Toddler For Sale!

Oh people, let me just say this nicely... I have a toddler for sale today. Oh my word- this child! You just can't really understand the throes of the "terrible two's" until you have a terrible two. This child makes me want to knock my own head against the wall over and over and over and over. On purpose. They were on to something when they gave it that name... whoever "they" are!

But "they" left out an adjective, in my opinion- I think this stage that my Max is in should be deemed the "terribly terrific twos". His brain is like no other, and when he's sweet, man he melts me. When he's thinking, man he tickles me to death. But when he's rotten and disobeying and thinking he's king of the world, man, it's all I can do not to put him at the intersection with a sign reading "free to a good home".

Recently, while riding in the car, he told me and Chad "God makes me happy!"And after talking about the letter "V" and teaching him that my mom (his Annie's) name is Vicki and that starts with a 'V' he then decided that she was indeed VICKI MOUSE, much to mine and Gabe's amusement. If you ask him, Snowmen have corn for a nose and Christmas is Jesus' birthday party. This is all terrific!

The past two Wednesdays, while I was at youth group, Max just politely and cutely told his Dad that he didn't want a bath, and got out of it both times. And earlier this week, when I was trying to discipline Max, he started talking about the ceiling and trying to get me to "yook at it" so I asked him why he was distracting me... he responded "I not want to know what you say." He was a poot the entire time we tried to take family pictures a couple weeks ago. And he'll also throw things, stomp, lay down and kick, and scream like a dying pig if he doesn't get his way. This is all terrible.

But do you know what gets me the most? We didn't teach him this- it just came with the package that is Max. Our wooden spoon gets a lot of use and usually spends the night right beside Max on his bedside table as a "reminder" of what happens to little boys who don't obey. My child raising books are also getting a lot of use right now. But my hugs and my smiles and my laughs get a lot of use too. Sometimes I try to remember what my life was like before I had my little buddy Max and I just can't-- he brings me so much joy and reminds me at least hourly of how blessed we are to have him.

So that's how I ended up with the terribly terrific twos. I vote we start a movement to change the name. Not because this stage isn't hard- it is-- so very hard! But because it's also equally as wonderful and why in the world would we want to scare anyone away from enjoying this phenomena of the second year of a child's life? It shows how wonderful God made each and everyone of us, how He crafted our amazing brains and our amazing bodies.... and it shows how sinful we are, naturally, in our flesh, and then it shows our need for a Savior, and once again, points us all back to a great big wonderful loving God, who loved us while we were sinners, and sent his Son in the form of a baby to save us from ourselves.

So when my two year old is driving me nuts, thank you God for your grace. And when my two year old is amazing me and bringing me joy, thank you God for your grace. And when I question my own sanity in motherhood, thank you God for your grace. And when my eyes fill with tears over the blessing of this babe, thank you God for your grace!