Don't catch me!

• I promised Xiana we were going to be swimming for a birthday party and then failed to make it. As a result, I assured her that we would go, just us two on Saturday. "And my friends!" she demanded, and I consented. So... we went to the indoor pool and had a blast swimming. When Xiana was born I told her, "I don't care what your favorite color is, or if you like butterflies, or what you want to be... that's all up to you. The one requirement I do have is that you like the water." And she does. The only problem is that she is a teeny tiny bit shall we say, fearless? She was jumping off the edge of the baby pool and I was catching her to which she was exasperatedly saying, "no mommy, don't catch me." I was, of course, ignoring her knowing that there was no way my tiny child who can't swim and who isn't allowed to wear water wings in the baby pool could jump in without being caught. So... she ran up the stairs and dashed around the pool to the opposite end long before I could get there and quickly jumped into the pool. The life guard almost had a heart attack and there was an audible gasp from the entire crowd. What did Xiana do? She went under for a moment, pushed herself back up and then tippy toed it back to the other end where the water was no longer over her mouth. And I gasped as I realized that she was right. She could do it. I was scared, but she knew that she didn't need nor want me to catch her. She proceeded to repeat this about a bajillion times and loved every minute of it. Every time the life guard traded shifts the newbie would jump every time Xiana came tearing around the edge... but she didn't notice or care. I think next summer we better work on swimming lessons before she starts jumping into pools that she can't touch the bottom in!
• I heard her crying in nursery one Sunday which is very out of her character. When I picked her up I asked, "why were you crying today?" and she reassured me, "oh, I just tending cry."
• One morning I was reading my scriptures during Sesame Street. She quickly grabbed a spare set and confidently told me, "I reading my scriptures too, my Book of Mormon stories."
• She is suddenly a very complimentary child. For a two-yr-old it's bizarre to hear her handing out the praises. While she was napping I changed for work and when she awoke she said, "I like your dress mommy. That a church dress?" At the pool she went up to a little girl and said, "I yike your swimming suit." And I regularly hear her say such things as: "I yike your hair, shirt, clothes, shoes, hat, whatever."
  
• She is also very aware of social customs and those around her. A new daily statement from her is, "that girl no say hi me" or "I no say hi that boy" which she is quick to remedy. Unfortunately, this is her perception of EVERY person we come in contact with. So, the lady in front of us in line that can't see or hear Xiana suddenly gets to hear crying, "that lady no say hi me." If a friend is cranky or too young to say hi and bye regularly, she also gets quite upset.
• While typing on her keyboard and talking on her cell phone she said, "oh, I have to go, I have an appointment on my computer.
• At church my dad was on at the pulpit speaking into the microphone. Xiana said, "grandpa up there, I better go get him" and proceeded to walk all the way to the front of the church and climb into his arms.
• Also a reoccurring statement: "Daddy (or Brian) I need more money."
• Bobby and I went to Bully's for dinner and there was a hunting video game right next to us. She went over and got the gun down which, for the record, was bigger than her. She held it up and screamed so loud I think the entire bar heard, "mommy, I shoot the bear with my shoot gun!" Everybody cracked up and Bobby and I marveled at how different her life was going to be than mine. :)
• The other day she was watching a bible movie about Esther. She said, "I no yike her, I wanna watch the Lamanites!"
• While driving home in the evening she assured me that cows live on the moon.
• When we picked Bobby up that night for dinner there was a chair on his balcony, she said, "look at that little chair up there mommy. Bobby used to sit in it when he was a little baby and drink his soda." She has been telling lots of really funny stories like that lately that I'm not quite sure where they come from.
• She is also really good at telling stories about things that happen. After my parents watched her for me one morning she told me, "grandpa hit my eye with him belt and grandma cuddle me cause I cry." I shrugged it off because it sounded so crazy, but later when I asked my parents about it they told me that was exactly what happened. My dad was putting his belt on and it swung down and hit her eye. I told them they couldn't keep anything from me anymore... she would tell on them. Then I realized that went for me as well!
• Brian and I took her to the store and she suddenly asked, "where Carson city?" I have no idea where it came from, but Brian thinks they said it on the radio. At any rate, Brian pointed out the direction to her and she said, "Carson city really fun" he asked how she got there and if she walked or drove and she said, "me walk. Actually, me drive."
• I have discovered that she has memorized a lot of her books. I asked her to read to me one night and she promptly recited page after page of her books.
• She told me yesterday, "you have to cut my fingertails. They are pretty long."
• Brian asked her what his whole name was and she said, "Brian with an X."