2 1/2

Brooke turned 2 1/2, so we celebrated by taking Arby's food to McDonald's and letting the kids play.

We don't do gifts for half birthdays, but I always like to acknowledge the milestone.  We didn't sing to her either, but I can't tell you how many times I heard this conversation:
"Happy birthday, Brooke."
"Thank you, Brady."
So I think we managed to make her feel pretty special.

Brooke is such a silly, affectionate and independent child.  She loves to make up her own songs, and lately the term "stinky diapers" is incorporated into everything she sings.  It reminds me of Brady's "pineapple underpants" phase.  At least we know it is only a phase.

Just like Brady, Brooke likes to show me how much she loves me.  But I have to be watching because she doesn't verbalize it.  She'll just sit there like this (below) until I acknowledge her.

Recently Brooke has been imitating me.  (I'm sure it won't be funny in a couple years, but right now it's pretty cute.)  She likes to "brush" my hair, and she says "turn" as she takes my cheeks and turns my head.  It always makes me chuckle.  She also likes to look Brady in the eye and ask, "Brady, why are you in time-out?"  She knows that will get a laugh.

Just like her brother, she'll do anything for a laugh.  One day, in all seriousness, she let out a big sigh and said in a sad tone with a pouty lip, "Ah, I never see Daddy."  First, her utter disappointment was so sweet, but it also made me laugh because I found it ironic.  I'm sure lots of kids see their daddy's a lot less frequently than she does.  Now, whenever she wants to get a laugh, she says it, but she can no longer pull it off without a little giggle.

 

She loves "reading" books.  She looks at them and makes up her own story, based on the pictures or what she's already heard me read.

When she sees Cory she says hi, and then often demands, "I want yours phone."  She frequently requests to watch Wild Kratts (a show on PBS that she and Brady adore), and she is still talking about the zoo animals we saw more than a month ago.

She likes using the Dustbuster and helping set or clear the table.  Those are her current chores, and she's always willing to do them.  She's got her colors down and often points them out without being prompted.  I guess we really drilled them into her.  She is working on shapes now, and so far she knows circle, triangle, heart and star.

Her bottom 2-year-molars are breaking through, so she often has her fingers in her mouth.  Great timing now that we're playing outside a lot these days.

She was frightened by a motorcycle at Brady's recent soccer practice, so now she almost clings to me in a parking lot.  It's good she's cautious, but it's actually quite extreme, and she's very easily scared whenever she sees a car coming near, and especially when she hears a motorcycle.

The topic of potty training is for a different blog post, because I've kept this one pretty positive.  Let's just say it's not going well.  I will post about that once I can finally say with confidence that she has passed her training, and I hope that's not another two months from now!