Life in the Eyes of a Two Year Old

In case you have missed any of my Facebook posts over the last few weeks, I've had my limit of adventurous activities from my wonderful two year old, Rianne.

Nate and I call her our little "Pigpen"--in reference to the Charlie Brown character. Her skin seems to exude dirt. From the second her towel hits the floor from a nice, long bath, everything she touches has her mark on it. I have NEVER met a kid who can get so dirty, so fast, and leave a trail of evidence behind her. From fingerprints on everything she touches to absolutely no hand-me-downs left for her little sister, she leaves her mark.

I've just about suffered from an aneurysm trying to deal with the consequences of her actions recently. So I decided today to look at things from her point of view and see if I can get some clarity on the day-to-day hustle-and-bustle she calls, "Life."

To start off with, door handles must be the object of her affection. It doesn't matter what kind; as long as she can reach it, she's in love.

• Refrigerator doors: they are a slight challenge to open, but when you do, there's a whole new--and chilly--world at your fingertips. Ketchup, salad dressing, and chocolate syrup are all within reach. Not to mention being able to get to the milk gallon by yourself and prove you ARE big enough to pour your own cup of milk. If the whole gallon goes on the floor, it doesn't matter as long as some milk made it into the cup!
• Dressingroom doors: they are a lot easier to open. If you act fast enough, while Mom is in between taking off one pair of pants and trying on another, and you don't worry about closing the door behind you, you can get to the front of the store before she can catch up to you!
• Bathroom doors: last but definitely not least. They come with locks! You can get to the shampoo bottles or toothpaste and SQUEEZE 'til your heart's content or squirt out a considerable amount of Febreeze in the time it takes Mom to get the door unlocked. Either way, it sure smells fresh for a nice, long time in there.

Second, she must love physics. Especially the law of gravity. The gravitational pull between a writing utensil--preferably a Sharpie--and the walls/cabinets of this house is more than she can fight. They seem to always find themselves "drawn" to each other.

Third, being bumped from the "baby sister" spot is no excuse to have to grow up. If the baby gets to sit in Mommy's lap to be fed every time, you deserve the same treatment. This is the one thing she's held on to and that I've noticed she doesn't want to give up. It's like the "green-eyed monster" comes out at mealtime.

And lastly, having a cute smile might not get you off the hook immediately, but in the long run, everyone gives in sometime.

My beautiful, bright-eyed, always smiling--even while doing wrong--little Rianne keeps me on my toes everyday. Sometimes I just want to scream, but, as a friend at church taught me today, this is the only time throughout all of eternity that she will have to be a child and experience these adventures. So I should just go along for the ride and be happy there IS life in the eyes of a two year old.