Jules is TWO!!

 Looking back at this blog, I realize how much I have been slacking at updating. Life has been so busy this past year - sports, sicknesses, Jules starting school, PTA and work obligations, neighbor playdates at the house (mostly unplanned- second grade boys love to show up on their bikes and scooters), family fun and stressors, etc. Through it all, Jules has proven to be quite the trooper- the amount of sports events (practices, games) she has attended is very, very impressive. Even more impressive - she usually mantains a happy attitude throughout! She loves snacks and she loves to sit so that helps. :)

We celebrated Jules' second birthday with family yesterday, in addition to singing her happy birthday before school with a homemade green, chocolate chip muffin. Jules then went to school and enjoyed mini blueberry muffins with her friends. In the evening, we hosted the family party- the only ones missing from our cousins/aunts/uncles/grandparents were Scotty, Gage, and Aaron. Aaron was recovering from suspected food poisoning, and Scotty and Gage were not in town. Scotty and Gage are coming to town this weekend though! Anyway, we had a wonderful, Bluey-themed party, complete with bubbles, heart sunglasses, mini drawing boards, a new party dress, pizza, fruit, salad, Publix cake, icecream, and lots of love, noise, and just a little chaos (of course). Jules seemed to relish being the center of attention and especially loved opening presents surrounded by her doting cousins and siblings. When everyone left for the evenings, she excitedly followed them outside waving and saying bye and I love you and singing Happy Birthday. We feel so fortunate to be surrounded by the family we have- and that our children will reap those huge benefits. I digress...

Jules is a treasure (name seems fitting with that statement), and the best addition to our little Layden crew. She is mostly laid back and self sufficient (as much as a toddler can safely be, anyway), but she is not afraid to speak her mind and lose it if she doesn't get her way or we don't understand her communication efforts. But, truly, she doesn't tantrum frequently (at least not yet!), and she deals pretty well with transitions, which is important because we spend a lot of our time getting in and out of our cars and exploring different places due toevents for the big kids. She has been watching a lot of Bluey with her older siblings, but she also loves Cocomelon, Ms. Rachel, and Elmo. She recently watched Paw Patrol and may become a big pup fan like her Adeline used to be. She also loves snacks and, unfortunately, has gotten into a questionable habit of helping herself to the pantry snack basket. Some favorite include seaweed, cheesy snacks of all kind, peanut butter pretzels, apples, strawberries, cuties, and berries. In addition to snacks, we may need to load up on our Fancy Nancy collection because Jules seems to love anything fancy- bracelets, pretend high heels, fancy dresses, headbands, etc. She has started to communicate with us in the morning about what she wants to wear, and she is currently hooked on cowboy boots and dresses- the frillier the better it seems! We will see if this stage lasts - it is certainly cute! She also loves to sing and dance, and we will often hear her singing in her crib before going to bed and after waking up. Favorite songs include Itsy Bitsy Spider, Twinkle Twinkle, Wheels on the Bus, and recently, Happy Birthday. Her vocabulary is impressive and continues to grow by the day. And, thankfully, I took her to her 2 year appointment today and everything looks great. 

Both Andy and I feel so blessed to have Jules as a daughter, and there are few things we love more than watching the bond between Jules and her siblings grow. As far as favorites go, I think Adeline and Reid are Jules' number one favorites (and vice versa). She will run to them excitedly when she sees them walking home from school, run around the house with them- squealing with happiness, and cuddle up next to them on the couch. Like I said - we are blessed! I hope and pray for many, many more years with all three of the Little Laydens!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BABY JULIETTE!!! LOVE, MOMMY