Our little helper

I don't know if it's just Eliza or all 1 year olds but she has to be right in the middle of everything. No matter what we happen to be doing, she loves to help. Of course, it usually ends up taking twice as long when she helps but I can't help but smile and laugh at the effort she is making. People always say that children learn so much at this age but I didn't realize how true that is. She really picks up on everything we do. One of her favorite things to help with is when I unload the dishwasher. She starts squealing and runs right over when I open the dishwasher. She loves to get her spoons out and gather them all up then put them back in. I think most of them end up getting washed a few times because they get taken out and put back in so many times by Eliza while I'm unloading and loading dishes that I can't keep the clean ones and the dirty ones straight. She also likes to help push the vacuum which is quite an accomplishment because a few months ago, everytime I turned it on she burst into tears and I had to hold her while I vacuumed - not an easy task with any child and especially on that weighs 25 pounds. Today she got the broom out of the closet and was sweeping the carpet then she got the empty dustpan and tipped it into the garbage can. What a smart girl. I guess we better always remember that she is watching us and will pick up on what we do, good or bad. That's good incentive to always try to choose the right and be good examples.