Music To My Ears

Well, she finally did it.  Annalise not only is singing songs without me needing to beg and plead but she also has decided that she will color WITH me again too.  For some reason Anna decided a few months ago (probably around 18 months) that she was not going to sing in front of people (or at least me).  So, if you ever wanted her to sing you had to catch her in the act.  For some reason this was somewhat painful for me because I knew that she knew quite a few songs from about 18 months on.  I would hear her singing them over her monitor.  She would sing them for other people at times.  She would MOUTH THE WORDS (the most painful) when I would sing them.  But whenever I would ask her to sing them she would give me a sly little smile and say "No, Mommy sing 'em".  So I continued to sing solo.  For months.  Not pretty for anyone involved.  Well, for some reason this past weekend she has been a singin' fool.  She has been singing the ABC's (which I think the last time she sang it out loud, in front of me, completely to the end was about when she was 18 months), Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, Happy Birthday to You (which I haven't been able to get out of her since Lily Smith's birthday), Ring Around the Rosie and others.  When she sings them she still gives me her little sly smile though.
Another thing that Anna loved to do around 18 months or so was color.  Somehow over the summer she decided that I needed to practice my coloring.  So, frequently she would ask to color and I would get everything out.  Anna would then say "No, Mommy color" with the same little smile and then would proceed to tell me where to color, what to make and what colors to use.  If I prompted her enough, she would color too but most of all she just liked to tell me what to do.  Well, again, for whatever reason she has been a coloring fool this weekend.  She has changed her phrase to "Mommy color too" and she still proceeds to tell me which crayon to use, what to draw, etc., etc., but it is nice to have my little picture makin' singin' girl back.  Hopefully she won't revisit her previous phase!

Hard at work

Apparently coloring makes you want to do stretches.

The girl stretched until she fell over.

Yes, my daughter can fall over when she is standing completely still on a flat surface.  Being that she is not yet 2, I am hoping this is something she grows out of =).  I have her signed up to start a little gymnastics class next month....could be interesting to say the least.