3 years "not too big"

Whenever I tell Ethan he is getting too big, he says something along the lines of, "I'm getting big, but not TOO big."  So even though he turned 3 years old last week, which definitely feels too big for my baby, I can smile and remember that he is still "a little bit big and a little bit little." :)

In the midst of this busy Christmas season, we always have the opportunity to pause mid-month and take a little time to celebrate Ethan.  Although I know it will probably bug him someday, at this point, he doesn't seem to mind having a Christmas birthday at all.  In fact, to a little child who loves Christmas and all the excitement it brings, I think he kind of enjoys having his birthday wrapped up in the midst of it... particularly when we have a 70 degree December day to take a trip to his favorite place in the world - the zoo!

I'm not going to sugarcoat it.  Ethan is a very challenging little boy to parent.  He knows what he wants, and if he doesn't get it, he will make sure you know it and suffer for it.  I have had to wrangle him into his carseat kicking and screaming, drag him through the airport because he got tired and decided he would just sit in the middle of the floor, sit with my arms and legs wrapped around him to hold him still during a tantrum at the zoo, etc.  There are days (and weeks) when it is completely exhausting.

But in contrast to all of that, there is this face:

Ethan can be SO sweet and SO fun. He really is my little buddy, and  I love seeing the world through his eyes.

Ethan is an animal lover through and through... no matter how big or small, ugly or cute, Ethan loves them all.  Like I said, the zoo is his absolute favorite place, but a simple walk through the woods will have him stopping to check out every little bug and critter (and flower) he can find.  

This summer, we had several lizards living on our play set, and they came to be our outdoor pets for the season.  One of them in particular was somewhat tame, and we would go out and catch him nearly every day.  The boys would make little habitats for him, and at one point, he stayed in the "home" they made for him for a couple of days.  We named him "Hyde," because he seemed to especially enjoy the hydrangea flower that they gave him.  Whenever Ethan held him, there was pure joy on his face.  We may never have furry pets, so I'm thankful that he takes such pleasure in these little blessings.

Ethan loves to read.  Gifts for him are hard, because he doesn't really play with toys.  He spends his time exploring, being Mommy's sidekick (or sometimes a brother or Daddy's), reading or looking at books, doing puzzles, or playing games.  

Like his brothers, he is so fortunate to have cousins living nearby.  He and Courtney don't play that much together yet, but they are still sweet little friends, and they get along great.  They had a sleepover earlier this year, just the two of them (Ryan and Kaeden slept at Atticus' house), and they were adorable together.  

Ethan's relationships with his brothers haven't changed much since last year.  He and Ryan continue to adore each other, although I think Ryan is gradually losing bits of patience with him as he gets older.  All in all, though, Ryan is so sweet to help Ethan out with things, make him feel better when he's upset, entertain him when Mommy is desperate to make dinner, etc :)  Kaeden and Ethan fight.  They have their moments of peace, but in general, they fight.  I try to tell myself it's a phase, but the truth is I worry it's a phase that will last until they go to college!  There are days when they seem to fight nonstop from the moment they wake up and Kaeden glares at Ethan and Ethan screams back at him.  There are also days when they go off to Kaeden's room on their own and parallel play without incident for long stretches of time.  You never know what you're going to get.  One thing I do know is that every one of these boys is so lucky to have the others.

We converted Ethan's crib to a toddler bed this summer, and he had a little trouble staying in it at first.  Even now, he'll end up underneath the bed from time to time.  It never seems to bother him, though. A few nights, he has even requested to sleep underneath from the start.  

Ethan is now fully potty trained (for the most part), and he no longer takes a nap.  He still has "rest time" in his room most days and spends most of that time looking at books.  He is growing up so fast, and yet when I read last year's blog post, he sounds pretty much like the same exact child :)

Ethan, your smile melts my heart, and you bring so much excitement to our family every day.  Happy 3rd birthday, sweet boy.  We love you SO much!