3

Over the last week or so, Sophia has embraced "3" with both arms.  She is more articulate every day, has an insatiable thirst for learning, and desires independence in everything.  And oh, yes, most importantly, it turns out that I didn't know what a real temper tantrum looked like before now.  Because she threw one last week and I have never seen anything like it.

Well, really she threw two humdingers, but the first was the most memorable.  We were over at her cousins house and she decided she did not want to leave.  At the peak of fun times, I was carrying a writhing yet floppy and screaming 30-pound toddler down the stairs to the wagon, her body slithering out of my arms as I attempted to fling her up in the general vicinity of my hip and shoulder.  Into the wagon, belt buckled, screaming all the way home.  Turns out 1/8 of a mile can feel VERY far.

But in the midst of being three, Sophia does have her sweet moments.

Today is a bit cloudy and rainy, so we pulled out one of her birthday presents, a heart-shaped wooden box with paint and gems to decorate it.  Sophia went to town, painting and bedazzling, concentrating on making this the best jewel box ever.  And in the middle of this project, she looked up at me and said . . . 

"Mommy, you need a painted jewel box.  It will be pretty to hold your treasures."

I got a little choked up, I admit.  How sweet, to want to give me her jewel box that she was making.

How to express my appreciation yet let her keep her special box?

"Thank you, honey, that is so kind of you to want to share-"

"Yeah, you should buy one."

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And because no "I'm back for real this time and promise I won't flake out on blogging for two months at a time" post would be complete without a little Jude, here's what I see every time I feed the kiddos pb&j for lunch . . . which means pretty much every day.