Jana is 3 years, 3 months old

It seems like every time we turn around, Jana becomes more and more of big girl.

She's having a wonderful time at school and loves her friends.

This is Jana one minutes: sickeningly girly...
And the next, she's digging in the sand.
Oh my this child is full of personality. She's such a ham!

While she loves playing in the sandbox, she freaks out about bugs. She hates any insect that crawls, flies, wiggles or exists. She woke up in the middle of the night, a few weeks ago, hysterical because she had a dream that bugs were crawling on her.
Jana always wants to be "a helper." 9 times out of 10, it's not necessarily helping, but she is so proud of herself when she thinks she's helping. She is so excited about our garden. She is excited to do what she did last summer - pick the cherry and pear tomatoes and pop them in her mouth. Yum! I can't wait either.
Jana's so stinking sweet. She loves flowers and we're having trouble keeping her from picking flowers where ever she goes. There was a good patch of dandelions in the empty lot near our lot, so she decided to pick them. After picking them all (leaving none for poor Kara), she declared that they were for her friend "Auntie Meggy". The greatest part of all was that she refused to put them down and rode around the blog while holding the flowers... not to mention poor Carebear. Ever since Kara was a baby and I would wear her in the Baby Bjorn, Jana loves to put her "friends" in the front of her hoodie and carry them around.

Here's our little packrat - she loves to carry things with her where ever she goes. I don't think she's quite mastered the idea of possession because if she doesn't hold it in her hands, she struggles with the idea that it is still hers. So, she insists on carrying everything around - hence, the "friends" packed into the wagon. It was funny until Kara decided to crawl in with the "friends" and Jana freaked. Hee, hee.


Jana is fully entrenched in the "why?" phase. It's more than slightly amusing. My favorite (and very common) refrain:
"Mommy, who's car is that?"
"I don't know."
"Why don't you know?"
"Because I don't know everyone."
"I know everyone, Mommy. And everyone is my friend."

Hee, hee!

Here are some other favorite sayings this month:

"Be careful, Mommy. You don't want to break my muscles."

(When I play some of her music on my ipod...) "Mommy, when Daddy gets home, I need to tell him good job for getting my music on your ipod. Good job, Daddy!"

"I'm Jana Christine E*******. What's your name, Mommy?" (My response: Lindsay). Cracking up laughing: "No Mommy, you're Mommy and Daddy is Daddy!" (My response: What's Kara's whole name?) "I don't know. Sissy?"

"I miss my family. I miss Grammy and Papa, and Tyler and Justin, and their Mommy and Daddy, and Auntie Princess Kaley, and Grandma and Grandpa and ...." and yes she goes through everyone that she can think of.

"Mommy I smell something stinky. Kara, did you go poopy in your pants? Ewwwwww!"

"Mommy, I smell something yummy. I think it is... (something completely random, like...) a lemon or an orange or popcorn."

"I love you." (My response: "I love you.") "Oooh! I love you too, Mommy."

The things we're not so happy about her saying this month:

"Kara! Stop looking at me!" (And so it begins.)

"I'm a bad girl. I'm being naughty and making bad choices." (We chuckle at the "making bad choices", but can't figure out where she gets "I'm a bad girl." We don't say it at home and the teachers at school say they don't hear that from the other kids.)

Every night at bed time, Daddy asks Jana if she wants Mommy cuddles or Daddy cuddles. She always response with "Mommy cuddles"... except tonight. "Mommy, (sniffle, sniffle) Daddy was rubbing my forehead. I want Daddy to rub my forehead."

She's still a very sensitive girl and a sympathetic crier. We can tell when she's tired or hungry because she cries very easily. But at the same time, she gives amazing hugs and snuggles. She's become very affectionate lately. (I'm not complaining at all, but there was a time when it was torturous for us to hold her still long enough to get a hug.)