To India for Lia Riyani

My kids love this book because there are three baby bears and because each one is the favorite. The Mama and Daddy bear tell them how wonderful they are and that it doesn't matter if they're boys or girls, biggly or littly or have patches or no patches. It is a good parallel for our family and I tell the boys at night that they're my favorite first and my favorite second. Sometimes I even tell them they're my favorite first and second baby bear because it makes them giggle and tell me they're not bears!

I used to tell Jack that he was the best baby boy in the whole world and then I'd tell Gavin he was the best big brother boy in the whole world. But sadly in the last six months Jack has reminded me more than once that he is NOT a baby! And it's true, he's not (although of course despite his denials, he'll always be Mama's baby!). He turned three last week and is such a big boy. He loves football (and demanded a football cake), the allowed tackling involved may be part of the draw! He loves anything that involves running, jumping, chasing, hiding, singing, dancing, climbing or throwing. He is pretty much in constant motion (and let me tell you, sometimes that motion is painful as he catches you in a tackle hug unaware or gets you with an errant foot as he is flying across the room. He certainly causes lots of bruises on himself and all of us).

But he is also the best 'sharer' ever! Maybe it's just the nature of being the 2nd child but he is always willing to share a toy, even if it is a brand new birthday present he hasn't even played with yet (I reminded his brother that he should remember this when his birthday comes around, unlikely). He gets incredibly excited so you can't tell him that you're going somewhere until right before, otherwise he'll ask all day if it's time to leave yet. He repeatedly told us last week that he was 'so berry becited' about his football birthday cake. He also loves 'Uggah' (Shrek) and 'Sully'. He will watch them 3 times a day if we let him. He is still watching Polar Express too (yup we pretty much celebrate Christmas all year long around here). He loves to play with his 'guys' or 'mans' as he calls them. Pretty much any truck, bus or train he gets better have little guys/mans that come with it, or else he won't touch it.

All three of my kids are exceptionally cuddly but Jack is the cuddliest. He'll grab your hand and lead you over to the couch and ask if you'll "cuddle him" while he sits there. And sometimes he'll say "I want to kiss you!" and you'll have to sit very still while he giggles and approaches very slowly and gives the sweetest kisses. He loves any excuse to leave the house and is my most faithful shopping companion (the only one who loves to shop); he tells me that things are "so beautiful". He loves that word; he also tells me, "You better watch this one Mama, it's going to be so beautiful," before he jumps high or does a somersault.

He adores his big brother and will do anything to be allowed to play with him. Although he still gets frustrated easily and resorts to hitting and kicking too often to always be welcomed as a playmate. They do play together well most of the time and it is hysterical to listen to their dinosaurs and trains 'talk' to each other. His sister is his most constant companion and he will grab her hand and pull her where he wants her to go (which sometimes goes over well, sometimes not so much) and lower his voice into a sweet little register to ask her if she wants a turn. She is sometimes wary of his tendency toward roughness (smart girl) but loves to hug him (and sneakily run away with whatever toy he is playing with). He always brings her the 'Dora' doll when she is crying and loves to hand her a bottle.

I think this boy is going to be the life of the party (which I think is both awesome and totally scary) when he grows up. He is a charmer (with the dimples and long eyelashes to go with it) but very determined when it comes to getting his own way. I can't wait to see how he combines those two! But not for awhile yet, I want him to stay my little guy for now (even if he won't admit to being my baby anymore) and I am going to savor his sweet exuberance, the adorable things he says and his amazing hugs (and try my best to ignore those temper tantrums). He is a talker and I love when he asks for his 'directions' (aka- options!).

I will update with the other kids soon, but wanted to get a reflection of him in for his b-day! We are crazy busy around here as I've doubled my teaching load and still only send the kiddos to the babysitter 10 hours/week (not much sleep going on) and we're trying to decide how to make this house work for 5 people (I am getting close to giving up and just throwing it on the market and see what happens but that's a lot of upheaval so we'll see).