Just Like Mom

One of the joys I get out of being a parent is watching the ways my children try to be like me. Caleb is starting to mimic different motions you perform in front of him – like shake his head, smile and laugh. And Samantha has become such a sponge over the last 8-10 months and – as dangerous as it can be at times (you really have to watch what comes out of your mouth!) – it’s so amazing to see what she retains and how smart she is.

Samantha has taken to wanting to “be like mom”. I’ve gotten into Yoga lately – which I normally do after she goes to bed at night or before she gets up in the morning. If my mat is still out in the living room when she gets up – “You do Yoga momma? I want to do Yoga too!” And she plops down on the mat and I show her a few moves. Now, when she gets all riled up and upset, we tell her to breathe – like Yoga! Big deep breath – it works too!

Thought I’d share a couple pictures and a video illustrating some other ways Samantha has taken to doing things just like mom. Check out this video of Samantha wanting to work out with me. She actually told me next time she was going to go for a run too. Notice that some of her “friends” are joining in to – dog, Mrs. Potato Head and a stuffed beanie bear.

One of Samantha’s other favorite ways to be just like mom is to get on her computer while I’m on mine. I took this picture last Friday morning while I was working in the living room. Bug got her computer (“puter”) out and put it next to mine. We laid on the floor and worked together. Wonder if Caleb will want to join in one day too?

And then there’s the dishes. This is a new thing for her and my plan is to teach her quickly and hope she’ll be helping me full time soon….! I can always use the extra help.

What are some ways that your kids like to mimic you?

A dog and a rocket ship

This morning, while I was getting ready for work, my daughter amazed me.

As I’m getting dressed, Samantha is playing on the floor near our closet and says “That is a dog, Momma.” I wasn’t paying attention all that closely because I was putting away laundry and I said something like “Oh, that’s great honey.”

But Samantha is persistent. She wanted to be sure I knew there was a dog there so she repeated “That is a dog, Momma.” Now, I had no idea what she was talking about and continued to “ignore” her – “Cool Hun.” This time, she said, “And that is a rocket ship.” That caught my attention – not sure why but I didn’t know what could be a rocket ship. So I looked down at her and and saw what she was pointing at.

We moved into our house just a little over two years ago. We still have some ongoing projects (yes – two years later, I know) that have yet to be completed – including finishing the trim work in our bedroom. So there are some marks on the drywall just above the carpet around the room where the nails were pulled out from the previous trip pieces. These are what she saw:

I think that’s pretty cool that my 31 month old daughter has the ability to discern some objects from torn drywall….wish I had paid better attention and noticed it right away. Fortunately, I didn’t miss the opportunity to let her show me….