The Terrible...No, No...Terrific Two's!

Let's just say that you kinda forget as a momma what the two's are like until you have a two year old :). Up until then, they are all sweet and cuddly...you are still at that adoration point where you can't get enough of their preciousness...and you are just bursting with joy as you ooh and ahh over their recent developments. As a momma you're filled with so much patience as you start to set boundaries and they begin to learn what they can and cannot do. Then the two's hit and it's like BAM!

You wake up one day to a whole lot of sass...and where in the world did all that independence come from?!? It's like their little bodies have been strapped in to a roller coaster and they are mixed between holding on for dear life and waving their hands in the air like they just don't care! At this age, Zoe can swing from emotional rage, to over excitement of giggles, to waterworks...all in about 30 seconds...eeek!

To say I'm exhausted at the end of most days is a huge understatement...it takes a lot of energy to keep up with this feisty gal.

But what you may not know about this two year old stage, even though you are at the breaking point of pulling out what's left of your hair...it could possibly be one of my favorite stages of development. Words can't even begin to describe how neat it is to see a little human begin the journey of creating their own personality, interests, dislikes then learn how to communicate all of their emotions and scrambling of thoughts. This stage is simply filled with wonder!

The wonder I get to experience daily is seeing how Miss Zoe loves to dress up and try new things on, how she loves to eat...not necessarily help cook...she's more or less interested in what she gets to scavenger from leftovers of the cooking :), how she loves to wear pig tails and play beauty shop together, how she loves to play sports with her bubba and dad, how she seriously loves her babies and being a little momma...

how she would spend every waking moment outside if you let her (especially on her bike)...

how she doesn't want to wear clothes and she won't keep shoes on to save her life, how she is a little monkey that I'm constantly having to monitor as she doesn't know the fear of falling yet...

how her favorite people in the world are her dad-dad...

and both of her bubbas...

how she talks non-stop and in extremely complex sentences already, how she loves to play with boy toys just as much as girly ones...

I think you definitely know you are a sister to an older brother when you are building and make your own gun, then go around shooting everything :). Zoe fills our home with wonder as we see her demonstrate her fire cracker personality that keeps all of us on our toes! But, you can't always let her adorableness fool you...

because she doesn't listen to a single then you tell her! She thinks it's hilarious to run from you whenever you are trying to get her to do something. She marches to her own beat and she already thinks she runs the Clayton Casa. Yep, she drives us nuts...but it's a beautiful kinda nuts! Daniel and I love how she's a late night owl like us and often laugh at how she never wants to miss a party...

even if it's in her own bed! Most recently we've been proud of how much she rocked this potty training business. I'm not gonna lie, I've been holding her off for a few months because I wasn't ready to dive in...I mean seriously, dealing with a diva that doesn't always want to listen to you didn't seem like a fun  obstacle to tackle. But this girl was a pro...

We passed on all our diapers to Max, I revealed all her big girl panties, she got to run around in just her undies (oh how she was in heaven!)...

and she knocked it out in just a couple of days. I just love how she is our flexible rascal since both big brothers schedules meant potty training on the go...haha!

Lately since we are still in a newer area and meeting new people, I'm constantly asked where her curly hair comes from or her beautiful olive skin and of course I reveal that she was adopted. Do you know that she is so bound to us, so completely wrapped around our hearts, so much a part of this crazy Clayton Crew, that we can't fathom life without her...

that we sometimes forget she isn't biologically ours? Because she is...in every single way, she is our little lady. We are joyously praising God for sending her into our lives...her spunk, the exhaustion, the two year old emotional drama and all! There is no terrible two's about it, everything is terrific and worth fighting for as we share our lives with this ray of sunshine.

The crazy thought now is that in just a few months Zoe will be three and a whole new slew of wonder will evolve as she continues to grow. All I know, is I can't wait to see the adventures our feisty little lady will take us on!