1....2....3!

Lexi will be 2 in July, I have heard mention of the terrible two's, however I'm seeing all too many glimpses of it in her 22 months. Lately she has been having a stubborn streak in coming to me when I want to get her shoes on. I say 'Lexi do you want to go to the park?' which she replies 'park?' and runs straight over to the door ready to rock and roll. Then I say 'come get your shoes on', but she doesn't budge, she camps out at the door glaring at me repeating 'park' over and over and over. This lasts for a few minutes until she starts getting hysterical and screaming. All the while I keep repeating 'come get your shoes on', with my angrier voice getting louder each time. Sooner or later I have to go over there and drag her to the couch to get those blasted shoes on and the whole scene is getting uglier and uglier and I don't want to even take her to the park by the time we get those darn shoes on. So I'm thinking, there has got to be a better way. You're probably thinking, why don't you get the shoes on before mentioning the park, well that doesn't work either, she just stares at me with those, 'why should I mom' eyes...I started mentioning the park, or a walk, or just to go to entice her to get the shoes on because she sure wouldn't do it just for fun. She must hate the shoes.... Anyway, lately I've been trying the 1, 2, 3 you're busted trick..which I must say is working out a little bit better. The funny thing is, we taught Lexi how to count to 3 a while back when we were teaching her to jump and throw. We'd say 1,2, 3 and she'd jump or whatever the activity might have been. After a while she picked up on it, and she started counting to 3 herself. So recently when I've started my mean mom voice counting to three to get her to come, she hears me say 1...2.. and then she comes running yelling 'three' (which sounds more like 'free'). I don't honestly think she realizes she'd get in trouble if she didn't come, I think it's fun for her to do some of the counting....but shoot, whatever works as long as we are all smiling while we are putting on those shoes!