Jayna is 2!

Newborn:

1 year:

2!

Our girl is growing up! I look at pictures from her at one year old and she looks SO different now, and just much older.

Wednesday was Jayna's birthday, and we decided to skip a "big" birthday party and have a fun little family day instead. In the morning we took the kids to Pump it Up, a big bouncy-toy place, and they both LOVED it! (Evan slept). I've never seen Travis sweat so much! Jayna was a little timid at first, but that didn't last too long. Afterward, we went to Round Table for a buffet lunch. Let me say first that taking all three kids to a restaurant is a big gamble (will they sit still/behave/not be too loud, etc.), so we rarely do it. But they did great, and we all left quite full. Later in the evening we did the presents/cake/ice cream thing, and listened to Jayna giggle as she opened her presents. Her favorites were her Elmo backpack, stroller for her babies, and Dora toy from Travis. It was a fun day!

Jayna at 2:

-Jayna has an amazing vocabulary!! They say that at 2 a child should be able to string two words together (at minimum), and I remember that with Travis I was worried because he wasn't doing that yet. Jayna...literally every day I am surprised by some new phrase she says. She's even doing some 4-5 word sentences. I guess that's the difference that being a girl and having an older sibling makes!

-She is a nurturer. To Evan, to her dolls and toys, even to Travis on occasion. She loves to take care of others.

-She is very observant. She is constantly imitating others in words and in action, and almost always in the correct context. She's a smart one!

-She LOVES to read books, by herself or with someone else. If she is ever shy around you, just offer to read her a book and she'll come right to you!

-Other things she loves: being outside, singing "eieio", playing in the nursery at church, playing with water, crackers, pretzels, swings, and slides.

-Travis: "Dadit"

Evan: "Baby Ewan"

Water: "Wawo"

Booger: "Bookoo: (we get this one a lot, along with an upheld, booger-covered finger)

Please: "Bee"

Thank you: "Tay too"

-Frequent phrases: "No, Dadit!", "Oh boy!", "Why?", "Ont a ___" (want a _____), there are so many more...

Jayna-

You bring joy to our lives every single day! It has been awesome this past year to watch your personality emerge and watch you be come the person God made you. May you one day read this and know how very much we treasure even the smallest aspects of your life and how very much we love you...even more than we know how to say!