Genius or Genus?

What mother hasn't fallen for this one...

Elliott taught Beth to say "yellow" which comes out not as adults say it but more like "lellow". I thought that was pretty good for an almost 2-year-old* (the asterisk is my way of not having to explain the whole story of how old she really is). We naturally started to point out yellow things -- book pages being the most frequently viewed items in our house.

One morning I started to point out "black" and "blue" and "red". I even ventured into "pink". Some time later while I was rushing about between the washing machine and food preparation, I found her holding a small book with those colored book-plates on the back where you can see if the colors are aligned well. Miss Beth was pointing to the black circle and clearly saying "black." Wow! Could she point out blue? I asked "where's blue?" Bingo. She pointed to blue. "Where's yellow?" Score again. "Where's black?" Another score.

Man what a smart girl, I thought. She picked up her colors in one little session and she remembers them!! Elliott didn't get his colors until...sometime between 3 and 4 years old but you know boys.

I proudly relayed my story to a mom at My Gym who was most impressed especially since Beth looks to be about 14 months old. Here I was beaming at our special girl. She's so advanced. We mom's -- despite our best intentions -- tend to find ways to show off our children's skills. I admit it. I enjoy it when Beth and Elliott succeed yet I try not to dwell on every little thing my children do. It can get tiresome to hear.

Anyway, next Miss Beth and I bounced on the trampoline that is surrounded by GIANT mats of the primary colors. "Beth," I said. "What color is this? (pointing to the blue square). "Lellow" she said.

Well, at least she got the genus correct.

Beth's First Day in the Snow

Beth saw snow for the first time on New Year's Day! She was very excited to get out of the car however her enthusiasm diminished once she actually TOUCHED it. Thankfully it was a sunny day so she could go without her gloves (it is impossible to keep them on a toddler anyway). Notice how large this snow suit is. It is a 2T which is the smallest size we could find from Land's End and I wanted it a bit large to accommodate a few layers underneath. Beth is just a little wisp of a thing!

Elliott enjoyed sledding with his friends. He left a little cheek skin on the snow but emerged smiling despite wrenching his knee and banging various other things on his way down the hill.

These days we spend an inordinate amount of time reading stories. I never thought I would complain about this but even Gramma as well as Nana and Grandpa Ron (who just came from Arizona for a 3-day visit) found her insatiable appetite a little tiring. Now you know what we mean!!

Yet each moment is a blessing and yes, I do dwell on her amazing existence. I think I will every day of my life and if it gets tiring to others, that is even more wonderful to me because it means we are that much further from when it all happened. The pain is lessened but the amazement is still...amazing.