Birthday Boy!!

This pic is out of order.  This was after the bouncy house.  Dad & I took him to lunch at Carl's Jr. w/ the play land.  He's now eating chicken tenders!

First b-day present in the morning.

Sweet Pea finding her tongue and playing with it.

Now she's working on her new sound...the wet razzing noise.  I love the face.  :)

Can you tell the tongue is her new fascination?

And the fun is about to begin.  

Even dad had to wear a bday hat

Trying to hold up his 3 fingers when dad asked how old he was.

He actually stopped and looked at this toy...Woody and Bullseye (and notice Buzz on the floor to the right).  These were a BIG hit.

The carnage after it's almost all done.

Of course the present from dad...a new tackle box.  And he knew what the bobbers were w/o anyone telling him.

Birthday boys get to eat the cake batter out of the bowl

This is what happens to cupcakes when the bottom ignitor of your gas oven goes out...and only the top ignitor/burner is working.  It's not a pretty site.

Favorite meal for the birthday boy...Salmon and Sweet Potatoes.

His baseball birthday cake

I think his eyeballs are going to come out he's blowing so hard on those candles.  :)

Showing us the three fingers dad taught him how to do.

This was earlier in the day.  At the bouncy house with his two buddies, John (on the left) and Tyce .

Climbing up the wall w/ John.

The Bug had a great 3rd birthday!  He woke up and was able to open two presents.  Then we met two of his little buddies, John William, and Tyce Escott at Jumpin' Junction.  It's a warehouse with bouncy houses in it.  Perfect for 2-3 year old little boys.  They had a blast!

Dad got off work early and met us over there and played in the bouncy houses and slides with the boys.  Then Dad and I (w/ Sweet Pea too of course) took him to lunch at Carl's Jr. where he played in the play land.

We went home and I made him the baseball birthday cake he asked for and his favorite dinner of salmon and sweet potatoes.  He was so dang excited to open his presents.  I had wrapped them the night before and he found them in the morning and asked all day if he could open them.  He made us all wear our birthday hats and then he opened his presents.  He got lots of fun stuff from grandma's and grandpa's and great-grandma's and grandpa's.  But, I think his favorite present was the Woody, Buzz, and Bullseye.  He's been carrying them around since...even went to bed with them.

I attempted to make cupcakes to take to the little home-school/pre-school group we meet with on Friday's, but my bottom ignitor in my gas oven quit working.  So, the cupcakes didn't turn out quite so good.  Oh well.

We then sang Happy Birthday to him and he blew out his own candles...then we had to light them again so he could blow them out again...silly boy.  But it was his birthday...so why not?

Needless to say he had a very good day.

Shayne & I were thinking back to his last birthday and remembered how we had just found out we were pregnant about 2 weeks earlier, but hadn't told anyone yet.  I had just started getting sick and was pretty dang miserable but couldn't let anyone know b/c we wanted to wait until we saw a heartbeat before we told anyone we were pregnant.  So, while I was miserable it was a good birthday b/c we knew we were pregnant.  It's amazing how much changes in a year...now instead of being sick w/ morning sickness...we have a beautiful little 4 month old baby girl to celebrate her big  brother's 3rd birthday!

Yeah for birthdays!!

p.s.  My Grandpa Woodbury turned 82 years old today as well!  Happy Birthday Grandpa! (I think it's fun that The Bug and his Great-grandpa Leland Vernon Woodbury share the same birthday.  I shared the same birthday with my Great-grandpa Leland Rogers Woodbury too. What a fun little coincidence.)

The Bug's 3 Year Pics

Looking for the worm I told him was in my lens to get him to look at the camera.

One of my favorites of the fall colors.

I love that little smile.

This boy and his sticks.  He seriously always has one in his hands if we are outside. 

Dad just pulled into the driveway getting home from work.

He's just a little excited to see his dad.

Look at the anticipation of seeing dad get out of the truck.  I love how much he loves his dad.

He's mad I told him to stay on the stairs instead of running to dad.  I'm such a mean mom.  :)

Bestest buddies...EVER!!

Of course I had to get some of Sweet Pea.  She was out there with us, and was such a good girl.  Just happy to be outside checking out stuff.

Smiling at dad behind the binky.

While she may still look a lot like her dad...she got my color eyes...I think she got my eyes. Period.

These two love each other...and love to play together.

I love the next few of him blowing on the dandelion seeds.

Telling me a "knock-knock"joke...notice him knocking.

Probably my favorite picture of him...this is after telling me a "knock-knock" joke.

So here's our Bug...at Three Years Old!  (Well almost...I took these pics the day before his birthday).  I've been taking his birthday pics like this outside our house since his 1st birthday.  I took WAY too many...but then again, how can you take way too many pics of your first Miracle Baby?

The poor kid totally smacked his head at playgroup the day before at the playground.  He was climbing up on a teeter-totter and it had rained so it was wet and slippery and he fell and hit his head.  It wasn't a little goose-egg either.  He seriously smacked his forehead...hence the blue/black bump on his head in all the pics.  He's a little trooper though and didn't cry for very long.

Here's some info on our Bug:

At his 3 year check up he was 35lbs and 37" tall.  This puts him at about 75% for weight and just under 50% for height...so he's still a little brick.  But I swear he's growing every day...and I'm sure he'll be caught up to the rest of the boys his age by next year.  But for now he's still our Shordy.

He may be a little below average in height, but he's well above average in the language/learning area.  He speaks very well and in long old sentences...he's all about communicating everything he's doing.  And...he'll repeat whatever he's saying to you over and over and over again until you repeat it back to him, just to make sure you know what he's talking about.

He knows all his letters.  What sounds they make and what words start with those sounds.  He knows most of his shapes, triangles being his favorite.  He knows all his colors, orange and blue being his favorite.  He counts to 20 and loves to count EVERYTHING.  He's been very much into animals, and loves to play with them.  He still loves sports.  His favorite right now is either baseball (b/c that's what we've been watching all summer) or soccer.  He loves to run in the yard and play soccer with mom or dad.

He loves, loves, loves his baby sister.  He loves to give her hugs and kisses and talk about her "Tiny toes. Tiny ears.  Tiny fingers.  Tiny nose."  He also loves to tell me "She's soooo cute, Mom."

His dad is his best buddy and he loves to go anywhere and do anything with his dad.

He's still a cuddler.  When he's tired or upset or just wants some individual attention he wants to sit on your lap and be held..."Hode me.  I want you to hode me."...is a familiar phrase in our home.

He loves books.  Loves to look at them and especially loves to be read to.  Only reading 4 books at bedtime is a battle every night...always wants another book.

He likes to watch movies, and lately he likes "Brother Bear", but this has turned every stick into a spear and now he's hunting bears everywhere we go.  :)

His favorite shows on PBS are: Word World (he will watch this all day if I let him), Super Why, Dinosaur Train, and Sesame Street.

Loves to sing songs.  Some of the ones he knows and sings along to are:
Child of God, I Love to See the Temple, We'll Bring the World His Truth, Families Can Be Together Forever, Give Said the Little Stream, My Heavenly Father Loves Me, I Am Like a Star...along with Twinkle, Twinkle, and Itsy Bitsy Spider, and Popcorn Popping.
Then there are the songs he sings w/ dad: Piano Man and God Bless America (he picked this up from watching baseball where they sing this during the 7th inning stretch...he now calls it "Merica Song"

He's all about routines too.  But, he's been getting better about the rigidity of those routines.  He's a lot like his mom when it comes to perfectionism.  If he can't do something the just the way he wants it after one or two tries he gets very frustrated and upset and wants to quit trying.

He's a little picky about foods...mostly the textures of food.  However, the food he does like is really good for him, thankfully enough.  He likes: salmon, sweet potatoes, yogurt, cottage cheese, pancakes/waffles, oatmeal, peas, broccoli, carrots, black beans, chili beans, cheese, eggs, pretty much all fruit(especially raspberries-fresh or frozen), and salmon, salmon, and more salmon.  He eats a salmon sandwich every day and still asks for them every day.

He's started to say some of his night-time prayers by himself with a little prompting.  But...he still is a little rebellious about saying family or food prayers.  He won't really participate or even fold his arms.  But, it's getting better.  :)

He's a thinker and applies things he sees, hears, and does to his imaginative play and our conversations.  He makes me laugh every day with some new thought or idea he's come up with.

Some of my favorite phrases of his are:
"I have a idea mom!  I have a great idea!"
"Not wight now mom...I busy."
"The plan worked!"
"Seriouswee?"
"Are you serious?"
"Oh Man!"
"I not yittle!  I BIG!"
"I make you happy mom?!"
(There are lots more but I can't remember them at the moment.  I'll have to post more as I remember and write them down.)

There are so many things we love about this little boy.  He's very obedient and wants to please mom and dad.  His main motivation for things is to make Mom, Dad or Jesus happy.

We are grateful every day our Heavenly Father blessed our home with his sweet spirit.  We can not imagine what our lives would be like without him.

While we are sad to see our baby boy grow from a toddler to a little boy...we are enjoying every minute and are excited and looking forward to the  next year with our Bug.