Jude turns THREE!

Dear Jude,

I cannot believe you are three years old!  Somehow the days are passing faster and faster for your mama, and I feel like I'm barely able to keep up with everything you're doing these days.  But I love our crazy, fast-paced day-to-day life, and I am thrilled that I get to spend my days playing with, teaching, learning from, and enjoying you! 

 

 

At 3 years old some things I want to remember about you are...

 

 

Dimensions: 38 inches tall (55th %), 36 pounds (85th %)

Size: 3T for clothing, 10 (or 10 and 1/2) for shoes

Favorite songs: Alphabet Song, Jesus Loves Me, Grace Flows Down (Amazing Grace), Zacchaeus Was a Wee Little Man, Old MacDonald Had a Farm

Favorite books: any Bible story (but especially Zacchaeus), Just Grandpa and Me, Night-Night Blessings, all of your "Caillou" books, Five Little Kittens

Favorite shows & movies: Toy Story, Thomas the Train, Caillou, Special Agent Oso

Favorite things to do: Play at the park, ride your tricycle and Hot Wheels, play hide & seek, read books, sing, help me in the kitchen, and jump and run anywhere and everywhere!

 

 

You are also becoming quite the conversationalist and say some of the cutest things we've ever heard.  And as is the case with most three-year-olds, your favorite question is "Why?"  Although it can drive me crazy some days, I adore your hunger for learning about the world you live in!   

Your birthday celebration started on Thanksgiving Day, when you woke up to find a new kitchen and work bench in the playroom!  Daddy had a lot of fun showing you how to use the power saw and drill.

Then we went to Papi and Nana's house to celebrate Thanksiving AND your birthday!

"Thomas the Train" for the theme for the day, and you were blessed with so many wonderful gifts from family near and far!

You also had a ton of fun playing with the train "village" your Papi constructed just for you, complete with stops at Lake Emily, Jude's Zoo of Exotic Animals, The Jude Ranch, Alaska & the North Pole, Bethlehem, a Train Wash, the ocean, desert, and a Train Depot.  It's quite a train ride!

Then that weekend you had one more present for your transition from toddler to big boy....

Your crib turned a big boy bed!

We had a wonderful day of celebrating YOU, sweet Jude, and thanking God for the wonderful gift he gave us just three years ago!  Your kind and loving heart is a blessing to us each and every day, and we love you very, very much!!  Happy 3rd Birthday!!!

 

Love you like a bowl full of jellybeans {another one of your favorites},

Mommy

Time flies!

Dear family,

Wow, this has been a busy two months!  So busy that we completely forgot to keep up with our letters to each other!!  But the silence has ended, and now we're back to fill in the blanks.  I hope you enjoy reading about the conclusion of our year; I'll do my best to make it a real page turner! 

Love you like Christmas morning,

Mommy

Once upon a potty...

Dear Jude,

Once upon a time there lived a little boy who woke up one crisp Saturday morning in November and was told that today his new friend, Monkey, was going to learn to use the potty!  The little boy very patiently taught Monkey all of the steps involved and even read him stories while he "tried." 

And when Monkey was successful at using the potty, he earned a potty party, getting to choose a treat cup (filled with either M&M's or fruit snacks) and a toy from the prize bag!

{The little boy enjoyed this part as much as Monkey did!} 

 After lunch and naptime it was the little boy's turn to learn to use the potty.

He had a lot of fun looking at the toys in the prize bag...

Coloring {while his mother made sure he stayed very hydrated with juice and water}...



 

And playing all day long in his big boy undies {on the floor of course}.

And do you know what happened?

The charming little boy learned to use the big boy potty!!!



There were several accidents along the way - and several loads of laundry washed and dried and washed and dried - but the little boy and his mother persevered {and purchased more pairs of pants}, and after two weeks of hard work the mother declared that the little boy was...

...{somewhat officially}...

POTTY TRAINED!!

The little boy felt great pride in wearing his big boy undies, and his mother felt a great sense of accomplishment that she had simply survived.  Her bathrooms were now adorned with sticker charts, step stools, potty seats, and Clorox wipes.  But the chubby cheeked smile of her oh-so-proud son made it all okay.  And totally worth it. 

Love you like elastic pants,

Mommy

Trick or Treat!

Dear Daddy,



This year we decided to pay homage to our family history for this year's halloween party!  You're a Choctaw, Mommy's a Chickasaw, and Emily and I are a little bit of both {although you continually remind us that we are technically more Choctaw than Chickasaw}, and I think we make a pretty great looking tribe in all!



On Sunday (the 30th) our church had "Orange Day..."



...and then Monday was the big day - halloween!  This was my very first year to go trick-or-treating, and you told Mommy that I did a great job of saying both "Trick or treat!" and "Thank you!"  

Emily and Mommy stayed home and passed out candy from the front porch, but I think next year Em will have to join us - it was so much fun getting all of that candy!

Love you like M&M's,

Jude



Little pumpkins

The mind of a 2 year old...

Dear Jude,

Lately you've said some of the funniest things!  Here are a couple of things you said at our recent stay with Papi and Nana that had everyone rolling...

{In the car with Papi, on the way to get a donut, before Papi heads to work}

Jude: Papi, you going to work?

Papi: Yes Jude, I have to go to work.

Jude: And Daddy's going to work?

Papi: Yes

Jude: And Uncle Jon's going to work?

Papi: Yes

Jude: Papi?

Papi: Yes Jude?

Jude: I can't go to work.  {pause} I don't have a tie.

{At Papi and Nana's house, playing doctor}

Jude: Nana, I'm going to give you a shot.  And it WILL hurt.

Never a dull moment with you, big brother!

Love you like an Hermès tie,

Emme

17 months and {almost} 3 years...

Dear Jude & Emily,

It's been a busy autumn so far, and it seems like the two of you are growing as quickly as the weeks are passing by! 

Emily, you are 17 months old now ~ the same age Jude was when you were born!  Your vocabulary has grown to about 18 words, with "mine," "Daddy," and "Jude" still being your favorites.  You absolutely adore your big brother and love to follow him around and get into whatever he's getting into.  And I think you're acquiring his love for singing, as you'll often "sing" along with us; and your favorite songs this month are "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and "If You're Happy and You Know It..."  You also love to give hugs {to us and your dolls}, make a kissy noise with your lips, and throw your arms up anytime you hear "Touchdown!" 

You've acquired quite a few new teeth in the past two months, which has made for some fussy days  weeks.  But it's also meant lots of cuddles for me, which I love.  And because of your teething, your eating has been very sporadic.  Some days you'll eat very little, and some days you'll eat more than Jude!  You're growing like a weed, though, so one way or another you seem to be getting exactly what your cute little body needs.

This is the age of exploring everything around you for the first time, and I love watching your bright eyes light up as you experience and learn about something new.

Jude, this is your last month of being a two year old, which is hard for me to believe!  You are rapidly making the transition from baby boy to little boy, and you've become quite the helper to me and Daddy.  {And you're quite the teacher to your little sis.}  You love learning and doing new things, singing songs, reading books, and playing outside; and your new interest is all things trains!  Your vocabulary is also increasing, and your sentence structure is developing very well.  I'm daily amazed at the mini-conversations you and I have!  And as of this week, you have all of your baby teeth in - hooray!!

Your Mimi {who came to visit this month} has told me that three years old is the best age, and I'm quickly seeing why!  You are such a sweet, caring, compassionate and obedient boy; and though you have your rowdy moments {as all boys do}, most of your days are filled with smiles, giggles, hugs and kisses!

Love you {both} like cream cheese frosting,

Mommy