Almost three

I never really understood the whole terrible two thing.....BUT.....Julien is teaching me all about it.
He seems to seek out trouble.  He pushes his bowls off the table, spits his food out on the floor, gets cups out of the cupboard and fills them with water in the bathroom sink and sings songs about dumping it while he does just that!  Yesterday he looked at me across the dinner table and said "I love you Mama." smiled and then dumped his milk on the floor.  I almost asked him what was wrong with him.  But, he is two.  I am supposed to be the grown up here.  He will knock over a game or snatch a pencil and be removed only to come back minutes later begging to return and play.  He promises "I won't do it again.  I won't.  I promise Mama."  Then he walks in and does the same thing again and runs away laughing and yelling "Time out.  Time out."  What do I do with him? 
I think he wants more attention but I am giving him all I've got.  I read to him yesterday for half an hour and then went up and played trains for 10 minutes and then just wanted to go away and fold some clothes.  Two minutes after I left he destroyed all the tracks and then came and got me so I could fix it.  Sigh.  What to do?  Two.  (almost three!)