An Update on Kate

I just can't get over how wonderful Kate has been lately--especially in church! You would never know that she's almost two. She sits there with the hymn book in her lap and croons away happily; when the song is over she announces to the congregation "All done!" and puts the song book back in its place. Knowing what to expect next, she folds her arms (and sometimes even waits in the same spot all the way through the prayer) and then says, "Amen." When the sacrament tray comes into sight, she eyes it eagerly and says loudly, "Mmm mm!" Sure she needs lots of treats and books to make it ALL the way through, but I haven't had to take her out of sacrament meeting in three months!

She used to scream and cry when we would drop her at nursery, but not anymore! Last week, she calmly sat down and started to read a book. When she saw that Andrew was still there, she waved and said, "Bye-bye, Daddy!" Andrew was a little shocked, but took the hint and left. Then this week I dropped her off and she didn't look back. I was like, "Bye Kate!" Nothing. I'm glad she's happy, of course--but I can't help but think she's growing up too fast.

She is talking like crazy these days. No complete sentences really besides the ones she's been saying for a while now--"Where did (fill in blank) go?" and "Oh! There it is!" She seems to understand words and can repeat them after just one time hearing it. Amazing. One of her new favorite phrases is "Woah! Cool!"

She loves to clean up after herself and instead of opening cupboards and pulling things out of them as most toddlers are wont to do, she is always closing drawers and cupboards after I've left them open.

Learning the names of colors and letters is her latest passion. She finds letters on tires, bottles, weights, bikes, you name it. She knows an awful lot of them now, too. Her pronunciation of "w" is the cutest, in my opinion. She knows a lot of random animal names like "turtle, moose, and bee" but still calls cats "meow" and sheep "baa."

She loves to give hugs and get hugs, and if you sing her the "I love you, you love me" song--then you will even get a kiss. Singing has definitely remained one of her favorite things. She loves to sing along to "I Am a Child of God"--meaning she finishes the last word of every line.

She always wants to be outside. Always. No matter what. She is always putting her shoes on and going to the door. We're lucky enough to live at a place with a slide right behind our house. She even got a trike that she's been trying to figure out. The only time she's really fussy is when I try to bring her back inside.

Kate is very shy. She loves to watch other children and always has a little face that looks like she is longing to join in their fun. She is very sensitive and doesn't understand why kids would be rough with her when she is always willing to share.

She doesn't like clips or hair ties in her hair. I don't know how to put them in. She never wears them.

Homemade bread is her favorite food. When it comes out of the oven, her little fingers are digging in when Mom's not looking. She'll have a mouthful of bread and be holding out two hands desperately begging for more. Even when the bread doesn't turn out so well (which has happened the last few times I've made it), she always makes me feel better by being an eager consumer.

In short, Kate fills our lives with much joy. If she ever spots me crying (as I do sometimes when I have my period), her face crumples up in a very concerned way, and she rests her hand on my shoulder while saying empathetically, "Ohh." In church, whenever a baby or toddler is crying, she gets her concerned face on and points to the child. She then says, "Want it!" I'm pretty sure what she is trying to say is that the child wants something--give it to him/her!

What a great kid! This week's challenge/milestone--POTTY TRAINING.