Maddie

Maddie has been amazing lately.

She wants to pretend much of the day.
She has cooked (in her kitchen) for me several times in the last week.

The other day at the park, I laughed....

She was in this little kitchen/house thing, and there is a counter top on the outside, with a window for "customers", and inside is a little stove with burners. (I took a picture of her in there.)
I went up, and she asked me what I wanted.
I told her spaghetti with lots of extra meatballs - big ones.
"Okay!" she told me.
She went out and picked up bark, and came back in to put my vittles on the stove.
"I'm cookin' it!" she told me.
About two (or maybe more) minutes went past, with a few different children coming in and out of the little hut, interacting with her, and I thought she had forgotten me in the chaos. Understandably. I probably would have. (er, and do.)
She went back over to the stove, did some stirring, looked at me over her shoulder, and tossed out "Your food is still cookin', it will be ready in a minute!"
"Great!" I said, totally impressed.

She has learned to find her way around the two desktops. Loads up games, signs in (never mind that sometimes she's HHHHHHHHHHHHH), and is quite capable of playing completely by herself. Totally mastered the mouse. (It's somewhat of a relief, as I hope any parent with a toddler/prescholer can understand. ie - it's frustrating/exhausting/irritating when they call you every two seconds to switch games or to help them with something.)

Yesterday she wanted to paint.
When she wants to paint, she is always very specific about the medium.
Sometimes it's the box of watercolor cakes (but not usually). Sometimes it's our liquid watercolors. Sometimes it's poster paints, and sometimes it's acrylics.
Yesterday it was the acrylics.
"No, those!" she informed me. I finally guessed correctly to what she was pointing. (Very frustrating to a tot, to not be understood in one's clear directions.)Usuallys he wants to paint at ten at night, when I am so done for the day.
Yesterday it was the morning. woohoo! And one's that were already packed and ready to go, even -- no twenty minutes of prepping on my part. (also frustrating.)
Take the easel outside, pop open the little tubs, and there you go!

Yesterday she had been for like ten minutes!
I went back outside, to find that she had painted her friend Dragon (a kitty tub toy squeezy thing that she calls a Dragon") and a couple of other friends.Very patiently, very seriously.

Then
Bugs.

"Mom! I caught a bug!!"Indeed she had - a very tiny little beetle, which Daddy also had to be summoned to witness.
She's important.
She demands.
She always says "Thank you!"
She will always share.
She detests Juicy Kisses. And will hold it against you for two days (with no kisses a'tall) if you mses up and don't give her the veriest dry bird kind.
She'll follow a dinosaur pretend game initiated by her brother for three days.
But she'll toss in Dora, when it suits her.
Or Clifford.

She's bossy, she's cute, and she's delicious.
And she's two for a precious few more days.