2.5 today

This 2.5 year old rocks our world.  Mostly in a good way.

She loves to eat.

She loves to eat sweets.

She loves to eat sweets and mac and cheese.

She loves to eat sweets and mac and cheese and cereal with milk (with her fingers).

She loves to eat sweets and mac and cheese and cereal with milk (with her fingers) and toast cut into one big triangle and two little triangles.  

She asked for mac and cheese for breakfast the other day.  I didn't serve it to her, but she would have eaten it, cold, right from the fridge, if I would have let her.  Yuck.  

She loves to imitate her big brother.

She loves to do everything he does.  Except for once and a while.  She does love to go against the crowd and be her own person.  And do her own thing.  And get into mischief.  Or throw a tantrum or two.  

She loves to know where everyone is and what everyone is doing.  She must keep tabs on everyone.  If we put her to bed and then have company over, she must come downstairs to see which ones of Mommy and Daddy's friends are here.  She just needs to check things out and make sure she doesn't miss a beat.

She's in love with pandas, my Care Bear from the 1980s, Minnie Mouse, and Strawberry Shortcake.  

She acts very shy and cute around adults.  Everyone says how adorable she is.  I say, "Well, she is 2 and surely acts the part some days."

She reminds me of....me.  My parents love to tell the story of how when I was little I was misbehaving (who, me?) one day, and apparently I would not stay in my room.  So my dad moved my dresser in front of the door to keep me in.  A few minutes later my parents heard a loud bang.  I pushed the dresser over and was standing in the doorway....naked.  My dad "tossed" me onto his bed and told me not to let my feet touch the floor.  I don't think I moved after that.

With Kinsley, I definitely have many "naked-in-the-doorway-with-a-pushed-over-dresser" moments.  Not literally (well, the naked part sometimes), but she does love to push my buttons.  Last night she wouldn't stay in her bedroom (again...for maybe the zillionth time), but finally Gene and I didn't hear her so we figured she gave up and was asleep.  When we went to bed we found her asleep in her doorway, half in the hallway.  She knows where we draw the line, and how to go directly up to the line and touch the line....and sometimes cross to the other side of the line.  

But, amongst the "pushed-over-dresser" moments, we do have many fun, adorable, sweet moments with her, too.  The other day she came up to me and gave me a big hug and said, "I love you soooooo much, Mommy!"  I think I shed a tear.

I love my Kins so much.  Us girls must stick together in this household where boys outnumber us.  I love seeing her grow more and more into a beautiful girl each day.