Lyla Lately...

I've been meaning to do a "Lyla lately" post for a while, but have not had time to sit down at the computer. I like to document what she is doing ever so often so I won't forget. Three has come with its joys and challenges. I so enjoy our time together. Lyla has such a fun personality and is very animated in everything she says and does. She loves to play make-believe. She has little babies that go everywhere. They also get in trouble a lot. For a while her pretend babies were getting spanked and put in time out so much that we had to tell Lyla no more punishing her babies or she would be punished. You'd think she gets in trouble that much, but that is so not the case. I guess she is just a rule follower like her mommy. Three also means more attitude. Lyla has her mama's strong will. I know this will be a good thing when she is a teenager, but it sure can be challenging right now. Andy and I do our very best to hold our ground with discipline. We've also started a reward plan with a little gem jar. I found this idea on pinterest and really liked it. Lyla gets gems for good behavior and gets them taken away for bad behavior. The jar has three levels and she gets a small prize at each level (so far she's reached her first level and is almost at level 2) and will get something really special when she fills the whole jar. She loves putting gems in her jar and was super excited when she hit her first level.

Lyla had sim lessons this summer for the first time. Saying she enjoyed them would be going a little to far. She wasn't thrilled about them, but went each day and I think had some fun. She still doesn't like to get her face wet. I was really hoping that she would get over that, but no such luck. She does love to swim and play so that's good.

A couple months ago two little girls moved in next door. We have been so thankful that Lyla has friends to play with. However, it does come with it's challenges. Sometimes I feel like a referee when they are other. Lyla is learning to share (sometimes unsuccessfully) and many times we just tell them to work it out themselves.

She still puts a d in for her g (girl...durl) and a t in for her c (cookie..tookie). She says "AWESOME" and the other day caught me by surprise when she said, "actually I'd like if..." What? How does she know what actually means? She doesn't like to be "lonely". Lyla asks questions all the time. She surprises us with her growning vocabulary.

Andy and I often find ourselves looking at each other and saying, "when did our baby turn into a kid?" I think my favorite part of being a parent is watching this little person develop before my eyes. She certainly is such a joy in our lives.