, tucked the boys in, and then I played tea with her till 8:30pm. I had to pack up her whole set and take them out of the room for her to get any sleep, but she finally crashed. A perfect ending to a not-so-perfect day.
After she was good and out, I went back in her room and set up 2 of the place settings on her table to play with when she woke up. I fell asleep, absolutely in love with my sometimes terrible, mostly adorable two-year-old little princess.
The Pruning Principle
2 years ago