Bren's love affair with the dirt..er..sand!

( She would try to talk anyone she could into burying her. Those cute Dunyon boys often took pity on her)

Brenley has always been the least wimpy of my children. The beach is no exception. When Mitchell was her age, he was afraid of the sand. He spent one whole day just sitting on his beach chair. Wouldn't even get off and touch it. Bren is pretty much the opposite.

The child got very little sleep this trip. It was hard for her to sleep in the tent trailer without her own bed. Then she would wake during the night. Then wake up at the crack of dawn, announcing to the world, "Hey mom, get up! It's light outside! See? See mom? It's light!" Lovely.

(Babies in a hole with water at the bottom. This kept them entertained for hours!)

"light" tended to come too early for my huge pregnant body that was really only meant to sleep on my comfy bed at home.

(No she's not sleeping. Just kind of hugging the sand. Silly girl.)

Because Bren was getting a good three or four hours less sleep a day (no nap either) You would think she would either be asleep or a basket case after a few hours on the beach. Nope. She dug it. The whole time. She consistently spent 5-7 hours a day happily playing in the sand and the water. O.K, sometimes the water,mostly the sand. And often a combination of both.


Then when it was time to go, she happily showered off, got baby powdered down, and got dressed. None of my other kids did that! They would squirm and complain. But Brenley really does like to be clean. Which is funny when you see how much she really enjoys the sand. Silly baby.

She promptly falls asleep in the car on the way back to camp. Wakes up after 30 minutes to an hour, and is then cranky most of the evening. Leading some adults to think she is just the crankiest baby ever. Poor Bren gets a bad rap.

I promise I took pictures of the other kids too. Coming up!

Terrible twos? I don't think so...

There is something so fabulous about a toddler. Sometimes I think I may never laugh if this little girl weren't around. No matter how you feel she can do or say something silly and just crack you up. There is nothing like it.

Things I love about toddlers:

1. They can talk. You don't have to guess why they are crying, or try to figure out what they need.



2. They can talk. Have you heard a toddler talk lately? If you haven't, go and find one right now. There is just no sweeter sound then a two year old telling you a story. Or frankly, just telling you what kind of drink they want in their sipper cup. They just sound so cute, dang it.

3. They break out into song spontaneously. It's like watching a musical. Have you ever watched Grease or some other musical and thought incredulously ,"yeah right, and then they all decided to sing about it." Well, if they were toddlers, they would. They simply don't need a reason to sing. It just comes naturally.




4. They break into dance spontaneously. They just don't need a reason to dance. They either hear music and break it down, or they imagine music with the same result. Either way it is hilarious. No one has taught the child to dance. They just move the way they feel like. Brenley's bootie dance (in which she moves everything BUT her bootie in an effort to shake it)is a classic. She has also been known to strike a yoga pose out of the blue. Her form is flawless;)




5. They have a fabulous little budding sense of humor. And when they do or say something funny and they know it, they are the ones who laugh loudest.

6. Their laughter. You have to love the laugh of a two year old. They don't even know what it means to be self conscious. So they laugh however they feel like it. They don't worry about snorting. They don't worry about laughing too loud. They don't worry about anything coming out of their noses. They laugh unabashedly. Completely without reserve. It is priceless.




7. Toddlers don't stink. They don't get B.O and they don't get greasy. Sometimes they smell like their last meal, but who minds smelling syrup or apples? You can pick them up and smooch them whenever you want and not have to worry about whether they have been running around outside or not. This may seem a little silly, but I have such a sensitive nose while I am pregnant, and little kids tend to have a little kid stink. A toddler does not. They are almost always sweet smelling.




8. They don't let you down because you expect almost nothing from them. Did they forget to unload the dishwasher? No, because of course you didn't ask her to. Is her room a mess? If it is you are likely to blame yourself. Did she turn her homework in late or lose a library book? Um...no.

9. They point out your flaws without meaning to. The other day Bren was cranky in church, and I pointed out that she got to go to nursery soon. She said, "no, no, stupid nursery." What? I couldn't believe it. We don't say that word at our house. Was she really saying, "stupid nursery?" Yes, indeed, she was. Apparently, in my opinion, the word "stupid" is not appropriate for people or things. But it is appropriate for dogs. I've been frustrated with the dog lately and have been heard to say,"stupid dog" without even realizing it. Yes, these are the things that toddlers pick up and point out. Point taken.


The list could go on and on. The toddler phase is my very favorite. Oh, everyone likes a tiny sweet little baby every once in a while, and it is exciting to watch a child grow and learn new things. I love all phases of a child's life. But no one can make me laugh as often when I am feeling gross then a toddler.

So who came up with the phrase "terrible twos"? I have never understood it, have you?