My sunshine

Well, February is finally over. Thank God. I always have the hardest time in February -- for the shortest month it sure packs a wallop when it comes to dampening my spirits!

That said, as I reflect on the month, I have to say this February was the best I've had in years. When it comes to the "why," I would have to say it can be summed up in two words: Emma Skye.

With Emma around, I rarely go longer than a few minutes without smiling. That's not to say there aren't time she makes me want to pull my hair out. But overall, she's just so gosh-darn funny. Here are some examples of why she truly is my sunshine.

Emma-isms that make me smile:

"CVD" -- For awhile, that's what she called both DVDs and CDs.

"It's too fitty!" -- Translation: It doesn't fit or It's too tight.

"Wash my hands and my elbows?" -- She always has to wash her elbows, too; not sure why.

"WOOOOOW!" -- From her discovery of the coin-operated rides at the mall to a picture of a mountain in a magazine, Emma relishes every new sight and sound. I've never heard anyone say "wow" with more enthusiasm.

She says "gubs" for gloves and "tanks" for thanks and "punkamickel" for pumpernickel.

When I hugged her the other night before bed and whispered, "I love you sooooo much" in her ear, she whispered back: "Awww, I love you too much, Mommy."

This morning, when I messed up parallel parking the car outside Grandma's house, she asked me what the matter was.

"Oh, I didn't do it right," I said.

"Keep trying!" she said.

I told her I would. When I got the car parked, I said, "There."

"You did it, Mommy?"

"Yep," I said.

"Good, good, good! Good job!" she shouted.

When she does something you told her not to do and subsequently falls down or breaks something, she says: "See, I TOLD you!"

Her second birthday is coming up next week. I've been teaching her to say she's 2. So I asked again earlier this morning:

"How old are you going to be, Emma?"

"Six," she confidently replied.

"Tell me about it!" I thought to myself.