{The Other Side}

After reading my post from yesterday, I realize I am not giving the full picture of Luke at the age of two.  I have definitely written down the hard part of raising a two-year-old, but I have not really documented the good stuff that comes with this age.  The stuff that makes the hard part worth it.

So today I am going to show the other side of Luke of being two.  The worth it side. The ohmygoodnessilovemychildsomuchithurts side.

1.  Luke loves his mommy and daddy.  Yes...US.  It is the best feeling in the entire world.  He wants nothing more than to be with us, playing, laughing and loving each other.  There is something beautiful about being everything to one little person.  I try everyday to live up to it.

2.  His vocabulary and ability to speak has grown leaps and bounds in the last six months.  Luke can communicate with us using words.  It is truly amazing for you to ask your child what they want for dinner and for them to answer "pizza!" and for them to say "thank you daddy" when you place the plate in front of them.  And the best part is we are finally hearing what is going on in that little head of his.  It is crazy amazing to hear what makes them tick. 

3.  Speaking of thank you, Luke is actually a very polite little boy. Since turning two, he says thank you and please unprompted daily and makes you want to give him chick-fil-a and candy for every meal when you get a "please", "thank you" and smile like that. He can wrap Chat and me around his finger in an instance. 

4.  Energy.  Luke has so much energy and it is contagious.  He is always on the go, always so adventurous, so physical.  Even after a long day, full of activities, plus little to no nap, he can keep going and going and going. If there is any action, he wants to be in the middle of it, usually with a big smile on his face.  I love watching his energetic nature and all that spirit and spunk flow out of him.

5.  He can show me where things hurt now and likes to point out his "bo bo's".  

6.  Luke loves his friends. Over the past six months, his buddies have become an integral part of his life and makes him sooooo happy.  I love watching him interact, play, hug, laugh with his pals.  Yes, there is the occasional fight, but it is quickly replaced with giggles, dancing, running and "I'm sorry's". 

7.  Hugs and kisses flow freely from my big man.  And if you catch him on a good day, he will even give Ben kisses and hugs and it makes my heart melt to see my oldest embracing my youngest.  Truly melt. 

8.  Jumping is the new mode of movement in our house.  Luke will jump from his room all the way to the den, then kitchen and then bathroom.  Oh and he jumps off of things.  That is a bit trickier because I foresee a trip to the ER soon if we do not get him under control. 

 

9.  The boy loves to pray.  I guess they started it at school, but he has definitely mastered it at home.  Everytime we sit down for dinner, he exclaims "pray!" and clasps his little hands together.  I typically say the prayer and he ends it with an exclamatory "AMEN!".  The prayer bug hits him quite often and in lots of places, therefore we have been praying all over this city. Houston is one blessed city :).

10.  He can say all of his ABCs and can count to 10.  He knows all of his colors, animals and what sounds they make.  Now I know must 2 1/2 year olds can do this plus some, but everytime he does it, I think what a genius.  Ha ha!  I know, some kids are doing so much more.  But I love his accomplishments and watching him learn.

11.  Luke loves going to school now.  He is such a big boy and walks in all by himself and does not cry a tear.  He has made huge strides since his first day over a year ago (lots of tears and hand holding).  He names his favorite friends in his class (Connor, Silas and Matthew -- what the teachers call the 'rat pack') and can say his teachers' names.  He eats well, naps well and sits in a mean circle when it is storytime. 

12.  He loves to be tickled so we do that quite a lot in our house.  His giggles are contagious as he squeals with delight.  Before you even stop tickling him, he starts requesting "tickle! tickle!" just to squirm some more. 

13.  Luke has shown to be a leader among his peers.  I believe everyone has a place and we need leaders, followers and everything in between and all are important and needed.  But it is amazing to see him blaze some trails among his pals.  It gets me that much more excited for his future. 

So there is the other side of being two.  The other side of tantrums, high emotions, meltdowns, fights.  As you can see, there is so much good.  There are bad times and we have days that we struggle with disappointments, but the good is so good.  That I know.