Butterfly House

We have friends in town from Kansas City so we decided to head to the Butterfly House this morning. Before heading in to the exhibit we wandered around and looked at all the crazy bugs. Max thought the roaches were 'icky' and he didn't want to get to close - I told him I didn't blame him.

I had never been before and I have to admit I was impressed. I expected to need to search to find the butterflies, but they were everywhere! Max loved walking through and looking at the flowers and butterflies. We will have to keep this in mind for next time we need something fun to do with Max.

I also have to say that as I type it is snowing like crazy outside. I think we already have about five inches on the ground. On Monday Max was wearing shorts and cutting the grass with his new mower. . . today he had to be all bundled up to take a picture.

Three Year Check Up

What a gorgeous day! We were able to spend time outside playing with some of Max's new toys. I think he 'mowed' just about the whole yard.

Max had his three year old check up today. I was slightly stressed about it - it was our first appointment with the new pediatrician. We loved our old one, but wanted someone closer to the new house. Things went well - except that they have signs everywhere saying no food or drink allowed. The waiting area and exam room weren't quite as toddler friendly as our old doctor, so I will need to bring more in my bag of tricks to keep Max entertained next time. He is officially 39 3/4 inches tall - 95th percentile and 35 lb 8 oz - 90th percentile. He also got two shots. He was a trooper for the first, but the second must have really hurt. I have to admit I may have broken the no food or drink rule and gave him some cool juice to help calm him down.

Tomorrows adventure? His first trip to the dentist. . .

Party Day

Wow! What a great day we have had. Today we had friends and family over to celebrate Max's third birthday. It was so fun to watch Max running around after the other kids and it was wonderful to have a house to be able to host such a gathering - I feel like such a grown up!

The kids all loved the pinata. Daddy thought it would be more fun to have the kids wack it with the bat rather than use the strings. We did eventually resort to the strings - Buzz Lightyear makes one tough pinata! Of course there was cake and singing. I was so impressed that Max was able to blow out the candle all by himself this year. He enjoyed eating his piece of cake - he was extra excited that he got the piece with Woody's face. After cake we moved on to presents. Max was all excited and couldn't wait to dig into some of his new goodies. We are so lucky to have so many people in our lives that care about our little man. What a wonderful day!

Happy Birthday to Max!

It is so hard to believe that Max has been part of our lives for three years today. Every day we spend with him is a blessing and an adventure. Today was the perfect birthday for Max. I was off school for spring break so we were able to celebrate all day long. This morning Brian set up Max's present. Max lit up when he came down to see his 'b-ball' set in the living room. After a yummy pancake breakfast, we were off to the museum of transportation for some fun on the trains. He loved his hour in the Creation Station. He loves 'reading' and he was so excited to read the stop sign in the community worker corner. We wrapped up his birthday with his favorite dinner - chicken tacos with a side of beans from Chipolte. He cracks us up, but he just can't get enough!

Celebrating Max's birthday makes me think of all the changes we have been through over the past year and just how much I have learned from our little man . . .

• routines are key - even at three
• while routines are great, flexibility is too
• everyone can benefit from an afternoon nap
• moving takes a lot of adjusting
• baby gates are helpful with the transition to the big boy bed
• potty training is not fun. . . at all
• early intervention is so important!
• an informed parent is their child's best advocate
• being a mom has made me a more empathetic teacher
• early morning wake ups are a hard habit to break
• the older he gets, the bigger the toys
• mommy's purse is no longer her own
• we can't leave the house without meow-meow kitty, monkey man, and more recently baby
• a sippy cup of milk and a baggie of O's make for a happy drive to the sitters in the morning
• giving up a pediatrician you love is really tough
• finding a pediatrician you love is really tough
• the older he gets the more entertaining he is
• he can make me smile, no matter how awful I may be feeling
• he wants to be just like daddy - and it is adorable
• I'm the luckiest lady alive!

Mr. Potato Head

Max came across Mr. Potato Head tonight and he was all excited. He just needed a little help with the mustache - other than that he did it all by himself. Mr. Potato Head even helped him feed the pets.

We had a meeting today to talk about our plans for Max and preschool next year. It is hard to believe that he will be in school all day, every day next year - he is just growing so quickly!

Speaking of growing quickly. . . baby #2 is growing like crazy. So far, so good - only another 7-8 weeks to go before we meet this little one that has been kicking me like crazy!