Life With Lyla: Three-Year Update
Hi friends!
Can you all believe my baby girl is THREE years old?! Last week, she started preschool in her new class at daycare, and she was so excited! I’m sure all you mamas can relate to it. It’s such a bittersweet moment when your kiddo moves up to another class. Part of me wants to freeze time and keep her this little forever, and the other part is so excited to see what’s in store next for my sweet girl.
Lyla has kept herself busy over the past year and has had many exciting things going on! This year, we enrolled her in soccer and dance classes through her daycare. She loves being active and has enjoyed both! She’s so quick for her age, too! One day, her teacher told me they had races in the gym and Lyla won! She LOVES being outside and spends her time on her swing set or helping daddy with all his outside chores. Whether that’s mowing, watering our flowers, or washing the car. She wants to be a part of it all! I love how much she loves learning. She’s so smart, and every day I feel like she comes home and does something new. It’s incredible!
Another hobby Lyla enjoys is music! She is always singing and knows every word to Justin Bieber’s “Baby”. In January, she had her second Christmas program at daycare, and what a difference a year makes! Last year, she cried right before she got on stage. This year, she was waving and singing right along with her friends 🙂. She’s very curious about my guitar and has asked to play with it on multiple occasions. Along with the guitar, she loves playing with her toy drum sets and puts on amazing shows. Watch out, Taylor Swift! 😉 Some of her other favorite songs include Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”, Dream Street’s “It Happens Every Time”, “Pink Pony Club”, and anything Frozen! We are going to see Frozen at the Lied Center this weekend! She can’t wait!
This year, our girl hit many milestones. First, she had a visit from the Binky Fairy, and gave her binky up cold turkey after her dentist visit. As a reward, she received a Minnie Mouse camera! Another achievement was becoming fully potty-trained! We are so proud of her! She also had her very first haircut, and we learned at her 3-year checkup that she is still in the 92nd percentile for height and 70th percentile for weight.
I always describe Lyla as the girliest tomboy. This girl loves it all! She loves getting fancy with makeup and jewelry, princesses and dress up, taking care of her baby dolls, and doing arts and crafts. Then, there’s her tomboy side. She LOVES her superheroes (specifically Spidey)! She’s always playing with her little Spidey figurines, and I catch her talking to them about saving the day, who's the good guy, and who’s the bad guy, and so much more! It has been a privilege to witness her vocabulary and imagination grow. Because she has such a love for superheroes right now, she has requested to be Owlette from PJ Masks for Halloween this year! Speaking of Halloween costumes, I’ve turned her into a Target girly. She recognizes the Target logo immediately if we pass by the store. Because of our love for Target, she was a Target associate last year for Halloween, and I dressed up as a Starbucks barista. We got many compliments on our costumes!
A special moment that happened this year was finding out that Lyla was going to be a big sister. Being able to give her a sibling is a dream come true, and she has been so excited about her baby sister! She already has a nickname for baby sis, and is always talking to my belly or kissing it. I know that Lyla is going to be an amazing teacher! She told me the other day she was going to teach baby sis how to hiccup, burp, and toot! 😂 I can’t wait to see their relationship grow, and I hope they will be the best of friends.
Now, I can’t end this post without sharing a few funny stories from this past year. I could write a novel with all the silly things this girl does, but here are a few of my favorites! First, she is not afraid to tell it like it is. She has her Mama’s back and makes sure I’m taken care of. There have been a few times when she and Kent have left for daycare, and Kent has forgotten to kiss or hug me goodbye. Lyla has been quick to point this out and makes him go back before they leave! 😂
Second, this girl has been introduced to candy and has been sneaky about getting her hands on it without Mom or Dad looking. One day, she was at Grandma’s house, and Grandma and Daddy were looking at something on the computer. Well, Grandma had forgotten to move the dish of Skittles to a higher shelf, and so Lyla decided to help herself. Grandma and Daddy couldn’t see her at first because of the chair in the way, but when they found her, she had a handful of Skittles in her hand! On a different occasion, I had some gummy bears in a dish at home that I had moved from the stove to the counter so I could cook. I didn’t even think about the fact that this was right within Lyla’s reach. I walked away for 30 seconds, and she ran into the kitchen and grabbed herself some gummy bears!
Lastly, Lyla has taught us a new phrase that we assume she learned from daycare. One night, we were eating dinner, and Lyla told us she needed to have a “happy plate” before she could have a treat. We thought it was the cutest thing! So, now we use that phrase religiously at home, and she makes sure Mom and Dad have “happy plates” too. It’s amazing how much she’s learned and changed in just a year. I love being her mom, and am looking forward to all the memories and milestones we’ll make this year!
I hope you all enjoyed this post and appreciate you taking the time to read!
Talk to you in my next post!
Love, Brandi