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Dancing in the Rain

Today it rained really hard while the sun was still out. I took Brystal outside to look at the real life rainbow, since she has always wanted to see one. She told me she wanted to ride a unicorn with Dora over the rainbow. Then she danced and played in the rain and splashed in all the puddles. This was one of those mom moments when you just sit back and watch your care free beautiful little girl enjoy life and nature. I am so thankful for this free spirited little girl and I love her every wit and every move. She makes my day, and I can't wait to watch how she learns and grows over the years but I never want to forget the moments that are here and now.

Brystal is getting so funny these days. I have to try and remember everything that she does.
She is starting to begin pretend play which is so cute and funny. I often hear her in the other room singing and talking to her dolls and little Weeble Wobbles. The other day I came in on her with her Weeble Wobbles all in a big circle and singing "ring around the rosies...." and after she sang "They all fall down" she took her hand and shuffled all the Weeble Wobbles around like they fell down.
The next day she was jumping on my bed. She would look at herself in the mirror, stretch out her arms and say "Look, I'm a mermaid, and I'm flying!!" then she'd do a swan dive into the pillow. And I said "well mermaids don't fly, they swim" and she got back up and said "I'm a mermaid that can fly!!!" and she did another swan dive.
Speaking of jumping on the bed. She was jumping on my bed again after a bath completely naked yelling "I'M NAKED!!!"

Right now she loves Tinkerbell, and for her birthday which is months away, she wants some wings, and a mermaid tail. She loves to be a princess, and she must be the pretty princess Dora, not the villian swiper. She loves to wear her princess shoes anywhere we go. I bought some perfume and told her it was so that I could smell pretty for Daddy, and now she comes in and says "I want to be pretty for daddy" so I have to spray her with some

She is so funny, and loves to make her brother laugh. She also loves to talk to complete strangers. Almost anytime we go anywhere, she'll approach anyone who comes in her path and tell them something about herself like "my eye doesn't have boogers anymore", or "I pooped in the potty today" or whatever else is on her mind. Her favorite saying lately is "Goodbye, see ya, have a good day!!" and she'll sometimes say that to the grocery check out lady, who once replied by saying "you have a good day too" and Brystal says "No YOU have a good day" and her and the clerk went back and forth like 10 times.
Once at church there was a group of women who weren't in our ward standing in a circle talking and laughing, and Brystal walks by and stands in the middle of the circle and starts to laugh out loud with them. I don't know where this girl gets it.

Brystal had pink eye for the first time last week. It was not fun, it started with a slight fever and boogers all over her eyes, and then just looked red and puffy all week. Giving her the eye drops was traumatic for me and her. I hate eye stuff, so I did the best I could. But she continued to be her cute happy self.

Yesterday I was busy doing something when Brystal needed my attention, and I said "hold your horses!" and her reply was "I don't have horses" Well of course you don't Brystal, what was I thinking?

Of course Brystal is still a daddy's girl, she loves when he is around. And I'll often see Nathan telling her stories of princess Brystal and Princess Dora riding on their unicorn over the rainbow, and running into the grumpy old troll. She loves hearing stories about Princesses especially if she is the princess, and especially if her Daddy is telling her them. She told me once that she has a big green dress that she wears when she's a princess.

Brystal has lots of friends and loves to talk about them. Which reminds me. I was tucking her into bed one night and we were talking about all of the people in our family, like our Grandmas and Grandpas, and cousins, and I told her that Uncle Tyler was on a mission. She told me that she wanted to go on a mission with Tyler. I said that would be a great idea when she gets a little bit bigger. Then I told her that while Uncle Tyler is on a mission, he gets to go to everyone and talk about Jesus. And she had a confused look on her face and said "But I wanted to talk about girls." Totally random, I don't know where she pulled that one from.
We often use her friends as examples to help her potty train or to stop sucking her thumb. She'll say "Izzy doesn't suck her thumb, (izzy is here in the picture") Or her friend Samari doesn't poop in her pants. And she'll go down the list of all her friends who are big girls. She is definitely a folower and whenever we are out at a park or play place, she'll pick the kids who look like they are having the most fun, and she'll follow them around and laugh at all their jokes and do whatever they do til they leave. She will make friends easy as she gets older I just know it.

BRYSTAL GETS MAD

Yes I'm a mean mom I love to tease my kids, even if it makes them cry. Brystal only likes it when SHE sings the song, not when I sing it.

The life of a 2 year old.

The main thing going on with Brystal right now is potty training. It is really hard and I don't know if I am totally committed to it or if this is just how it goes for everyone.
She is really good to tell me when she needs to go, most of the time. She has been in pull ups for the last several weeks, and seems to do pretty well in them, but if we are out or are busy, she just uses it as a diaper. I think within the last week or 2 she has finally learned that she doesn't like to have poop in her pants and I haven't had to change a poopy one in a long time for her. When she does go poop, it's funny cause she has a pile of books next to her potty that she pulls out when she goes poop. I always know she's gonna be awhile when I can hear the leap frog books come out.
Just this last weekend, I got her some real underwear. I haven't been too committed to them yet, but I feel like she needs to wear them to really get potty trained since pull ups are practically diapers. Anyways, she has had several accidents, but I am trying not to give up.

Brystal is such a good big sister. She loves her little brother. Anytime he might be sad or fussy she runs over and starts to sing Twinkle Twinkle to him, and he immediately stops. She makes his day. He lights up when she talks to him.

Brystal is very smart. She talks like she is 5. She loves to color and be artistic. Here she is playing in pudding.

Here are a few of Brystal's favorite friends right now. This is James. He is 4, but Brystal loves hanging out with him. He calls her B-Crystal. I hope they get married someday. Here he is doing a Spider Man pose.

This is James' sister Alesy. She is about 22 months right now. So she is really closer in age with Brystal, but she is so tiny that you wouldn't know it. Hopefully someday as these 2 get older they will be better friends.

Here she is again, this is a typical Alesy face, she loves to eat and to be messy.

Pudding Party.

Brystal loves the swings. When she is on them she yells "faster faster!" which means to push her higher.

She has also really been into building lately. She loves to build towers, but this day she built a treehouse. She was so proud of it, so we took a picture.

Brystal is just coming out of a phase where she HATED bath time. I don't know what brought it on, but it was so annoying. I would just rip her clothes of put her in, and she wouldn't sit down she would just stand there and scream. And I would just get her wet and soapy, get her clean then take her out. She is still a little weird about it when I decide to take Boston out of the tub, she instantly freaks out and jumps out too. I think she might have this idea that she is going to get left out if I do anything without her. I can't go up the stairs in front of her, she must be in front of me, or right next to me. I have to tell her where I'm going if I'm going to another room, or she realizes I'm gone and freaks out. And anytime I go to do something, she needs to come with and "help". She is really into being independent right now. Everything must be done her way or we have major meltdown. She usually gives it a whirl by herself and then ends up asking me for help anyways.

Even though she has a few rough moments with her tantrums and outbursts, she is really fun right now, and I love that she is becoming more independent and confident in herself. She is so much fun.

FIRST PRAYER

Brystal said her first prayer over dinner yesterday all by herself. It went something like this. ( She mostly whispered the whole thing)

"Heavenly Father, Thank you this day,
Thank you for mommy, daddy, Brystal, Boston, Gramma, Gwampa, Oma, Opa and for the beans. Amen"

Hansome? or Crazy?

Brystal: "Daddy's not a boy"

Me: "Oh ya what is he?"

Brystal: "He's handsome"

Me: "Oh yes he is, is Brystal handsome?"

Brystal: "no"

Me: "Well what are you?"

Brystal: "I'm crazy"

DORA'S HAIR AND FINGERNAILS

As you know Brystal has been potty training. Which she has been doing very well at by the way. So yesterday after getting out of the tub, she had to go potty and went in my bathroom. She turned back and looked at our trash can while sitting on the potty and looked back at me and says
"It's Dora's hair!"
What? I was confused what she was saying.
"Dora's hair!"
Well when I looked at the trash can I remembered that I had given Nate a haircut a few days ago and his clippings were in the trash...

I guess it could pass as Dora's hair. I asked her how did Dora's hair get in the garbage?
"I don't know" was all she could answer.

I've been letting Brystal play with markers while I sit at the computer and she usually scribbles on a piece of paper. Well this day she said "Look mommy!" I look down and she shows me her fingers. "I colored my fingers!" Well yes she did and she did a mighty fine job of it too if you ask me, but I had to put the marker away after that. Who knows where she'll start coloring next.

Then after that she built these out of her blocks and told me they were snowmen.

Dancing with Lilie

Lilie got a tu-tu for Christmas so I brought up Brystal's tu-tu so they could play in them together. Here is Brystal dancing like a ballerina. She loves to do what older kids are doing. She is always watching them and copying them.

Brystal has recently started to come to me and tell me "your pretty mommy" and she'll comb my hair and tell me I'm cute. And then She'll say how pretty she is too.

She loves to help Boston eat now. She is doing so well at making sure he is happy. If he is crying she'll say "stop crying Boston!", but then she'll raise her voice about 2 octaves and say "it's ok little buddy" and she'll give him a kiss and a hug and she'll play with him till he stops crying. Boston loves her and smiles at her whenever she is around. She is such a great sister. I can't wait to see how they will play together when Boston gets older.

About a month ago she learned how to eat cold cereal by herself without spilling milk all over. I have been waiting for this day forever. She loves to announce to everyone that she is a big girl.
We are going to try the potty training thing a little more serious now I think. She is showing signs that she is more ready for it and understands how to do it. Plus she loves getting "pee pee treats" which are just little gummy bears.