2-going-on-20-year-old Elle

Yes, she's 2. Our little expressive pixie is 2 years old today. I've been wanting to write a post about how much fun she is for quite some time, and today I'm finally sitting down to do it. Elle has been talking/singing every one's ear off for months now and we love it. She makes me laugh at least 10 times every day. A couple of examples from this week:

Elle grabbed her purse and purposefully started for the door, informing me, "I'm going to work." After going a few steps, she turned around and reached out her hand, "Hold my pacifawer."

We were driving in the car and Elle piped up from out of nowhere, "I need a pink guitar for me." (I laughed so hard we had to get her one for this bday just so we could remember it.)

She's following in Ryn's footsteps, loving all things musical and princess-themed. She loves taking requests for princess songs, and French or English nursery and Primary songs. Depending on her mood, she'll stop mid-way with either an invitation "Sing with me!" or a firm "No! ME sing!", and she often asks me where her microphone is. (I just show her how to hold her fist up and she's back to belting out the song of the moment, complete with arm extended, long, held-out, vibrato ending) I'm pretty sure she's going to be a soprano, since the jungle puma screams are shriller (is that a word?) than ever.

Elle has reached the must-wear-a-skirt-at-all-times age. Once the skirt is on, then she may or may not move on to other accessories like crowns, wings, necklaces, princess shoes, bunny ears, etc. :) We call this look the Fairy Princess Easter Bunny.... One of my nicknames for Elle is Mess Maker, since 8 of the 10 times she makes me laugh every day are when I'm cleaning up a new mess she has made :). As I clean, I sing, "Mess Maker, Mess Maker, make me a mess...." The first picture is a pretty frequent one--Elle can turn absolutely anything into 'makeup'.

I also call her my little monkey because of the way she wraps her tiny body and clings to you when she's scared, or giving a big hug, or trying to avoid her bed :). I absolutely LOVE that monkey grip around my neck.

I've tried over and over again to get a good video of Elle showing all her different facial expressions, and although none have ever yet captured her 100%, this is the latest and it gives a good idea of how expressive she really is.

As quickly as she changed facial expressions in that clip, she can change moods. I've never seen such huge smiles and raised eyebrows when the word 'chocolate' is mentioned or tears appear so quickly as soon as a request is denied. It makes me laugh, though, thinking of how Joy would always complain about me turning on the tears like that when I wanted to get her in trouble :). Ryn's got a tough road ahead....but at least I'll be able to reassure her of Elle's complete and utter adoration (something all little sisters are hard-wired with from birth for their big sisters). Every day when Elle wakes up, the first thing she asks is, "Where's my Ryn?"

Elle loves saying, or hearing someone else say, the words 'you're welcome.' Every time she says or hears that phrase, she'll smile and say, "I [she, he] said 'you're yelcome." And ever since our trip to Pirate Island Pizza, both she and Ryn are fans of the ever-popular, "Arrrr, matey!"

She loves taking care of her baby doll and mimics every little thing I do with Eden--the way I hold her when she's burping, nursing, singing her the same songs to put her to sleep, reading her stories and the scriptures. Ryn likes playing with her doll in the same way, but not nearly as consistently as Elle does. She wants to take her everywhere, which becomes difficult since she's trying to hold her pacifier and blanket 24/7, too.
Her second birthday was celebrated with a BBQ, cake, ice cream and a present hunt at Grandma and Grandpa Linkous' and those pics will follow soon :). How thankful we are to have this little piece of happiness in our family. Happy Birthday, Elle!

We've moved!

Yes, there is a good reason this time for the delay in posting--we've moved! We found a great place in Draper and we've been swimming in boxes for the past 2 weeks. Lots of space and a great location--we are in heaven. One of the adventures was opening all our boxes that have been waiting for us in the Linkous' garage for the past 8 years! Yes, Kevin was wearing very thick gloves :). It's seriously like Christmas seeing all the 'treasures' we forgot we even had. Now, if we can just get them all unpacked and organized.....

Forks with legs?!

Here are some of this week's funny quotes from the girls:

We had a tea party lunch on the girls' little table downstairs a few days ago. The table is a little IKEA one that's no more than 2-3 feet long. The girls were on the "ends" and I was strategically between them to keep the peace, thinking that such close quarters for eating would start out fun but maybe result in some contention :). Instead, it started out fun and then Elle kept getting out of her chair and walking over (the whole 2 feet away) to stand next to Ryn saying, "I want to go see Ryn." I hope they'll always love being together that much!

On the way back up the stairs, I had the dishes in one hand and was holding on to Elle with the other. One of the forks dropped on the stairs, so I asked, "Ryn, will you get that fork for me?"

"No," she replied, very matter-of-factly, "I'm waiting for it to get some legs."
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Ryn also reminded me of some vital facts about dogs as we were walking to the park the other day. We passed a dog going the other direction and Elle remarked, "That doggy was at the slide." (since he was coming from that direction).

Ryn answered with a wise big sister laugh, "No, Elle, doggies don't go down slides. They push out big pee-yoo stinkies from their bum-bums and eat bones!"
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New vocab:
Diamond room=dining room (Ryn)
Butterfly dragon=dragon fly (Elle)
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One of Ryn's favorite Book of Mormon stories is when Christ visited the Nephites and blessed the children. I think she must have been reflecting on that when we were eating lunch and she started this conversation:

Ryn: "I want Jesus to come down. Jesus loves us."
Kit: "Yes, He loves all people, doesn't He?"
Ryn: "No, His love is not for people. It's just for kids."

What a day to be a mother!

It is a gorgeous day and there was never a happier Kit. I get to be a mom. Of these three angels. And wife of this angel. (That's our yummy dinner he's grilling)

And daughter and granddaughter of these angels...

Church was wonderful--The primary sang 2 songs in sacrament meeting and this was the first time I had a child up there singing to ME. I cannot believe how my heart was singing as I watched her walk all the way up to the stand (we were way back in the overflow), sing both songs looking at me with a big smile, and walk all the way back to my arms. Joy. Pure joy.

Then in Sunday school we were talking about spiritual gifts and all the ones that we absolutely need, should ask for, be worthy of, and are entitled to as mothers. The teacher had someone read aloud the Proclamation on the Family and we discussed the responsibilities mothers have and then the spiritual gifts available to us as we try to fulfill them. A few examples include discernment, faith, testimony, charity, pure knowledge (like the mother at Haun's Mill after the massacre when she prayed and received a specific answer of how to heal her son's hip), and patience. What a blessing to know that we can ask for and receive these powerful gifts in the essential responsibilities given to mothers.

I was also impressed with the warning given at the end of the Proclamation that talks about the negative consequences that follow when eternal truths are ignored or blatantly disobeyed. It's easy to see the consequences that our society is facing at this moment as the family is attacked on all sides, but today I thought of how I, personally, will reap the same penalties or the promised blessings every minute of every day based on how I apply these principles as a wife and mother. (duh, that's the whole point, I know--I'm just a little slow :) )

Thursday was a perfect example of this. In one day I saw both the penalties of ignoring and the blessings of seeking and applying a spiritual gift. Namely, patience. That morning Kevin was really late getting home from the gym when I needed to get Ryn to dance. I was getting more and more frustrated as the minutes passed, but then I stopped and prayed and asked for the patience I needed to forget about it and not dwell on it. Instead of fuming and fuming, I just got to work doing all I could do and reminding myself of what a great man Kevin is :). The blessings that followed: when he got home, I and the girls were ready to go, genuinely happy to see him, we arrived in plenty of time, and everyone had a wonderful, happy morning.

I'm ashamed to say that the opposite happened later that evening when he was late getting home from work. (I know, I'm completely lame--my sister-in-law hasn't seen my brother for 6 months straight and never complains.) This time I didn't ask for and certainly didn't apply that gift. The penalties: I was miserable and made everyone else miserable, too. Luckily, Kevin and the Lord are both patient with me and we haven't reached the "calamities" yet, but how sad to miss out on even half a day of happiness and blessings that I could have had and could have given to my family.

Moral of the story: Being a mother is the most wonderful, difficult thing in the world and I need all the help I can get. Thankfully, a loving Father in heaven knew this would be the case and prepared the way for me and all His children to compensate for our inadequacies and repair our imperfections through spiritual gifts and the atonement of His Son.

I'm so thankful for a mother who seeks for and blesses my life with so many spiritual gifts. I'm so thankful for other righteous women--a mother-in-law, sisters, sisters-in-law, aunts, grandmothers, cousins, mission companions, roommates, teachers and friends that have done the same. HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!