At 2-years-old, too quickly approaching her third birthday, Miss Maclaren is our Miss Personality!
She has become quite opinionated, very stubborn, very dramatic, and very funny. As always, she couldn't be any cuter. We are incredibly smitten :)
Each morning, she has very strong feelings as to which clothes she wants to wear, always wanting to be pretty, accessorizing with necklaces, dress-up glasses, and hair bows. It can become quite a battle when she can't find the perfect pants or her favorite frilly dress is in the wash. If I tell her how pretty she looks, she'll respond with a tearful: "No I not! I not pretty!", but will immediately perk up with a proud grin when any of her older siblings come to reassure her of how pretty she is.
Maclaren loves sharing a room with her big sisters - she feels like such a big girl! She chatters with Maegli and Hiwot, and plays with their toys, and stays up too late "reading" books in bed . . . and she hasn't asked for her Paci in over a week!
Maclaren is very protective of her "baby," Dabney. She shares her dinner each night, helps Dabney sign "please" before giving her food, gets toys out to share, gives the baby overly affectionate hugs and kisses, and is delighted with each smile and giggle received. She also leads Dabney into trouble, like playing in the toilet bowl - ew!
mbv
She's a strong girl: 37 inches and 35 pounds, the most adorable tank ever! Along with growing stronger, she's also becoming more coordinated. She loves to color pictures, jump onto the couch, run with her siblings, she has learned ballet from her sisters (she knows plie, releve', pique, and passe), and amazed us all by showing off recently acquired tricycle peddling skills.
Maclaren is growing up so quickly.
She labels every character in each book, from flowers to people to animals: the smallest is "baby," the next is "that's me!", and the biggest being "that you, mommy!", "that you, daddy!" As her older siblings are working on school, she is usually busy giggling and playing with Kolpin and "baby," but she'll often sit with us at the table, coloring. As she colors, she labels everything she draws: "that eye, mommy!", "that princess you, mommy!", "that moon", "that house!"
She has named Hendrick as her very favorite. I think the large age and size difference makes him seem extra special: "I like Hen-ick, you like daddy, I like Hen-ick!"
She is very quick to point out, "That's mine!", and can often be found running after her siblings, copying their words and actions: "I do it!" She loves to play chase, and thanks to her sweet and sensitive siblings, she thinks she's the fastest in the family. She loves to find special objects (rocks, acorns, legos) and fill her pockets - pockets make every outfit more fun. Whenever she hears laughing, she joins in with hysterical giggles and shrieks. She has some pretty amazing moves during impromptu dance parties :)
She'll often call over "Mama watch this!" and she'll show off a new trick, balancing between chairs. Maclaren loves to help in the kitchen, she climbs onto our 5-gallon bucket of wheat and leans over the counter, eager to lick a spoon of sweet batter. In the bath, she especially enjoys all-girl baths, helping to rinse Dabney with water, and feeling so big splashing with the big girls and making soapy unicorns in her hair. When everyone is reading, she'll pull out a Bible and sing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star." When coloring, she sings "A B C, A B C, next time won't you sing with me, A B C, A B C . . . "
She really couldn't be cuter :)
