Happy 3rd Birthday, Felix!

This year we got to see more and more of your personality and learn more about the little man you’re becoming and I’m continually reminded of reasons why I’m so lucky to be your mom.

This year you finally got to start eating dairy and soy and it was so much fun to see you be able to try new things. You quickly fell in love with cheese and ice cream and even edamame!  You love to eat berries of all kinds and noodles and French fries are probably your two favorite foods.

You’re talking up a storm and it’s so great to see you master new types of sentences. I’m so proud that you catch on so quickly but sometimes am sad when you stop saying a word in the ‘baby’ pronunciation of it. The one you use most often is mixing up her and she, you always use her (“Her’s going to the store”)

You love video games and fell in love with Skylanders this year. You still really love Legos and any toy your brother thinks is cool. You like painting and coloring and playing games. You and Henry are playing together a lot more and it’s so much fun to see you two interact.

You stopped napping this year and moved to a big boy bed. You have also nearly mastered potty training! You still ask for cuddles and often want to sit on someone’s lap on the couch, when I look at your brother I’m reminded that one day soon you won’t want those cuddles anymore so I’m holding on to every last one. You share kisses and hugs with everyone (mom, dad, gma Deb, gpa Jack and gma Aaka mainly).

You are three and everything that comes with it. I can’t wait to see what the next year brings but I know whatever it is, it will be great and you’ll keep on giving us reasons to laugh.

Happy 6th Birthday Henry!

I can’t believe you’re six and about to start first grade! You are so smart and are always seeking out more knowledge and new ways to learn. You can read almost any word put in front of you and pronounce it perfectly in Spanish and English. You love science and love to do experiments at home. You not only like to mix random things together just to see what happens, you also want to know why it’s happening.

You’re sensitive and are always worried about how other people make you feel but also how you make them feel. This can be challenging for you at times but I think it will continue to be one of your most valuable qualities as you grow older. A few weeks ago you and Felix got balloon animals at the farmer’s market and as soon as we got home, Felix’s accidentally popped and he started crying. Without hesitation you said “I’ll make it fair” and popped your own balloon.

You continue to be the best big brother to Felix. Last week I said something to Felix that I often say to you (he was screaming/crying), “I can’t hear you when you use that tone of voice.” After I walked away I heard you calmly coach Felix on the best way to get what he wanted. I was so proud of you for teaching him and staying calm. I love watching you two play (except when you wrestle, that makes my heart stop!) and I know you’ll continue to have a lot of fun adventures together.

You love to dance. So much so that you sometimes get angry that we won’t drive you somewhere to dance because you love an audience (the problem is that aside from wedding crashing, I’m not sure where to take you). Your favorite night of the whole summer might have been dancing at Monica and Zach’s wedding. I hope you always keep on dancing.

You are very particular about what you wear. You like to dress up in your handsome clothes when we go out to dinner and you also will ask Dad, Felix and I to dress up for dinner at home (and let us know if we’ve done a good job). If you’re playing outside and a football comes out, you run home to change into your Vikings jersey. I love that you see your clothes almost as the costume you’re wearing for that scene in your life. I hope you never lose this.

Your favorite toys right now are legos and beyblades. You love board games and have even started playing Monopoly with little help. You and I have had a lot of fun together playing lego wii games (harry potter, batman, Indiana Jones) and I am always impressed at your problem solving skills.

 As we talked about the other night, I’m so excited to be along for the ride as you start your 7th journey around the sun!