Just some things...

I love having two-year olds.  No, really, I do.  Even in the midst of a face-melting tantrum, I sometimes have to fight back a laugh, because to be honest, it can be pretty hilarious.

Addison has this face she puts on when she is being told not to do something (for example, not to dump water out of the bathtub), and it absolutely cracks me up.  She widens her eyes and holds her mouth open, like for some reason she thinks it makes her look more innocent.  Here's a pretty good approximation of the innocent face:

The oven is currently Mackenzie's favorite hiding place. 

All the while she is making this precious little "I don't understand what's wrong" face, she is continuing to do what I have asked her not to do.  That, or she is frozen in mid-action, waiting to see if I will really make her stop.

There are just so many fun things to love about this stage.  The girls' language is absolutely exploding, along with the beginnings of a sense of reasoning.  Mackenzie is particularly good at picking up phrases I say to her and turning them around on me.  It is so funny to hear her caution, "Be careful, Mama!" as I recline my lounge chair too close to the deck railing.  Also funny, but a little infuriating, is "Give you a spanking, Mama".

Yes, we have had to turn to spanking occasionally around here.  I try not to do it, but my girls love time-out, so what else can I do?  We have even tried time-out in their room with the door closed (they stay seated in the exact spot Jeremy places them in the middle of the room!), but to almost no avail.  They will do something wrong and put themselves in time out.  So when they are doing something blatantly wrong, such as hitting or hair-pulling--which is rare, thank goodness--they are now likely to get a light swat on the leg or hand.  It works for now, particularly in the bathtub, where much of our behavior issues occur and I can't really enforce time-out well.

As I said, thankfully the bad behavior is still minimal.  My girls are mostly sweet and playful, and they are full of love for their parents and each other.  The girly-drama is on the rise, of course, as I'm sure it will be for a very long time to come.  We have had the first of many, many fights over clothing, and phrases such as "It's my turn!" and "Me had it first!" are becoming more frequent.  Also?  "Me had it first"?  How cute is that?!

We are a singing and dancing group these days.  The girls' new favorite movie is The Wizard of Oz, which we watch parts of almost nightly.  They loooove to sing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow", and Addison often jumps up from the couch to dance along with the munchkins.  We have been going to Vacation Bible School at church this week, and the girls can't wait to get there to sing and dance with the "boys and girls".  Of course, they stick close to me and do more watching than dancing while the entire group is together.  Once the other kids split off into their class, we have been hanging out with some of the teenagers in the main room, and the girls really come out of their shell for the smaller group.  They have had a blast dancing and showing off for their new friends.

Speaking of church, Addison and Mackenzie have gotten very good at saying their prayers before bed.  I have said the same prayer with them ("Now I lay me down to sleep....") since they were tiny, and they are finally beginning to say it with me!  I love to hear them quietly repeating my words, developing the beginning of their love for the Lord.  I have been so proud at Bible School this week, watching them fold their little hands and squeeze their eyes shut during the prayers.  They are very good at staying still and quiet, and last night, when we got to the end, Mackenzie shouted "AAAAmen!" right along with the leader.  Oh, my heart...

My sweet girls are growing and changing every single day, and I absolutely love to share all these new experiences with them.  I can't deny that some days are challenging, but as a whole, they are also more fulfilling than any other time so far.  It's like some of the things we have waited so long to share with our children are finally happening, and the feelings are just indescribable.  Addison and Mackenzie are becoming such amazing, fun little people, and I am just grateful that I get to be their mama.

And the pigtails?  Couldn't you just DIE from the CUTENESS??