Time for Another Toddler Talk: Sing, Dance, Imagine!

Birthday stats for Mom

• Name and age: Danielle Eaton Hart, 27 years old
• What do you like to do: I am a creator. I am a nurturer of truth and beauty. I maintain a blog, do family history, crochet and sew, make gifts and cards for friends, day dream about interior design projects, and grocery shop.
• What food do you like to eat: My current favorite snack is goat cheese with chopped fresh basil and craisins with maybe a dash of lemon pepper and drizzle of oil, on a slice of  toasted Panera tomato basil bread (not gluten-free.)
• Who are your friends: I have a lot of friends. These days my friends are most easily found in my neighbor and within my church congregation: Suzie as well as the Savages, Packs, Freestones, and Deckers to name a few. 
• Greatest blessing: Aside from my family I'd say financial security.
• Current trials aka blessings in disguise: We have been trying to get pregnant since September 2012.

We sing a lot around here. While we eat...

singing: I'm eating the popsicle. Lemon, lemon, LEMON!

While we build things...

"Don't be afraid. Just say a prayer and God will help you. Don't be afraid. God gave you the power to do almost anything." She also sang about needing to be nice and that we should brush our teeth twice a day.

We also like to dance...

An older example but accurate nonetheless

And imagine...

I'm catching fire. And it doesn't even burn me.
You're catching fire?! With what?
With a stick...spinning and twirling. It (not a typo) was really good with my controlling. Wow, it just flew right on the desk Mom.

We believe in finding truth and beauty and sharing it with others. Victoria likes to bear her testimony at home a lot about the things she is learning, often quoting her parents and the scriptures. Most of the time she keeps those quotes in context as she elaborates upon the doctrines found therein.

Our Schedule

Wake up 7:30 – 8:30 A.M.
Help Mom work out and/or babysit
Lunch around noon
Quiet time followed by more playing and creating
Dinner by 5:45 PM (Toria and I begin to fall apart around 5:00 without food)
Family time, reading and playing games
Bedtime routine starts at 7:00 P.M. (Toria asleep by 9; Mom and Dad by 10.)

Growing Girl—I don't remember the last time Victoria went to the doctor, but that's a good thing at this point. Last time we checked she is still trying to break 30 pounds. She has broken the meter mark for height at least. She wears 2T clothing if it's not too tight or short (she'll tell mommy whether or not something is immodest). She can comfortably wear most of the 3T clothes she has tried on. Her favorite is a hand-me down "ballerina swimsuit" from cousin Emily Hansen. She wears it over other clothes and sometimes by itself but is horrified if you mention using it as a swimsuit. Not all her clothes are pink, but general the pink stuff is her favorite. The only way I can take stuff out of circulation in her closet is if the item is being given away or saved for a future already-loved sibling.

Discipline—Victoria doesn't get in trouble much. We talk about our feelings and try to listen to each other and model good behavior. If Mommy replies with a feeling word that has a corresponding Daniel Tiger song, Victoria will often sing it or a Primary song upon request to help Mommy calm down. We only run into problems when she's like a pixie and too full of one emotion to even think. We've been working on this slowly but surely; role playing and time outs are our most effective ways to discipline. She also knows that she has to earn her TV time. Unfortunately she can be heard to shout about other things she doesn't want to do: "I only have to earn my TV time!" That is more true in her eyes than in her parents'. She is really into discovering her agency and the parameters we have placed upon it. She recently decided to finish potty training because it was finally her idea and not ours to have bowel movements in the toilet only. Praise the Lord! 

Personality—Victoria was blessed by her father shortly after being born "that others will see in [her] a glimpse of Christ." She has always been concerned with the needs of others and how to help them feel better. We've worked to cultivate other spiritual gifts as they come. She loves to clean and sing and create. She has inherited her mother's gift for homemade birthday/thank you/get well cards.