You're my best friend!

I have been having so much fun with my 2.5 year old, S, lately. She has an amazing vocabulary. All of my children are exceptionally brilliant, but of the three that are talking, her speech seems the most advanced for her age. It's just amazing to listen to her talking, and getting to know her as an actual person.

She has taken to carrying her jaguar all over the place, and she is the momma jaguar. She also has been carrying around her little stuffed ostrich. She also tends to cook the ostrich on the cooktop of her play kitchen (note to self: don't let her babysit Z any time soon), so her maternal instincts only go so far. In the picture, you can see she's cooking Noah (she refers to him as Santa Claus) and a pony on the stove, while the ostrich is being microwaved.

A couple times a day, she will come up give me a huge hug and say, "You're my best friend!" It just melts my heart. When she hears a song she likes, she'll announce "They're playing my favorite song."

A couple of weeks ago, my mom was babysitting her while I could go to the doctor for my sore throat. It came time to put S down for her nap, so my mom was looking for her pacifier to put her down to sleep. She looked and looked, but no dice. Finally, she said, "S, I can't find your binky anywhere, and your mommy said it'd be right by your bed." S replied, "Grandma, this is Z's bedroom. My bedroom is downstairs". You gotta love a kid like that.

I don't remember having nearly as much fun with my older two. I know they were just as funny and delightful. Maybe I've forgotten all the little stories in my old age? Or maybe having the knowledge and experience of years has taught me to slow down a little and enjoy the small joys that each day brings.