Will turned three on Sunday. We decided to have a zoo theme and took him to the Austin Zoo with Alivia after dropping off Baby John to snooze the morning away with my folks. It was a little chilly, but we had a great few hours at the "Zoo." It put the name in quotes because it is actually a sanctuary for rescued exotic animals that people cannot or will not take care of. Some favorite activities were feeding the goats and llamas and riding the train. The kids were so tired they slept hard on the way home and we left them in the truck another 30 minutes to continue sleeping after we pulled into the driveway. Will woke up very, very sad after he had pee peed in his pants while sitting in his car seat in Daddy's truck.
Matt had a brisket cooking all day on his Big Green Egg and we had family come over for some BBQ, cheese grits and roasted broccoli for dinner. The meal was finished off with a cake from Sam's Club.
On to presents. . . as I told Will who each present was from, he would then take the present to them, thinking it was their turn to open a gift. So cute. I think he is in Christmas mode and could not believe that all of the gifts were actually for him! He got some great loot and we have enjoyed having some new diversions around here!
Here are some thoughts about my precious boy:
He loves me more than anyone else in the world right now. Sigh. I LOVE that. He will stop what he is doing at times to simply come snuggle in my arms or give me a hug. He calls for "Mommy to put me down" every night and negotiates with Alivia to have me put him down while Daddy will put Alivia down. He loves glowsticks right now and we open up a new pack for him every day. Thank goodness we can get them for $1 at the Dollar Store down the street. He still can talk up a storm and seems so much older than he is because of his incredible vocabulary. He is just starting to grow into his body although I find that I often have to hold his hand while we walk up and down stairs when he wants to walk on the curb. He knows how to taunt his sister like no one else, but also can play with her so well, too. He loves for me to rock him every night. We read 2 books and then I sing: Michael Row the Boat Ashore, Jesus Loves Me, Amazing Grace and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. He still loves to nap, but often this will cause him to go to bed really late and leads to many encores after we tuck him into bed around 7:30. It may mean that naps may be ending soon - sniff sniff. He is still in a crib with the sides down but can easily sleep in a big boy bed anytime we need him to. I am still really stressing that he is not allowed out of the bed without asking permission. So far, so good. Will can eat! Matt commented this morning that his 3-year old ate as much as he did for breakfast. He will eat a large bowl of oatmeal, grapefruit and glass of OJ and often asks for more! He is just learning the art of making people laugh and revels in it.
Will, my life is fuller with you in it. I love you my sweet boy.
