Our Little Lady

We have a build-up of great stories/quirks/experiences from the one and only Mariah Jeanne. I don't want to forget any of them so they are going on this here blog.

Lately we have started reciting the First Article of Faith to her. Here's a little dialogue of how it went down one night when Aunt Tiffie and Auntie Em were there:

Tanner: We believe in God the Eternal Father
Mariah: We Believe in God the Turtle Father
Tanner: And in his Son
Mariah: Jesus Christ (we were pretty impressed with that, and maybe a teensy proud)
Tanner: And in the Holy
Mariah: Cow

She said it with such certainty. I have no idea where she could have picked up a phrase like that. It couldn't be the countless times I say it throughout the day. Cut me a little slack, I did grow up on a ranch.

She loves the temple and the other day I told her that daddy was going to the temple. She got so excited to go that I had to take her. I'm so grateful to live five minutes away from a temple. And so is Mariah.

Now if we tell her it is time for a nap or bedtime she says, "No, I sleep last night". Well alrighty then.

The other day I asked her if she wanted some sort of snack and she said, "no sweetie, I want grapes." I don't call my children or husband sweetie so she must have picked it up from someone else.

She tells me all throughout the day, "Good job Mommy!", "You're so good!", or "You're punny (funny)."  I have my own personal cheerleader.

She loves to give people hugs. The Primary President told me last Sunday that she went into the Nursery to check on everything and Mariah ran right up and gave her a hug. As we were leaving the Library the other day a woman smiled at her and Mariah snuggled right up to her. She was holding books so she couldn't give a proper hug but she did the best she could. When we were saying goodbye to Tanner's family, Mariah told his mom, "Gamma I need a hug!". That girl could melt anyone's heart.

Mariah now asks me to turn on the music so she can dance. It doesn't matter what kind of music it is, once it starts she begins to twirl. Or she bends her arms and will lift up her elbows in a what looks like the chicken dance. She gets her dancing skills from me. And the dancing wouldn't be complete without her tutu.

Frequently throughout the day she tells me, "be nice mommy". I promise I try as hard as I can to be quite cordial to my children, but obviously Mariah must feel that I need some reminders.

We were over at a Birthday Party a while back and there was a swing set/jungle gym there. Mariah decided that she wanted to climb up to the deck part. It was a straight up ladder but she had her mind set so I let her do it. She would climb up and then jump down into my arms. During one climb she slipped and fell, legs entangled in the rungs, down on her head. She was crying pretty hard while I tried to comfort her but within seconds she was pushing me away saying that she wanted to do it again. She was a little shaky but she climbed right back up, scrapes and all. I was a pretty proud momma, especially with the rancher mentality in me to "get back up on the horse." She did it the other day again when she fell down the stairs on our back deck and scraped her nose up good. She cried for a couple seconds and then went right back to climbing down the stairs.

At a park by our house there is a really tall slide. The first time we went Mariah would only go down it if I went with her. Today I let her climb up to the top by herself and suggested she go down alone. She wouldn't even consider it. I had to climb up and go down with her. The next time she went up I figured it would be easier to just go along with her but when we got to the top she was insistent that she go down by herself. She then went another time all by herself. This is big for Mariah. A little over a month ago she wouldn't go down a teeny tiny slide with someone.

My baby girl is growing up! I love all these little experiences we get to have with our special girl.