Catchy title isn't it? Well guess what? You got it, I'm going to make you wait for it and don't think about jumping to the bottom to figure it out either! A lot has gone on this month, surprise, surprise. We are still finding it hard to believe another month has passed already, but it has and before you know it, it will be the end of the year!
This past month Brianne has decided she doesn't want baths. Oh and she doesn't want to brush her teeth. No idea why. She just decided, no more! It used to be every day when I got home, she would be running down the hallway stripping her clothes so she could hop in the bath tub; well those days are over. It is very strange.
Then there is the sibling fighting (I know!, Already?), any time Keaten is playing with a toy that Brianne deems "inappropriate" for him, she promptly takes it away. Or if the toy is something she likes, she'll take it away. Keaten of course can care less, he is just happy that his sister interacted with him, but as parents, we mind. She is starting to play with him now too though, kind of a yin-yang sort of thing, I'll steal your toys from time to time, but I'll make up for it by playing with you occasionally.
Needless to say, we have found it important to start teaching Brianne about emotions. How when she does something it can affect another person's feelings. Some things make Mommy and Daddy angry, others make us happy. Sometimes she is tired, and other times she is excited or very happy. Mommy took small 6 inch plates and drew approximately 20 emotions, 1 on each plate. While practicing our emotions with Brianne one night, we were working on the scared one, and we asked "Brianne, what are you afraid of?". Without missing a beat Brianne responded "the stove." We couldn't help but chuckle a bit as we nodded our heads in approval to her answer.
Then one morning Brianne was playing around, being in a really good mood and she went over to the emotion plates and pointed at the very happy plate and proudly said "I'm very happy!" It is so much fun to see her learn things so quickly.
Not only is her emotions starting to form and to be understandable, but we are seeing her mimic things we didn't realize she knew... For example, we were at a Simon get together one weekend and Brianne was playing outside when she found several fallen branches. She quickly identified them as branches and then started picking them up and swinging them back and forth, up and down. When I asked her what she was doing, she said "Going Fishing." I couldn't help but laugh, and then quickly began to wonder, where did she pick that up from?
With fallen branches, you have the changing of the leaves, and of course pumpkins. What would October be without decorating a pumpkin. Just like we did last year, we got a pumpkin for Brianne to paint again this year. She really enjoys finger painting and we really like to let her be creative, so getting a pumpkin and letting her go at it was a perfect fit. Really is such an easy project, granted she also made sure to hand a plate of paint to her little brother, well before Mommy was ready for him to start painting his pumpkin, though he didn't care, he went right at it!
With fall quickly approaching, we decided one weekend that instead of going to the zoo or COSI, we'd go to a park. So we went to the Highlands Metro Park and walked on one of their nature trails, then played at a playground (of which Brianne was a hoot), and the ended it with a short photo session on a wood bridge. Brianne just loved the play set, running up a ramp to go down a slide, then up a set of stairs to go down yet another slide, she was all over the place. Needless to say, she took a really good nap after our time at that park.
Of course with fall approaching, the weather is getting cooler, and Brianne loves cooler weather. She has wanted to be outside more than ever, drawing with chalk, pushing Keaten in the stroller, going for a walk to get the mail or take the trash out. Anything that would get her outside, she was for it. One morning I was getting ready to leave for work and I had just finished checking the weather; deciding I didn't need my jacket. As I told Brianne goodbye and opened the door, she quickly spotted that I didn't have my jacket and said "Daddy you forgot your coat." Mommy was in the dining room just laughing away, knowing I didn't forget it, I determined I didn't need it but who am I to argue with a 2 year old. I did what any grown man would do. I said "Thank you, I almost forgot it" and I went over, got my coat, put it on and then headed out the door.
If you found that funny, nothing has yet to top this latest shindig. One morning while Brianne and Daddy were up and the rest of the home was still sleeping, I was reading the news on the computer when I decided to check on Brianne. I turned my chair around to see her holding a cookie. Now it is 5 in the morning, she definitely knows she doesn't get a cookie at 5 in the morning. So before I start to ask her anything I decide to figure out 1) how she got it, and 2) whether she'll admit to it.
So I take a peek in the kitchen to see Brianne got her stool from the bathroom and put it in the kitchen so she could reach the counter to get the cookies. She then proceeded to open the bag, get a cookie, and then placed the bag back on the counter. So that answered the how. Next was to see if she would admit it. Now before I get into this, let me paint you the picture. Brianne is standing in front of me with the cookie in one hand and nothing in the other, looking in my direction.
"Brianne, what do you have in your hand?"
(showing me her empty hand, although I can clearly see the cookie in her other hand) "Nothing"
"Brianne, what is in your other hand?"
(switches the cookie to the hand she just showed me and proceeds to now show me her other hand that is now empty) "Nothing"
Seriously, I couldn't stop myself from laughing. What 2 year old know that tactic already? I am in big trouble when she starts her pre-teen and teenage years... Start praying now, because I'll need it :P
Over this past month we have had a few visitors, from Great Auntie Sheila, Uncle Elijah (who also spent the night and even slept in the same room as the kids), then we visited the Simon Family, and Great Grandma and Pop Pop Dauterman, and Great Grandma and Pop Pop Wilkin.
We can't wait to see what the next month will bring, and what other antics our daughter may pull on us and I'm sure you can't wait either, so stay tuned! In the meantime, enjoy the pictures.
Love,
Matt, Kami, Brianne, and Keaten