THREE!

Saturday was Nathan's third birthday!  Wow!

 Three means that he's officially not a baby anymore. He's a full-fledged individual with a sense of humor, his own ideas, his own opinions, and his own communication style.  I love it.

He is more fun and more challenging and smarter every minute.

His deep and abiding passion for cars has only intensified as he has become more knowledgeable of the wide, wide world of automobiles.

Nathan can push my buttons like nobody else--if we're both crabby at the same time, look out!  He can just as easily make me laugh and we love being silly and giggling together.

He's a great conversationalist.

This kid loves a project, it could be arts & crafts, cooking, sorting his cars by type or color... he quickly gets involved and purses his lips in concentration.  If he's really focused, he even starts drooling! Haha.

He's such a sweet brother--every school day he comes home and asks Natalie how her day was, he loves to climb up on her stool to talk to her while she's on the changing table, he gives her kisses and brings her cars to play with.  He mimics my high-pitched voice and the phrases that I use when I talk to her--so funny!

Nathan loves to read.  Every night we read a story as part of our bedtime ritual.  We read lots during the day too, and will often find Nay sitting on the floor flipping through pages by himself.  Some of his favorites:  Cars an Trucks and Things That Go,  The Bernstain Bears, Knuffle Bunny, I'm A Truck

Of course, Nay loves cartoons, and watches more tv than my not-yet-a-parent or even my not-yet-a-parent-of-two-kids self would approve of.  Funny how things change...  Ah well.  Nayzie's favorites are Handy Manny, Jungle Junction, The Cat In The Hat, Curious George

Still no interest in potty training.  We're working on it.  Everyone who lives outside of our house seems more worried about it than we are.  I have faith that with our continued encouragement, Nathan will decide he's ready, and that he will decide this before he enters kindergarten! :)

Since he was a little guy, Nathan has always needed and loved to have some wind-down time to himself in bed at night.  This tradition has continued.  Depending on whether or not it's a bath night (we alternate bath and non-bath nights) after dinner, playtime or bathtime starts around 7:00, with the goal to be in PJs at 7:30. Then one of us snuggles in bed with Nathan to read a book (he chooses the book and who reads it to him) while the non-reading parent hangs out with Natalie in the chair in his room.  As his book comes to an end, Nathan begins to stall for bedtime by asking his favorite, "So what did we do today?"  That kid loves to hear a recap play-by-play of his day, and if you skip something or forget a small detail, he'll correct you!  Then we give him kisses, he kisses his baby sister and we say goodnight.  It pulls at my heartstrings that my big boy no longer wants me to sing his evening lullaby, "You Are My Sunshine." Sigh.  After we depart from his room, Nathan either launches directly into an elaborate game of imagination that involves the approximately 25 stuffed animals, known as "my friends" or he will pull back the curtain on his window and contemplate the wide, wide world.  We still have the monitor in his room because we love to hear the conversations, songs, and stories that go on, often until 9:30 or so until he falls asleep.  In the morning he will often babble for a bit before we hear either "Mommy? Mommmmmmmyyyy? Hey, Mommy!" or "Daddy? Dadddddddyyyyy? Hey, Daddy!" depending on who he feels like seeing first thing that day.

One of the activities that Nathan can do almost non-stop is to wash things in the bathroom sink.  His favorite thing to do is to take a huge portion of his fleet of matchbox cars into the bathroom, climb onto his stool and wash them--sometimes for up to an hour!  Dishes will do in a pinch, but car detailing is the preferred activity for sure.

Nathan loves to do things himself--climb the stairs, get his sippy cup out of the fridge, select his own snack from the pantry, put his shoes on, get his diaper/wipe out of the dresser drawer, put on his pants and shirt.  He's getting so independent!

Being my son, Nay talks up a storm, from the moment his eyes open until they close!  When he is with me, the constant stream of commentary begins with "Mom" at every sentence.  I love that he's so conversational, and also at the end of the day after hearing my name at every. single. sentence. I'm ready for a little bit of quiet! :)  Here are some Nathan-isms:

• "Did you ever hear of...?" (insert something he thinks is silly)
• "I'm sitting b'next to you, Mommy!" (I think his use of b'next, which I'm pretty sure is a combination of beside and next, is so cute that it's hard for me to resist using it myself when I'm talking to him)
• "No, thank you." (This phrase is used in response to things he does not want or feel like doing.  Sometimes the question is "Would you like some more milk?" and sometimes it is in response to something like "Let's get your diaper changed.")
• "But I'm just..."  Add any number of tasks that are more interesting/important/urgent than whatever activity (probably pjs, bath, dinner) that you are telling him it's time to do.
• "THAT'S silly!"  "Mom, Daddy's silly!"  He loves it when we joke around, especially playing with language and rhyming.  One of his favorite games is when we all call each other the wrong name.  Often we will spend time at the dinner table saying "Hi, Papa!" (giggle) "Hi, Grandma Gail!" (giggle) "Hi, Uncle Stu!" and on until we've gone through every family member.  Or we'll say something is the opposite or completely incorrect--"Nathan, I like your brown eyes!"  Or he will play with the words by putting a different beginning letter on each--"Mom, I like these picken puggets! (chicken nuggets)" and then give you a huge grin at his cleverness!
• "So what are you fixin' on today?"
• "Can I watch a show and have fruit snacks?"
• "Why they are...?  Why that is...?"
• "Flipball" (football)
• "Cheese toast" (grilled cheese)

On his birthday, Nathan was lucky enough to have almost his entire family come over to celebrate with him.  The only people missing were Uncle Steve and Aunt Joanna.  Oh, how I wish those two lived close enough to visit more than once a year!  (hint, hint, you two!)  It was a really relaxed and wonderful celebration.  Nancy made homemade chicken nuggets and "hot hammy sammies," I provided fruit salad, green salad, and beverages, while Jordan returned the favor to Nathan and made him a delicious birthday cake.  We relaxed, ate, and then Nathan opened presents.  So much fun!

Family

Nathan and Grandma Gail working on a car maintenance project before lunch.

Natalie snuggling with Aunt Erin.

My blue-eyed boy. I love him.

The whole gang about to dig in to yummy lunch.

Birthday cake by Jord

Nay had to sample the frosting immediately.

Nathan covers his ears when he's feeling a little shy or nervous.  Having all of us belting out "Happy Birthday" made him smile and feel a little shy!

Deeeeeeep breath....

And out go the candles!

Yay!

Time to open presents!

Awesome "trike" from Uncle Stu and Aunt Erin