And then he was three

Tristan turned three today and I can hardly believe it. We had a nice morning opening presents and hanging out waiting to go to "old McDonalds" for his party. Since he is three, we invited three friends to his party. I almost changed at the last minute, but after we got to the party I felt confident in my decision. He was able to play with all of his friends and it felt less like a romper room that it probably would have. They played, had happy meals, sundaes, cake pops, and presents. What little kid could ask for more?

The twins brought their own dates and had a fabulous time! They were so good I kept forgetting they were there.

I remember birthday parties at McDonalds when I was growing up and thinking they were so much fun. I hope Tristan remembers this birthday as fondly as I remember mine.

Each birthday that Tristan has had so far, I have teared up at some point in the day. This year, the tears did not come when we ran into his room to sing Happy Birthday when he woke up, or opening presents, or at his party, or at the usual time when the group sings Happy Birthday at the party I thought maybe I was over all of that. Maybe this year I was finally getting less emotional about the passing years and my baby growing up. Then... we got home and put the babies to bed. Everything was quiet while Neil got Tristan's room ready for his nap and I flopping down in the big green chair to catch my breath. When I looked up, I saw Tristan laying on his belly in the living room playing with his Legos that he opened this morning. He had a whole story going between the Lego guys and was so deep in play that he didn't even notice I was there. That's when it hit me just how big he was getting! The play was so imaginative and independent. I wanted to go jump in and play with the birthday boy, but I could tell he didn't need me there. Well, maybe next year I won't cry.

Getting A Bit Daring

The boys are growing up so fast and learning new tricks literally everyday. Both boys have now learned to pull up to standing especially in their cribs. Finn the dare devil, has decided he needed to learn how to fall down with out hurting himself. You get a true glimpse of his personality here. He spends a day or two almost constantly practicing one skill, perfects it, and immediately moving on to the next thing. I'm convinced he is trying to speed catch up with Tristan.
Ian is just so pleased with himself when he learns something new. This day was his first day of pulling up, so he was extremely happy!

Map Adventures

We have been taking some "map adventures" with Tristan trying to get him ready for our big trip through many airports soon. Our flights are not at good times for a toddler and we will be spending time in four different airports. That's a long day for any adult let alone an almost three year old.
The maps are a way for him to be able to see what is coming next and keeping him from getting frustrated that we are not at Neannie's yet. They were working great. They are really just some errands with a fun activity mixed it, but he behaves SO much better during the boring errands because he could clearly see where his fun activity was on the list.
Well, today we hit a problem with the map that I had not thought of but am glad it happened now so we can prepare for this.
Our first stop of the afternoon was to my work where I found out a co-worker had been taken to the hospital and was getting an emergency brain scan and a possible spinal tap. They were not able to get in touch with her parents and she was there alone (she is 20). We made a quick change of plans, picked up take out for Tristan and Neil for dinner, and I headed home to drop both off and head to the hospital. He was quite upset that he couldn't go to the bank next, but I had to change plans.
Okay, now we have to teach our toddler about plans and change of plans. Better that he learns to be flexible now because that's life!

Tristan's Great Singing

Well, I thought my 100th post should be a little more fun than normal, so I will post about Tristan singing one of his favorite songs. If you have not ever seen Veggie Tales or you have some trouble understanding "Tristan speak," watch the theme song first so you can see just how good he is.

Bits' Bedtime Story

When Nana and Bits came to visit for Christmas, they brought a book for Tristan. The book is Mike Mulligan and other stories and Bits has the same book at home. This evening Bits called and read Tristan a story over the phone. What a great idea! Tristan loved it, and while he and Neil were listening to the story there was a naughty little baby that refused to go to bed crawling under foot. Finn didn't want to miss all the fun. Tristan is looking forward to many more story nights with Bits.

Windy

The wind here in Colorado is SO loud tonight and is shaking the windows and door. Tristan is a light sleeper on a quiet night, but on a windy night he is lucky to get any sleep.
As I put him to bed, I laid down and was saying prayers with him. I prayed for an angel to come watch over him as he slept, and he put his finger on my nose and said, "mom, you're my angel." Such a sweet boy!

Two Movers And A Shaker

It's almost spring time and that must mean that all my young little chicks are finding new ways to move away from me... some quicker than others. Tristan is getting pretty good on his tricycle as long as there aren't any big turns to take.
Finn can crawl but gets so excited that he ends up doing a crawl/lunge/pulling thing. Either way, he gets just where he wants to and where he wants to be is right on top of everything he can't have. It's a good thing we drink mostly water in this house because numerous cup have been pulled over in the last week. Gone are the days of leaving my camera on the floor or setting a snack down. He is determined!
Then there is Ian. He is really close to crawling, too, but is a little more cautious about it all. Finn will crawl and bump things and pull up to standing and fall, but Ian just takes it a little slower and studies everything he is doing. The boy does love a good shake though.
I love to watch the twins play with the same toys. Finn devours them and throws them to the side. Ian will quietly play with one toy at a time and see everything about it. Hmmmm, a little personality shinning through? Things are about to get a bit tricky around here, but I think I'm looking forward to it.

Almost Three Is Almost Always Fun

Most days I still can't believe Tristan is almost three. With every stage he gets to be more fun and his sense of humor is right up my ally. There is at least once every day when he catches me off guard and I'm just glad I'm not drinking milk so it can't come out my nose. Let's hope this is not the peak of his comedy career.
His imagination is growing like crazy. Every day our chair is turned into a car with new tires and together we take great rides and talk about all the things we are seeing. When I told him we were going to put his crown away because it didn't fit, he turned it over, put it on, and said, "look, I a princess. It fits!"
He breaks into song often and his catalog of music is fun. From Black Eyed Peas, Mickey Mouse, Lady Gaga, and "Sunday School" songs.
I really hope all the rumors I hear about the "3s" being the worst do not turn out to be true for Tristan. I would miss his cute little personality way too much!

Love Thy Neighbor

Hopefully there will not be too many times in our life that we feel great sadness, but tonight is one of those nights in our house. This summer, we heard a sermon in church about getting to know your neighbors, serving them, and loving them. Being in community with your neighbors and really getting to know each other. We knew our neighbor's names on either side of us, and always said hi to the other people in our hall, but we didn't know any of them or anything that they might need.

Stephanie had lived right next door for a short amount of time and we were pretty sure she was sick just from her appearance. We were always polite to each other but never more than a friendly hello and a little chat with Tristan. After the sermon, we started to think of what we could do for her without intruding on her space if she wanted it. Neil takes our trash out everyday, so I suggested that maybe we ask if she needs help with that. She could stick her trash out on her porch and Neil would be sure to take it out that day. She agreed and we had no idea the relationship we had all just entered into.

Maya, Stephanie's cat, spent last week here with us while Stephanie took a much needed trip to Hawaii to decide her future. It turns out that after years of fighting her cancer, there is no fight left. What started as breast cancer, then moved to fill her stomach and lungs, and tonight she can feel the tumor in her throat. Over the last few months, she has graciously let us help her with small things, and on occasion Neil has had the wonderful opportunity to listen to her story and share with her what true community is when everyone else has left her.

Tonight as I sit here typing, she is just two rooms away snuggling with her children for probably the last night before they go back with their father in the morning. She said they were a "bit needy" tonight so they were going to push the beds together and sleep together for a while. Neil will go in the middle of the night to check on her because her medications are not in full force yet. Hospice comes tomorrow after the children have left, and they will make sure she is not in pain again. She wanted these last few days with her children to be ones that she could participate in. You would never know the incredible pain that she is in because she is literally the toughest person I have ever met. Because her insurance only covers care during the day and her greatest fear is understandably dying alone, Neil, myself, and her friend Christine will probably take turns throughout the nights sitting with her until the end. Every time we think about how hard this is, we quickly realize that how uncomfortable we may feel is irrelevant to the situation. It is not about us. If we don't sleep, who cares. I'm thankful that I am planning on putting my kids to bed for years to come, God willing. What ever she needs from us she will get.

We feel incredibly blessed that Stephanie has allowed us into her life at this time. We feel incredibly blessed that God has chosen us to love her in her time of need. Sometimes it's as easy as taking out someone's trash to start the wheels moving on something important. It's true that we just have to show up and God does the rest. I pray that we would have many great talks of God's love before Stephanie passes. I pray that she will pass on to a place with no cancer, no pain, and all the love that she needs.

Oh Ian, My Ian. Lalalalalalala

I think all moms have a special little song that they sing to that one baby to make them smile a smile that says they know it's all about them. The title to this post is that song for Ian.
When Ian was born he was so tiny that people were nervous to hold him. When we brought him home, his 3 1/2 pound body had a delicate look and his face and everything about him was so petite. He was a good little eater and continued to grow well, but there was something I was dying to see since that first week home. My desire was to see plump and chubby cheeks, thighs, and most of all hands. I love when you can not really see where the hand stops and the arm begins.

Well, the time has come for sure! He looks so healthy and even has some reserve which is something that makes me very happy.
Ian even had his first "first" today. Up until now, Ian has been doing things right on track for his age, but a week or so after Finn. Today was his big day. His first tooth broke the skin and is starting to work it's way out! He continues to grow and thrive in ways I had prayed he would when I was still pregnant. Go Ian, Go!!