Three Years Old

Wow, well my love you are now three years old.  You are not a toddler anymore but a "preschooler" and such a handful.  I am amazed how three years could just fly by without a single thought.  It has been such a ride my love.  You can tell what a little boy you are in your bear pics.  I just look at them and see this little man right in front of me. 

We all know you are quite the verbal little boy.  You carry on such conversations that most three year olds don't.  I have realized that this means you take things quite literally and I have to be careful what I say.  Simply telling you that you have upset me or that I am mad at what you did can send you into a tearful fit.  So, basically you don't want to hear that you have upset Mommy or Daddy. 

You have become quite the handful and I think it has to do with frustration.  You want to do all these things by yourself and you get upset if we try to do them for you.  You tell us you are not a baby!  So we are learning to be patient and you are learning to mind Mommy and Daddy. 

You love Ava so much that when she takes a nap, you constantly tell me she is awake so I will go and get her.  You keep tapping her shoulder and saying "tag, you're it" and then you run off.  She seems quite puzzled by this behavior but eventually runs after you.  You are a very good big brother, everytime you get your drink from the refrigerator, you bring one for Ava too.  You are quick to tell me if you think Ava is doing something she shouldn't (which usually involves eating something she shouldn't).  I know you will be an amazing brother to your new brother too.

You are all about the movie Cars and trains.  But not just any trains, Thomas the train.  I have to say, I do not like watching those goofy shows but it makes you happy so I am happy to read while you watch them.  We bought you a train table for your birthday (took me three hours to assemble) and you love it.  It has been two weeks and it is still in tact, despite Ava's efforts to destroy it.  You play with it for hours, in fact since we have it, you are more content inside than before.

You have a good heart my love.  We pray every morning at breakfast when we read our scriptures.  I know it's a bit much for you to comprehend at this point but you try.  I just hope you know that Jesus loves you even more than I do (which seems impossible) and wants to live in your heart so that you can have a full life.  He is your heavenly Father and He created you in His image and you my love are perfectly made.

So, we conducted a little interview at dinner to see what is going on in your mind right now.  You had some interesting answers and what's crazy is you kept mentioning your brother's name!  It's a secret and when Mommy and Daddy talk about him, we didn't realize that you figured out his name.  So, it's basically only a matter of time until you spill the beans.  I just hope your Nana, Papaw and Mamalu can be patient and not ask you his name because you will tell them, and loudly too. (let's just include everyone here, I hope no one asks you) But for now, here are your answers:

Mommy: What were some of your favorite gifts this year?
Michael: Trains!
Mommy: What is your favorite color?
Michael: Green! Just like Emily. (I assume this is from Little Bear?)
Mommy: Who is your sister?
Michael: Ava and my brother is ####### (yep, you said his name)
Mommy: What makes you really happy?
Michael: Daddy, and you, and Ava and my baby brother ######## (yep said it again).  All of my friends make me happy. (these were your exact words, you make us so happy too baby boy.)
Mommy: What do you want to be when you grow up?
Michael: I don't want to. (well darling, no one really wants to but we can address this later, you enjoy being three)
For your actual birthday, we opened presents, had a yummy breakfast and just played for a bit.  Nana, Papaw, Gigi and Mamalu bought you this awsome playset and you had fun swinging and sliding.  Plus the train table was too good to tear you away from.  We then had lunch at your favorite place, Chik fil A and then headed to the train park.  It was so fun and overwhelming.  After dinner, we ate the best cupcakes with Thomas blue icing.  You went to sleep with some of your new trains and I realized that my baby boy was not a baby anymore.