3 great things about being 3

Evan has only been 3 for a few days, but 3 year changes are coming for him.  The year between turning 2 and 3 brings so much change. Last July he was talking a lot but not complete sentences yet, now you can understand MOST of what he says.  Last July he was struggling to understand direction, rules and right and wrong, now he knows what consequences are (mostly) and completely understands what he needs to do and when. He knows the rules, he knows what will not be OK, and he can follow directions well (and also not follow them just to push some buttons).  At 3 years old it is safe to say that my baby/toddler is no more....he is in fact a preschooler, a little boy with a mind of his own and who is very independent.

If you were to ask Evan what the 3 best things are about being 3:

1) He is a big boy now
2) He gets to go to school
3) He gets to be the BIG brother and help take care of his little brothers

If you ask Tony and I what the 3 best things about Evan being 3 are:

1) Potty trained!
2) He is a big boy now.  He can listen, follow directions, sit through a movie, have complete conversations, do things for himself, play independently, etc.
3) He gets to start preschool.  This will be huge for both us and for him. He will learn to take direction from others as well as follow rules and work as a group with his peers.  He will meet new friends and he will get a chance to be away from the house by himself 2 days a week.

At 3 some of his favorite things to say are: "What what!?!?", "What did you just say?", "Your killing me!", "But I really NEEEEEEEED _______", and so much more!

At 3 Evan is about to be a big brother of twin boys, Morgan and Riley.  So far, as they sit in my womb, he loves them.  I know he will love them when they are born after a period of adjustment.  Right now he is having trouble coming to terms with the unknown (when is mommy leaving?, when will she come back? WILL she come back?, Who is going to be with me?, Is daddy going to be gone too? Why? When? Where?, Will life go back to normal?)  Big questions and fears for a little guy.  Evan is excited to teach his brothers how to play, sing, sit, pee outside, jump on the trampoline, swim, etc.  He is going to be Awesome at this job!

We look forward to what the coming year brings for him and for Riley and Morgan.  I predict Evan will grow a lot again this year.

Love my boy, love watching him grow and learn, Love my life with my husband and all my boys.

3rd Birthday Party

On Sunday we celebrated Evan's 3rd birthday.  The day was wonderful. Everyone had fun and it was nice to see and talk to all our friends.

Evan LOVED the pinata.  He loved hitting it and when the candy came out, he was pretty disappointed that the hitting was done.  All of the kids collected their candy and started eating!

John brought a horse down from his farm and all the kids enjoyed a pony ride.  Evan and Cannon were the only ones who didn't ride....they were too busy on the dune buggy.  I swear they were made for each other sometimes!

Hannah painted faces and the kids were very excited by that as well.

Everyone just played outside and mingled and just had fun.  It turned out to be a great day!

Evan knows his limits, so when he was feeling overwhelmed and tired (it was nap time after all) he laid himself on the couch with a binky and a blanket and took a breather.  It worked wonders and he enjoyed himself the rest of the day!

I don't know how I am going to top this birthday party!

I love this picture!  I can hear Evan belly laughing whenever I look at it!

Evan was getting some energy from Hannah's coffee

Naomee and Evan spent a lot of time on the trampoline

Evan sang happy birthday to himself just as loud as everyone else was singing

     Blowing out the candles

One of his favorite gifts was the shark that Naomee gave him

Big pinata hits

CANDY!

Present time

"see my dinosaur?"

Buddies!

Conked out after a long day!

An Early Birthday Present

For Evans 3rd birthday we really wanted to get him something he could enjoy for years to come as well as something special that he knew was just for him.  For his first birthday he received a Power Wheels quad and only in the last 6 months or so has he really learned how to steer it and really play with it.  This year we decided to get him a Power Wheels Dune Buggy that can drive on gravel, grass and the road.  The dune buggy arrived about a week ago and of course Tony and I were too excited NOT to give it to him!

After he went to bed one night we spent (no kidding) 2 1/2 hours putting it together! We left it sitting in the middle of the living room and went to bed knowing that Evan would be in our bed early the next morning.  While we cuddled in bed the next morning we asked him to go out to the living room to get something and then just waited.  It took him about 2-3 minutes before he came running into our room shouting "I need to show you guys something! I need to show you something! Come on I need to show you something!"  He was so excited that that was all he could say!  I wished I would have had the video camera ready!  I asked him what it was that he needed to show us and he said "It's a blue thing!  It's a BIIIIGG blue quad!"  So I grabbed the camera and we followed him into the living room.

He has been on it everyday since he got it a few days ago and he is really good at steering it, putting it in reverse and navigating where he wants to go.

It was a wonderful surprise and it was a great purchase and I am so glad we gave it to him a few weeks early.

Right after he came to get us

He loves his blue dune buggy!

"Check me out, mom!"

Monster Trucks

We took Evan to the Spring Fair in April to see the monster truck show.....He LOVED it!  We weren't sure though on that day because he seemed very nervous and anxious.  He is not a fan of loud noises and monster trucks are loud, but with some ear covers and a reassuring blanket and binky he felt much more comfortable.

Like I said, we were not sure he enjoyed the show until we came home and it is all he has been talking about ever since!  He especially liked the part where one of the monster trucks blew a tire, that seemed to be the highlight of the show for him.  Now he plays monster trucks all the time and drives them over his hot wheels and he is so excited to have a monster truck birthday.  Dinosaurs are still a favorite, but monster trucks are now right up there with them!

Riding the carousel at the fair.  This is one of his favorite rides!

Getting his first elephant ear...YUM!

This is the first year I have trusted him to ride the boat ride :-)

Daddy and Evan before the show started

These trucks really got some air!

The truck that blew a tire and Evan is obsessed with!  He thought this was the coolest :-)

We all had a blast, even the babies were kicking me like crazy with all the noise they could hear!  Tony can't wait to take Evan again and I can't wait until we take all 3 boys!

The Boy Loves to be Naked!

I just had to share this because in 10 years Evan will kill me for it!

The other day while playing outside (in underwear and rain boots only) Evan announced proudly that he peed outside.  The only problem was he didn't aim well and soaked his underwear so they came right off, but the boots went back on and he went back to digging in the gravel!  If Evan could be naked 24 hours a day he would!

Nothing will stop this kid from digging and playing in dirt....his 2 favorite things!

A Month in Pictures

It is not necessarily that I have been too busy in the last month in a half to write in my blog and update my son with memories and pictures, it is mostly that I have been REALLY pregnant, exhausted, sore and distracted!  I know I sound like a wimp, but carrying 2 babies is nerve-wracking and it takes a lot out of you!  Always worrying "are they both ok?", "Are they moving enough?" "Am I doing everything I should be?" Not to mention I am 6 months pregnant and I am the size of someone who is 9 months pregnant!  Blah Blah...enough whining :-)

Not a lot has changed in the last month for my first born little guy.  He is now very comfortable with using the potty and stays dry all day everyday (except when he forgets to aim...LOL) He has even mastered pooping in the toilet.  It is funny because he will ask us to go with him but he makes us stay in the next room so he can have privacy.

His memory is impeccable!  He remembers things we did or said or promised from weeks ago.  Just this morning he asked me for his baby doll that I found in storage months ago and he hasn't played with it in just as long.  He even described the doll "you know, the baby with a tummy and socks?" Too funny!

His language has taken off too.  He puts sentences together very nicely and can have complete conversations with you.  He uses opposites correctly "That ball is up, now it's down" "Right here at the top of my paper mom!" "which way are we going, right or left?"

He writes his letter E now and knows how to spell his name most of the time.  He recognizes the letters of the alphabet and numbers 1-10, he can count to 20 and is very interested in computers often asking for his own laptop.  Just the other day I came out of the shower and he had put the bumbo seat on top of the desk chair and turned on his game on the computer and started playing all by himself.  As he gets more independent I see a lot more trouble in our future...LOL

Evan is so excited to go to preschool and we talk about it all the time.  His new motto is "Mommy and Daddy ALWAYS come back!"  He has to tell himself this so that when he goes to school and I leave him he will know it's ok.  I just love this kid!  He is excited to color, paint, have circle time and play with other kids.  I think I am more nervous about it than he is!

We are also doing a lot of talking about his new brothers who are going to arrive in the next couple of months.  He is excited, he loves to help me get ready however he has reverted to playing the baby. He always wants to get in the crib, play with the baby toys, get in the exersaucer, etc.  We even have a new night time routine which I love, I rock him and sing rock-a-bye baby and you are my sunshine and then he lays in bed and we talk about the day or what we are going to do the next day.  It is a nice mommy and Evan time that I know he appreciates.

As we get closer and closer to Riley and Morgans arrival I am seeing a lot of growing and maturity in Evan.  It is sad to see him get older and grow, but is is also a joyful time knowing I am doing something right!

Writing his letter 'E'

playing at the Childrens Museum with our buddy Cannon

Hard at work digging in the mud!

Making Nana's Mothers Day card

Decorating the babies room

I love his smile!

A bucket of ice on a hot day can do wonders for a 2 year old!

Sprinkler fun!

This kid lives for mud puddles!

I am loving every bit of my life with my little guy.  I hope he stays young as long as possible.