Layton at 2.5

Our baby boy turned 2 and a half on last Friday! Our baby!!! It just goes oh so fast. Even though it's hard to believe he's already half way to 3, it also feels like he's been here forever. He made us the Selph 5 and it sort of feels like we've always been a party of 5. =)

He is one of a kind, sweet as can be *when he wants to be*, super high maintenance at times, a big time mama's boy, and very much the baby of the house. We all love him to pieces and probably cater to him a little too much. And yet, having 2 big brothers, he definitely has to fight for his right to party around here. =) He's tough and resilient and so far a little combination of Garrison and Austin. He is ours and we are so thankful. 

A few facts and updates on Layton Thomas at 2.5...

First of all, you are a great baby brother! You LOVE playing with Garrison and Austin and y'all have the best time together. You miss them while they're at school and are so excited to play with them after school. You want to be like them and think you can do anything they do. You annoy them plenty and definitely keep them honest and on their toes, but you also love them BIG and enjoy being with them so much! Y'all have lots in common share a special bond. I hope and pray y'all's friendship continues to grow and that the 3 of you truly are best friends forever. 

Your favorite hobbies right now include being read to, coloring, doing puzzles, working on your alphabet puzzle, playing outside, playing superheros/fighting bad guys with your brothers, playing with your GeoTrax train, building with mega blocks, and getting your hands on the iPad or Kindle. =)

You also love Mickey Mouse, Thomas the Train, Daniel Tiger, annnnd a few "older" shows and characters too like Ninja Turtles, Alvin and the Chipmunks, and Power Rangers. #youhave2bigbrothers #it'sinevitable You are getting close to watching an entire show/episode at once but you mainly just love the characters and want to play while you watch or to watch/play on the PBS kids app on the iPad. =)

I wake you up on school days around 6:45 and you start the day with breakfast at the bar with your big brothers. (On the weekends you usually sleep past 7.) Your favorite breakfast is a Nutri Grain bar with dry cereal... but you also love muffins, cinnamon rolls, and frozen waffles which are special treats and typically saved for weekends. While your big brothers are at school we run errands or just have lots of play time at home... plus we do chores together. =) So far you're doing pretty good with independent play and more structured/educational play with mama. We have an early lunch on school days around 11:15 or 11:30 and you love leftovers best of all but freeze-dried fruit, almonds, raisins, cheese, chips, applesauce, yogurt, and raw carrots and ranch are lunch time favorites too. You take about an hour to an hour and a half nap around 12:30 every day and by 2:30 we head to pick up the big brothers. While you don't love the car rider line you are always excited about going to pick up Garrison and Austin and are always so happy to see them and so glad to have them home! 

The afternoons are filled with snack time, homework time, (time in the basement with Nana twice a week while I tutor) down time in front of the TV, and lots of play time. The way the 3 of you play together every afternoon is such a blessing. It's not always without fighting and tattling but for the most part y'all are just all super happy to be back together again and love spending time with each other. 

Your favorite suppers are spaghetti and tacos, but you also love "chicken spaghetti", chicken quesadillas, scrambled hamburgers, and BREAD. Bread is one of your most favorite foods! Haha! You have just recently started liking grapes and mashed potatoes but other than that we depend on fruit and veggie squeezables as a side for you lots of nights.

We start bedtime and bath time for you shortly after 7 and the evenings we're home you're usually down for the night between 7:30 and 7:45. 

You still love to be rocked and read to every night. You're quickly outgrowing your crib so a big boy bed is on the way!! Pops is making your bed and while we wait for it to get finished and ready, we're planning to go ahead and transition you out of the crib and into a big bed. One day we'll even try out all 3 of you together in the same room. =)

You are super smart and learning more everyday! You can count to 11, you love the ABC song and can almost sing it by yourself when you think nobody is listening, you know all of your colors with the exception of green (I actually have some color blind suspicions but we won't be able to confirm anything until you're a little older), you are starting to recognize uppercase letters A-G... and your name!, and you can retell and "reread" a story like a pro.  

You are possibly the loudest member of our family and you can be very demanding when you want something badly. You love giving hugs and kisses and always give me lots throughout the day and before bedtime and nap time. You have sweet manners and rarely forget to say thank you. You prefer me for everything but still love playing with daddy and are so excited when daddy gets home everyday. You are potty trained! (Wooohooo!! I'm pretty sure I bought our very last pack of pull ups for bedtime use last week.) You are obsessed with tractors, lawnmowers, trains, motorcycles, and big trucks... pretty much anything transportation related. You yell pretty regularly. Ha. You love your family and extended family. And you are the cutest, sweetest, most wonderful 2.5 year old we know! Happy half birthday Layton Selph!! We love you so much and are enjoying watching you grow!!


***This week has been really draining so I'm taking a break to catch my breath and will hopefully be back sometime next week. =)