Birthday Boy!

Tobey turned three last Saturday. Last year I was a little sad when he turned two but this year I have embraced his threeness. It might have something to do with the "terrible twos" and all that implies. Although I am not sure if three will be any better on that aspect. He seems to just get more stubborn with age. But really it is more about how much I adore this little person he is becoming. He is such a sweet and tender soul. He loves to make us laugh and lately I have found myself having deep belly laughs because of his silliness. Tonight while we were sitting together he loudly said "Mommy" and then proceeded to blow in my ear. He did this over and over while I giggled and giggled. I was telling Rodney about it and he said that is how they tell secrets to each other. I had no idea. Sometimes Tobey gets this playful gleam in his eyes and that means it is time for body tackle. So we will lay on the bed and guard our faces while Tobey relentlessly tackles us over and over. I love to ask him silly questions and hear his replies. When I ask him to pick up his toys his reply is "Oh, man mommy" followed by "will you help me" or if he is busy doing something else he will say "hode on". His sweetness often catches me off guard. He surprises us with kisses and I love you's all the time now. The other night at dinner we were about to pray and he asked if we could hold hands and then he put his head down and said "like this daddy". Afterwards he gave a hearty "amen!" He loves to cuddle and he gives the best little hugs. He is definitely a momma's boy right now. If anyone else tries to help him he will say "no mommy do it!". This can be quite frustrating at times but I know it is just a phase. These are a list of his favorite things:

- His morning shows-Curious George & Clifford. He cannot get enough Curious George. He just loves that little monkey so much and he will smile through the whole episode. And he loves "Ciffer" too.

-. He LOVES, LOVES, LOVES Mimi & PawPaw's house. He just about asks for either one of them everyday. One of the first things he will do when we go to their house is hit up the pantry for his snacks.

- Speaking of snacks Tobey has a little problem with his sweet tooth. He would eat sweets all day so I really have to limit what he gets. His favorite sweets are skittles, suckers, popsicles, fruit roll-ups, and soy ice cream sandwiches. Today is his first dentist appointment and I am a tad nervous. We are very diligent about brushing his teeth but I still worry about all those sweets he consumes.

- His favorite toys are his trains, cars, and tools. He likes to chase me or the dog with his electric drill and laugh hysterically. And he is often seen toting his books around the house.

- He loves to wake up in the wee hours of the morning and crawl or shall I say sneak into bed with us. He has gotten very good at it too. There are many mornings that I wake up with his little body snuggled against me with no recollection of him ever getting into our bed. As soon as I move in the morning he is sitting up and kissing me on the cheek saying "get up mommy". He did this the morning of his birthday and I rolled over and smiled and said good morning birthday boy. All morning he kept saying "I a birthday boy"!

- He loves the game Caribou. We just got it a month ago and he wants to play it everyday. It is geared toward preschoolers and features a treasure hunt. He loves it!

- He loves to help me. He pulls his little chair all around the house so he can stand at the sink and help me rinse dishes and put them in the dishwasher or stand at the washer and put clothes inside. He will say "I do it Mommy".

- His favorite food are waffles, pancakes, oatmeal, peaches, apples, corn on the cob, and barbecue chicken quesadillas. The doctor just told us at his well visit that we can start introducing cheese and see how he handles it. He seems to think that Tobey will do fine with it. I am more apprehensive especially after the milk incident last week but I would love for him to be able to have cheese. So mac-n-cheese is coming up.

His party went really well on Saturday. At the beginning of the summer I began to probe Tobey about his party. When I asked him what kind of party he wanted he said "uhmmm...choo choo party". I searched around and found this place inside one of the malls here called Choo Choo Station. They sell Thomas the Train merchandise but also have a play area with a choo choo train for the kiddos to ride and party rooms. He had so much fun playing with his friends. He especially enjoyed riding on the train and playing at the train tables with all his little friends. It was a little chaotic. I am not the best hostess but I think Tobey had fun and that is what matters. So here are some pics of the birthday boy!

My mother-in-law took care of the cake and had one of her friends make it. She is actually the same lady who made our wedding cake. Anyway the cake turned out awesome. It was more than I imagined and perfect for Tobey's party.

Tobey posed with PawPaw before guests started arriving.

All the guys took their turn on the train. Tobey and his daddy with Lee and Emma in the back.

Shawn and Kairi

Peter and Joshua

This one is a little blurry but it the only one I have of the whole train.

The kids loved playing at the train tables.

Time for cake! Tobey got kind of nervous when everyone started singing Happy Birthday to him. He even shouted NO and tried to hide his face. But he blew his candles out like a champ!

Sweet little Ava was so cute when she proclaimed "This cake is SO good". It really was.

Thanks to everyone who came out to celebrate with us and to the sweet words of those who could not make it. We are so blessed by our family and friends!