Sweet, Delicious Toddlerhood

Toddlers are my favorite people in the world. People always complain about the terrible two's, but I love them. I love the tiny voices and the stinkery attitude. I love the mispronunciations and the way they try to sound so grown up. I love the budding independence that contrasts so starkly with their absolute love for momma and dad.

My current favorite toddler in the world is our Benjamin. He is a ridiculously beautiful child. He has great, big blue-green eyes, a perfect pouty mouth and a button nose. He is also a total stinker. He picks up new words quickly, especially the bad ones, which he revels in repeating - to any stranger he can find. He expects to get his own way all of the time, and in our most egregious  parenting error, we tend to cater to the babies and toddlers, laughing at their antics until they aren't funny anymore. Then we bring the hammer DOWN! Hehe, not really, we tend to think they are pretty funny until they are about 4 or 5. Theeennn it's hammer time!

My Benjamin is a old soul, unlike our Lukey, who is just brand spankin' new. Benji loves fiercely, but he fights that way too, so watch out if you tick him off - you're likely to get a pinch or a bite with his scary little beaver teeth (we don't condone this, and he is punished when he resorts to these tactics - we actually have him nearly trained out of it now). Benji steals my heart away a hundred times a day with his big squeezy hugs, his kissing game, the way he loves Jonah so much, and the way his dad is his biggest hero.

Toddlerhood is such a precious time, I am not looking forward to the days when we no longer have toddlers in the house. Who will make us laugh? Who will we sing silly songs with? Who will beg me to "way down here for jus a wittle bit" or "come sit a chair" or get them a "bednight snack".  Their beauty is so pervasive that any indescretion is immediately forgiven; no mess is too horrible, clothes changes are constant and to be expected, colored fingers and toes make for interesting artwork.

Some of my favorite toddler antics:
Jenna once drizzled chocolate sauce from the fridge, through the kitchen, up the stairs  and all over her bed, and herself. We called her Jennis the Menace because she was soooo bad. But funny - really funny. She would also strip naked everytime we put her to bed. This lead to some interesting adventures with bodily functions. There was one very funny, but very gross incident. She would probably be mad at me for repeating it, but let's just say there was poop, and a very long bath involved!
Kenzie was a really good talker, and would talk just about anyone's ear off. She also used her gift of language to play on your sympathies. She stubbed her toe one day, and then for months afterward would hold up said toe and say "ooh, boo boo toe!" in an effort to gain sympathy and kisses. It worked.
By the time Kolbe was born, there were lots of big kids who loved to tell him how adorable he was  - to which he would vehemently respond "I NOT ador-ble!". His mad little face was the funniest thing! Toddler Kolbe also loved dogs, and made us watch dog shows for months! He would also sneak downstairs to read the paper with Doug on Sundays, having him tell him the words for all the pictures. That's how he learned to talk - from the Sunday Sale Ads!
Jonah, being a pretty little guy, used to stomp everywhere he went, with his legs bowed out so as to give the biggest stomp he could manage. He would also hit up random strangers for food. Poor guy, he was so skinny, people probably thought we never fed him. If you were doing something he considered dangerous he would tell you "fareful, swowy!" to make sure you were being careful. His other most famous saying was "Shup up Tola!" because our dog barked constantly and I was always telling her to shut up. Sins of the mother, you know.
My Luke, ahh, what a kid. He was and is, the epitome of delicious. Incredibly handsome, he wins hearts with his charm and enthusiasm. Anytime someone is opening a gift he is so happy for them. "Ohhh, cool! Whatch you got? That's great!"See the shirt in his picture above? he had to wear that shirt and tie ALL THE TIME! He loved it so much he wore it to bed. He would tell us "See ya later, I am goin a werk!" while toting whatever he thought looked like a briefcase. Where he got this, we have no idea, as his dad does not wear a tie to work, nor does he carry a briefcase!

Benji  " I wanna hoooolllld ju a counter" means he wants to sit on my counter and watch me cook. He also says "I wanna hooollld ju" just when he wants to be held. So sweet. Ben loves to nap, but it has to be on you, so at apporximately 3 o'clock every afternoon, he likes to crawl up in my lap and fall asleep. I love that time of day, it gives ma an excuse to close my eyes, but also to soak up every inch of his little body. His baby smell, his little toes, those long eyelashes as they lay across his cheeks. So much to savor, and I do, because I know this time with him is fleeting and I wanna get all I can before he no long wants me to hold him while he sleeps.
I have so many stories, but this post is already a gazillion years long, but I wanted to get a record, right? So, until next time, go cuddle a toddler, they are the most fun people on earth!