Mr. Independent

Justin is getting way too independent for his own good.  Or maybe too independent for our good, depending on how you look at it.  On Sunday we were all downstairs watching "The Black Stallion".  After a while, Justin went upstairs and we could hear him opening drawers and walking around in the kitchen.  A few minutes later, he came walking down the stairs with the proudest look on his face--and a cup of orange juice in his hands.  He had poured it himself! Spencer ran upstairs and then came back to report, "He didn't spill one drop and the juice is back in the fridge!"  

Today I was watching my friend's little girl and she and Justin wanted to get the guinea pigs out.  Poor Rusty and Oreo tolerated all the man-handling like champs for a while, then Justin pushed their basket into Spencer's room to put them back in their cage (or so I thought).  As I was checking my email I heard some bumping around in the bathroom.  Nothing too unusual.  But when the water in the sink started to run, the red flags started to pop up.  Stool + Running Water + Justin = Big Trouble.  I ran in there to find Justin lifting Oreo up to the sink for a bath.  Rusty had already had his, it appeared, or at least his back half had.  I quickly intervened before Oreo was subjected to a cold-water shocker, much to Justin's dismay.  After all, Grace and Spencer did this all the time with my stamp of approval, why should it be any different with him?  So hard to explain the inequities of life to a two-year old!  I dried off the poor piggies and tried to distract Justin with some other worthy occupation while I put them safely away.  That boy is something else!