24 from my 4 yr old!

I asked Isla these 24 questions just after her 4th birthday and here are her answers... some are hilarious including the fact that she thinks I'm 12 yrs older than Joel! Makes since that she sees him as a big kid :)

1.       How old are you? "Ummm...I am 6. Just kidding, I am 4."

2.       What do you want to be when you grow up? "But every time you tell me not to grow up!? I AM going to grow up. I want to be a nurse."

3.       What makes you happy? "Laylin"

4.       What makes you sad? "Laylin hitting me"

5.       What makes you laugh? "Daddy tickling me"

6.       How old is Mommy? "20" 

7.       How old is Daddy? "8"

8.       What is something mommy always says to you? "Don't you grow up!"

9.       What is your favorite thing to do? "Go to the Y and swim"

10.   Who is your best friend? "My cousins"

11.   What are you really good at? "Doing my princess puzzle"

12.   What is your favorite book? "Princess story book"

13.   What is your favorite food? "Noodles"

14.   What is your favorite song? "Let it Go"

15.   What is your favorite animal? "The Alligator"

16.   What is love? "Mommy snuggling with me"

17.   What does daddy do for work? "He looks on his computer and he does some work on there"

18.   What does mommy do for work? "She spells everything out"

19.   Where do you live? "North Carolina"

20.   Where is your favorite place to go? "To the store with the fishies and the tiny shrimps" (Great Wall of Chinese Restaurant)

21.   What is your favorite thing to do outside? "Throw Bella's ball"

22.   What is your favorite holiday? "Come here, it's a secret...Christmas!"

23.   What do you like to take to bed with you at night? "Baby bunny rabbit"

24.   What are do you thank God for? "My family"

Growing Up...

These two girls are growing up. Neither no longer "babies" all though they will both always be My baby.

Laylin Jane wants to do everything Isla is doing so even though she's small,  I can sense her growing up even quicker. She's starting to talk more, humming songs, dance, run and twirl and is very playful. She's also still very feisty. She has a big temper and is not afraid to show it, but at the same time she is sweet as she can be. I love how she wraps her little arms tight around me now when I'm carrying her or rocking her to sleep at night. I can really feel her love for me and it makes my heart so full. 

Isla thinks she's nearly grown up now. She announces to me everyday... "Mom, when I'm 7 and all grown up..." She tells me about what her wedding will be like. How she will continue living at home with her cousin Lawson and all the fun things she will do. Its so entertaining to hear her tell stories. She is really good at it! She loves to perform, dance, sing and be the spotlight. I, of course, love it too. She keeps my days happy and there is never a dull moment with her.

My blessings, my gifts, my challenges and accomplishments these girls teach me so much about true love, understanding, patience and our Father's love each and every day. 

Sweet blessings!

Little Miss Laylin is In.To.Everything! This full blown toddler is keeping me busy. I never had to child proof this much with Isla. Laylin finds every small thing and every big place to climb.

She LOVES to climb. Up the stairs. Up onto the potty. Up on to tables. Up on her sister. Up on Bella. She can't get enough of climbing.

Big sister, Isla loves to encourage her to climb too and get into a lot of other things she shouldn't. These two are playing very nice together lately, but also getting into lots of trouble together. Its fun to watch their bond growing and see the love and excitement they share for one another each day.

Laylin is starting to talk and communicate with signs a lot more now too. She is signing a lot.
She signs: more, all done, eat, water, bottle, milk, banana, dog, night-night, sleep, bath, clothes, shoes and a few more words.
She says: Momma, Dada, Isla (her favorite word), Bella, Poppa, Mamaw, Papaw, dog, duck, water, bye-bye, hi, night-night, ball, baby and many more.

Isla has been learning to read with Daddy at night. I love to listen to the two of them reading together as I'm rocking Laylin to sleep. I think it's my favorite part of the day. Isla loves to learn. Her enthusiasm is contagious. She is a very quick learner too. She knows many sight words and loves to practice sounding words out bit by bit. She also likes to be the teacher too. Each night she tells Daddy or I that she will read one book to us and then we can read one to her.

I feel so incredibly blessed to be able to be with these sweet girls everyday and watch them growing, learning, changing and developing their own special personalities together.

Isla's thoughts on mom...

Isla 3.5 yrs old... some of her answers are pretty spot on! Her thoughts on my favorite food is very questionable, haha.

Isla answers questions about mom...

1. What is something I always say to you? Nice things like I love your beautiful eyes and everything. 
2. What makes me happy? My smile.
3. What makes me sad? The mean face.
4. How do I make you laugh? You smile and laugh when you play like this, hahaha.
5. What was I like as a child? Me!
6. How old am I? I don't know.
7. How tall am I? Big.
8. What is my favorite thing to do? Wash the table.
9. What do I do when you're not around? Play.
10. What am I really good at? Playing games.
11. What is something I'm not good at? Killing a spider.
12. What do I do for a job? Her wash the table and everything.
13. What is my favorite food? Broccoli
14. What do you enjoy doing with me? Writing a letter to Santa.

I just love this bubbly little girl to pieces!

Feisty Laylin

Oh my sweet and oh so feisty Laylin Jane!

You have really started growing and doing lots of new things lately! You love doing everything big sissy, Isla, does and you want everything she has too! You follow her around like a little shadow. She looks out for you and mothers you now too. I've seen a shift in the way she plays with you, takes care of you and "mothers" you. She calls you her little honey and darling. You are sweet to her too. Giving her hugs and love in the morning, sharing your toys with her and playing together nicely.

You love playing with your babydoll and giving her a bottle. You like to put her in the baby swing to go night-night, but then try to open one of her eyes so she can still see you. You've started exploring everything and are into nearly everything as well. You especially love the pantry and pulling things out of organized places.

You love playing hide n' seek with me and your sister. It's so cute to hear you say, "Rarr" when you find us or when we find you!

You also love to color and do art projects. Usually lots of fun, but very messy.

Speaking of messy, your new favorite thing to do is eat with a spoon. Just like Isla of course, you love to copy cat her at the table. If she has a bowl and spoon, you want one too. Most days, the bowl ends up turned over on your plate or in the floor. Its messy, but its even more fun to watch. I've learned to embrace the mess. Our messy home now embodies our busy and active kids, and that's ok!

You still only have 4 teeth. The cutest little teeth ever...two in front on the top and bottom.
You're still a peanut at only 18lbs, but you are growing at your own pace.

You love to dance and hear music, take baths, give kisses and say BYE!

At 17 months old, you can say....
Isla
Mama
Dada
Bella
Baby
More
All done
Bye
Papa
Mamaw
Ball
Block
Book

Lots of B words, but you are starting to say many other words too! You said your name for the first time this week and it was oh so sweet to hear!

We love your gentle spirit and your sweetness. Can't wait to see what else you are doing in the next month!

The Birthday "Man"!

Isla is calling him the birthday "boy" but since he's hitting the big 3-0, I think its safe to switch over  to birthday man!

This main man of mine makes my heart skip a beat every day. From his even temper to his sarcastic remarks, I 100% believe he was designed just for me.

He keeps me grounded, encouraged, enthusiastic and most importantly he puts a smile on my face every day.

He's always slow to anger, quick to love and forgive, gentle and humble. His humbleness amazes me! I look up to him and try to be my best for him.

I'm so thankful God allowed our paths to cross 8 years ago. Happy birthday my love!

Firsts...

Isla has had a lot of firsts lately and she has been over the moon excited about all of them.

Swimming lessons - she started swimming lessons in October. She is one of two in her class. I've been so proud of her excitement, confidence and her sweetness. The other little girl she is in the class with has been terrified of the teacher and being away from her mom. Instead of Isla getting upset
about the little girl screaming, she's been trying to calm her down. She tells her its going to be okay, shares the pool toys and smiles at her. I've been so proud to see her light shining and also proud of all her new swimming skills!

Dentist - she had her first dentist appointment this week. She was not hesitant at all to climb up in the chair and when they asked her how many teeth she thought she had, she opened her mouth and counted them one by one until she got to twenty. I was amazed at how well she did! She was super excited to get to pick out a toy from the treasure box at the end too.

Home with mommy - This is our first week of being home more. We've cut her preschool hours to just three mornings a week versus all week and she is doing school with me at home on Mondays and Fridays. Our first Monday was awesome! I had to be a little more flexible than I had planned, but overall it went well, she was excited to learn and we had fun together. This is a great trial for us to continue to explore homeschooling for the years to come.

She's growing up so fast that it often makes my chest ache. She no longer likes kisses on the mouth, she tells me - "on the cheek mom."
She calls me mom most days and if I'm super lucky, I get a mama, but hardly ever does she call me mommy.
She wants to do it all herself these days. She used to like for me to show her the way first, but now, she wants to do the first try herself too.

All these things are great and I love to see her growing smarter, stronger and more confident every day... but some days I just want time to stand still. I want to take a mental snapshot and remember her and Laylin in their thermal pajamas smiling at me before bedtime. I want to remember her silky skin and how she asks for tickles on her back over and over again. I want to remember how brushing her hair is a fight, but she jumps at the opportunity to brush mine. I want to remember her eyes lighting up when I tell her I'm going to put her to bed tonight, or snuggle with her for a little while.

I hope I remember all these things and more forever.