My kids are awesome babies. Awesome. Hilarious… entertaining… go with the flow. They are excited about life and that enthusiasm is contagious. Then something happens to them around 18 months. They are still all the above listed things, but they become… independent. Adventurous. And determined.

My son hit that change around 21 months old. We were on vacation for Thanksgiving visiting my grandparents. It was a great trip, but it was crazy to see how he set his little mind to something and off he went.

Apparently my daughter’s genetic need to be assertive and discover new worlds has kicked in. We are in Hawaii for our Thanksgiving vacation and she has decided to make up her mind about everything. She is now 21 months and is WILD! She wakes up with a smile on her face and a ‘hi Mama’ or ‘hi Dada’ and then is off. Running around, chasing birds, lizards, frogs and kitties all over the beach, demanding ‘gackars’ (crackers) when the need arises, throwing her body all over the place in those famous toddler tantrums (most recently because I wouldn’t let her jump into Waimea Falls with her clothes on and she refused to wear the required life jacket).

It’s hilarious, awe inspiring and satisfying to know my kids are independent and feisty. As if by fate, a shirt popped up on my Zulily with one of my favorite quotes… and one that aptly describes my sweet little G:

‘Though she be but little, she is fierce’. And mahalo for that, because we wouldn’t want it any other way.