It's All About ME

Kiera had no interest sharing the spot light with her big sister :) :(  

New Friends

Kiera has a new best friend ... Swiper. Unfortunately, he is not visible to the typical person ... or anyone, besides Kiera :) Last week she got upset at Seth for sitting on the swing - afterall, it was Swiper's swing and Swiper was already on it. Then yesterday I watched Kiera as she stood outside the sliding door. She would bend over, do something with her fingers, stand up and "put" something on the little white shelf. She did this twice, then walked through the door. I asked her what she was doing, and she looked a little startled - as if it were quite obvious. "Taking off Swiper's shoes! He can't come in our house with his shoes on!"

Kiera - 2.5 years

The title is a lie ... Kiera is not 2.5. She is actually 2 years and 8 months.... but I was a little busy with a newborn when she turned 2.5 :) So, an update at 2 years and 8 months will have to be sufficient! 

Kiera is definitely a change for us! Her personality and character are very different from that of her older brother and sister :) She is so full of life, personality and spunk :) She keeps us on our toes, and, more importantly, on our knees! Her energy and enthusiasm will help her go far ... if we can make it past the terrible twos/threes! 

   

 She is a stubborn little girly. She knows what she wants, and is determined to get it. And usually whatever she wants is the opposite of what mommy and daddy want - sometimes, that "oppositeness" is the only requirement. The other night Greg decided to play her game, and told her that she was not allowed to sit in her highchair. Of course, after he said that, her highchair is the only place she wanted to sit... perfect :)

 She loves her baby brother dearly. She is his advocate - as soon as he cries she comes running to let me know he is "hungee". She smothers him with her lovin'... and he is usually quite pleased with it! She also adores her older brother and sister, but is a little too destructive and determined for their liking. This causes a few skirmishes ... and Kiera can definitely hold her own!

 She loves to talk ... and she speaks in the most adorable language - Kieraese. She has a hard time with first sounds, and does a few sound reversals ... for example, bedroom is debdroom. She loves to drink tea ... and to her, tea drinking time means chatting time. She sits on the couch, tea cup in hand, and starts to "chat"... which means she chatters non-stop, using all sorts of hand motions, and the occassional laugh.

I feel as though I've sort of dropped the ball on her in terms of "learning". Seth and Maddy got lots of (too much??) attention in this department at her age ... Here are a few things she has picked up: Kiera can count to 13 ... usually. If she wants to. She knows a few letters - well, two: K and S. In fact she finds the letter "s" all over the place. It confused to me at first, because she kept pointing at random things (ex. shower curtain hooks, signs all over town) and saying, "It's Seth!" She knows most of her colours, and can sing a few songs. She loves to colour, and is very good at staying in the lines. She also likes to "write". She fills page after page with tiny little circular squiggles (aka words). She also believes she can read - she sits down and points at every word in a book, "reading" the story to me. She is not one to sit still for long, and strongly dislikes following directions, so teaching her will always be an adventure. 

Kiera's enthusiasm draws attention wherever we go. She is not shy, and is willing to talk to anyone. She makes new friends easily ... today she found someone sitting in Made In Holland, started chatting with him, and made a new best friend. She loves people, and loves to be around them. A crowd does not frighten her - it energizes her ... She is cute, and can make people laugh. She has no trouble leaving my side, and is often brought back to me by random people at church who have found her in random places. Despite this, she is generally ready for a mommy or daddy snuggle. She loves us dearly, just as we love her! We cannot imagine our life without our crazy two year old ... and are very excited to see where God will take her. Lord willing, she will be able to use her love for life and others to do great things in His Kingdom! 

Fast

We have some pretty cool new swings hanging up. Of course, new toys means a few arguements ... everyone wants to be on the same swing at the same time. I've been encouraging the kiddos to take turns by counting. Greg was swinging on one of the swings (I know, "kiddos" is a relative word....) and Kiera wanted to swing on it. I told her to count to ten. She looks at Greg, yells "TEN" then says, "Ok, my turn". She's a fast counter :D

Pesty Snakes

We enjoyed the beautiful weather this evening by going on a walk along a nice trail. Seth, Maddy and Kiera ran ahead like the little energizer bunnies they typically are. Since the trail is often frequented by bikers, Greg yelled out to them, "Watch out for bikers!" We were pretty surprised when they came to a virtual halt and started slowly walking along... they didn't usually listen quite that well! We caught up to them and they looked at his with alarm: "Walk slowly ... and don't talk. The vipers might hear you." Ahh... that explained it - they thought Greg had told them to watch out for vipers, not bikers :) So, the next time I need them to slow down, I shall warn them of vipers in the area!

The Prophet

We love Kiera dearly. She brings a lot of joy and laughter into our house ... and a lot of prayer :) She definitely keeps Greg and I on our toes - she has a tendency to test her limits. One of her latest "tricks" is to pull the "my mom / dad" card on the opposite parent. For example:
Dad: "Kiera, your shoes are on the wrong feet."
Kiera: "My mom says they are not. They are good."
Or...
Kiera: "I want my light on." (When tucked up in bed for the night.)
Mom: "No, we are going to keep it off.:
Kiera: "My dad says I can."

Well, tonight she ran into a little trouble ... Greg and I were together - can't very well play the "other parent" cards. Not to worry - she had it figured out ... when told she wasn't allowed to do something she responded with, "God says I can."
Ha. Right. Nice try, little prophet :)
 

Kiera's Needs

Kiera always asks for the same things: a hug, a kiss, and a fiver. It's pretty cute.