Miss Hadleigh Claire is 32 Months

I am starting to wonder what I am going to do once Hadleigh turns 3. Maybe the posts will begin to read "Miss Hadleigh Claire is 3.1...3.2..." It just doesn't seem right to say a 3 year old is 37 months. It actually doesn't really seem right to call a 2 year old 32 months. Ah well, that is for another time. So Hadleigh...

One thing I have noticed in the last month is her ability to run. The little miss did not walk until 17 months, which was totally fine. However I always felt like she has been a bit behind in her coordination (hey, who said we all have to be Flo-Jo). Her running used to be a fast waddle/walk until this last month when I have really seen her run. It still looks a little funny, but it is definitely a run. I love it! She might just be athletic afterall!

Even though she has been slow to run, she has a fabulous arm. She throws very well, straight and far and always impresses everyone. They will usually start off close to her asking her to throw the ball, and after the first throw they always back up and comment on her arm.

Hadleigh definitely has music in her future. She has almost perfect pitch which is absolutely amazing to listen to! She loves to sing, and sings all day long. Yesterday she was playing her xylophone (which she calls her violin), and she managed to pick out the notes to "Twinkle, Twinkle" and played it perfectly, AMAZING! Her favorite song this month is "Rainbow Connection". We sing it almost every night before bed, along with "Our God is so Great" which she learned in Sunday School.

After we sing at night we always talk about God and his greatness. One thing I have really enjoyed this month is her increased awareness of God. I feel like I am able to talk to her about God and she understands. It has been fun to come up with little ways to teach her scripture, or to teach her about his character. She knows the answers to the first three catechism questions..."Who made you? What else did God make? and Why did God make you and all things?" We also talk about obedience and how it is "right" to obey your parents. Another thing we have been talking about is his majesty, "Do you not KNOW? Have you not HEARD? THe lord is the everlasting God, creator of the heavens and earth." We talk about all he has made. It is fun and intense to be in this kind of discipleship relationship. Can I teach her about God, while allowing her to say fart, crap and hell? We will see.

There are a couple other things that I have been talking to HC about, kindness and truth. We are always talking about telling the truth, and reminding her what the truth is...the truth is you have to go potty (as she jumps arounds)...the truth is the bunny belongs to Annelise...the truth is youu got out of bed (as she is covered from head to toe in lotion). I am also always asking her to be kind to Annelise. Sometimes this comes very naturally to HC. She will jump into the car after preschool and immediately go over to Annelise, say hi and stroke her face. So KIND! But sometimes she has to be reminded that it is kind to share, it is kind to not hit, etc. Oh, HC knows what kind means, and we continue to pray that she will learn to love to be kind to Annelise (and that Annelise will be kind to her in return).

One more thing I have noticed about HC this month is that is incredibly social. She LOVES her friends, which is nothing new to me, but what I have realized is that she really likes to play with kids. If we go to a playground she will try to get other kids to play with her. She doesn't just want to play around other children, she wants to play with them. This month I have had the opportunity to see her play a lot with her good bud Brennan. Hadleigh loves Brennan, I mean LOVES, and it is so fun to see them squeal each others names and run after one another. It is the sweetest thing in the world.

I just love my little girl, she is the sweetest in the world.