I guess I shouldn't be surprised:)

This picture is of Katey when she was approximately one year old...I know by the outfit she has on. Katey has been a challenge lately. Most of my posts have not reflected how frustrated I am raising my three year old. I LOVE HER, probably more than I ever thought possible-BUT, if I am being honest...she makes me crazy. A lot. I will openly admit that I am not patient enough. I have high expectations of her. Joe and I have been playing "good cop/bad cop" with her lately...of course, I am the bad cop-the mean mom, or the "mean ugly face"...which is what she called me yesterday as I buckled her into her car seat. My response...was to correct her and "yell" at her...so she ends up in tears because "you yelled at me mama"...I feel like I can't win with her lately. And most of the time I remind myself that she is three...but some days her comments actually hurt my feelings. I am already terrified for when Makenna starts in with this, because I really do not think I can survive this again. And of course, the worst part...this is nothing compared to what is ahead of us!!! A coworker of mine has three girls and basically shook her head in sorrow one day and said, "Emily, I feel so bad saying this...but it gets so much worse". So every day I just deal the best that I can. I try to remember to tell Katey how much I love her-praise her when she is being good-and capitalize on the really good moments of each day. I take a deep breath each time she screams for a band aid or sticky tape (because OH MY GOD she is going to bleed to death if she doesn't get one NOW!!!). And just when I feel like I cannot handle another frustrating evening of fighting with my three year old...she starts to sing. Yes, SING.

Last night when she was done with supper she began a little impromptu concert for Joe and I. When Katey gets on a roll it is really something to see. She sings, she dances, she makes faces and gestures that you swear she must have learned from MTV or Jerry Springer...cause she certainly didn't learn it from Dora or the Backyardigans. Our favorite tune went a little like this:

"checking on my sister...my sister"

"waking up my sister"

"get my butt spanked"

and so on and so on. The girl has so much imagination and spunk sometimes. I thought I was going to have milk come out my nose at one point! So I guess getting back to why I liked this picture...Katey was one year old and already so curious about what was around her, what was happening outside, that she figured out how to balance her teeny tiny toes on the lip of the mop board so that she could see out the window. She was determined. She is still determined...and I know someday that will be an awesome quality-but right now it can make a person lose their mind! I take a lot of comfort in hearing from other moms how hard it is to raise three and four year olds...that Katey is normal and this too will pass. Being a mom is so complex-I feel like I learn that more and more each day! Thanks for listening...