Layla's getting older, yet I'm staying young

I cannot believe my BABY turned 2 on Thursday. I honestly do not know where the time has gone. She is one of a kind, I tell you. I figured that since we wanted to have so many children, one of them was bound to be a girl. I also knew that I would have no idea how to raise a girl since I am not your typical girl. I blow dry my hair about 2 times a year, I wear minimal makeup, I don't understand fashion, I prefer sports events over any other type of event, and the list goes on and on. For the first year or so of Layla's life she wasn't into girly things. In fact, she's always wanted to be like her big brother so if I put a doll in front of her she would choose to take Josiah's cars instead. Then around 15 months she REALLY started to like jewelry. The more the better. And the shinier the better. I was a little scared because I thought it was the beginning of her girly-ness. However, as the months passed she continued to want to be like her brother (she takes after her mama). When I looked in their playroom I saw little pink and MANY cars and sports balls. About a month or so ago she started liking Minnie Mouse. Now, this girl won't watch television to save her life, but she will watch about 5 minutes of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. So immediately I bought her a couple of minnie mouse toys which she seemed to like.
When planning her 2nd birthday I decided on a Minnie Mouse theme. I was going to have a birthday party with all my friends who have little children, but quickly decided Layla wouldn't remember either way, so it was just our families who came. My mom and Aunt Judi did all the decorations and Judi made cute Minnie Mouse cupcakes and Rice Krispie treats. The only thing I did was make pigs n a blanket and that took all of 4 minutes. Let's just say my craftiness skills are below average. The party was super fun. Layla had a really good time and I loved having both our families together for a few hours. Aunt Mindy was even in town for it!! Layla got a lot of Minnie Mouse toys and her and Josiah have already had fun playing with them, and Aunt Mindy got Layla a 2 foot Minnie Mouse stuffed animal which Layla now sleeps with every night (and dances with!).
I'm sure you're wanting to know what Layla is like, right? Well, she's a little fireball! She is very independent. She won't let me put her in her car seat anymore. She insists on "climbing up" herself. If she doesn't like something she will let you know by either throwing a fit or scratching your face. Her vocabulary is huge and she talks all the time! Most of it I still can't understand, but I catch a few key words and we are good. She loves to sleep, and is not a morning person (like her father, unlike Josiah). She finally is getting her K9's in. She's a tattletale. She tells Chris if I spanked her (she reenacts the scene for him, spanking and all) and won't let Josiah get away with anything. She LOVES to dance to any music, but her favorite song it Ha la la (a children's Christian song from the 90s). If she's heard a song more than 3 times she knows most of the words and sings along. She doesn't like going to school. As soon as we pull up she says "I don't want teacher". This is the complete opposite of Josiah, as today he wanted me to leave him at the front steps so he could enter the building by himself (which of course did not happen, but as soon as his classroom was in eyesight he kissed me goodbye and didn't look back). She loves to share! She shares her food, her toys, my phone with anyone who wants it. If Josiah tells me he wants what she's playing with she will give it to him almost immediately without me even asking her to share. She loves her grandmothers! Sometimes she cries when I come to bring her home, which I don't like, but I'm glad she is attached to our mothers like that. She thinks that a bandaid and a kiss from mommy will cure almost anything. And lastly, she is a HUGE mama's girl. She will snuggle with me all day if I would let her. It can be an inconvenience at times, but I love my hugs and kisses from her! Oh, and for her actual birthday dinner we went to Sushi Naki because she LOVES raw salmon. She ate about 6 pieces and then had 2 pieces of a vegetable roll, followed by steamed broccoli. That's gonna be an expensive habit to feed!!

 Yummy raw salmon

 Light up Minnie Mouse shoes (this is the best I could get as she kept moving)

 Layla, unlike her mother, is a dog lover

 Munching on a delicious treat

 I'm 2? Huh?

 It's cool, mom. This yogurt will wipe right off

If you didn't know this, I'm obsessed with my children's feet. Look at those little things!

the hilarity of Josiah

Don't think I have a favorite kid. I will post about Layla after her 2nd birthday in a couple days. Josiah is a true sweetheart. He gets sweeter as the days go by. The other day I was watching him and Layla and Josiah picked her up kissed her cheek and said "you're my favorite girl". He didn't know I was watching, so that makes it all the sweeter. As soon as I pick him up from school he kisses my face, says "hi sweetie, how was your day?". I could go on and on. He is also HILARIOUS! Today I was on the phone with my mother and 5 minutes into the conversation Josiah says "I want to talk to Bebe", so I handed him the phone and he hung up. I said "Josiah, you hung up on Bebe". His response? "That's enough time on the phone!" On the way home from school today Josiah was talking about his friend Scarlett in his class (he is the only boy, but I don't think he minds). He said that she was nice and that they take a nap at the same time and then he covered his face and said she's pretty. I did not ask if she was pretty nor have I ever covered my face when saying someone was pretty, so I think it's pretty sweet that he has his first crush. He also has has this awesome dance move that he does, that I did not teach him. It must be engrained in him to love Elvis because he does Elvis's pelvis move. He also has great comedic timing and laughs at things that are actually funny. I hope he has his daddy's sense of humor because is one of the many things I love about Chris.

 Josiah, the ringbearer, and me

 He loves 10 gallon hats for some reason

His new favorite game. Setting up his pigs and Angry birds using daddy's guitar stand as a launcher. He spends hours playing this.