While reading this, please try and remember that Alysa is only 2.

Saturday, I was doing some work in the kitchen and my office (aka the dining room). I had the gate down on the stairs and the girls were joyfully playing upstairs (this is a fairly new thing for them). I started to hear what sounded like toys falling down the stairs. They were happily chatting, so I let it go. A few minutes later, I hear it again. So I go over and I see them picking up these little pieces to a patterning set they have. One had circles, the other squares (they decided they were ‘cookies’ that day). I told them that they could not throw toys down the stairs. Kayla went back upstairs, toys in hand. Alysa finished gathering her ‘cookies” and started her trek upstairs. When she was half-way up, on the landing, I said again, that they could NOT throw toys down the stairs. Alysa stopped, turned to me and said, “Mommy, you need to go in your office.”

Sunday, after lunch, I took the girls upstairs to play while I took a shower. I told the girls that while I was in the shower, they were not to play in my room (Alysa has a habit of falling off our platform bed). As I left my room to head into the bathroom, Alysa came over with her Baby and Taggie in hand and tried to go in my room. As I pulled the door shut and told her she couldn’t go in my room, she proceeded to push past me and push against the door in protest trying to open it. I was trying to balance shutting the door w/o hitting her in the head, smooshing her fingers or letting her push it open on me. She struggled against me and was pretty annoyed with me. Finally after me telling her a couple times that she could not go in my room, she tossed Baby about a foot into my room and said, “Oh, I have to go get Baby.” To say she stunned me with this is an understatement. But please give me credit that I did not give in. I promptly picked her up and put her into the hallway and I got Baby and handed her to her and shut my door.

I know I’m a biased and proud Mom, but she truly does surprise me with what she comes up with!