Xander Turns THREE ("free")

It only took a few days... well, close to a week, for Xander to figure it out. He's three, that part he knew, and he's three every day, that part he knew. He is no longer two. He is three. Someday he will be four and five, and then he can drive. He is three, every day. And it's his birthday, every day. Wait, that part was the part we needed to clear up. :)

Xander-Man. I love you. You had a fun birthday, you make most anything fun. You were celebrated by those who love you dearly, and those who met you for the first time in the check-out line at Costco, and the post office, and the table next to us at the restaurant, and beyond. The world around you heard, "It's my birthday. I'm three." and they rejoiced with you. You are a delight.

On birthday eve, we went out to dinner to celebrate you.

Your shirt says Mr. Silly and you wear it well.

You took this picture of daddy and Phoebe.

You took this picture of Libby. Sometimes you put your finger over the flash, but you're getting better. :)

You took this picture of me.

We played a matching game while we waited for our food. You won once, I won a couple of times. Maybe when you're 30, you'll remember that when your turn comes up, often the first flip should be a card you've never seen before.

You ate mac & cheese, it's one of the few meals you will eat without much prodding. And you got a tasty treat - ice cream with a cherry on top. It's one of your favorites, particularly the cherry on top. A few days after your birthday, you had immunizations and when I offered you a treat of your choice to commend your bravery, you requested ice cream with a cherry on top. You share my love for cherries.

On October 10, 2010 you woke me up at 0:dark30. On October 10, 2007 I also woke up at 0:dark30. However, this year I got to cuddle with you, which made the wake up enjoyable. Three years ago, my back hurt and I had to go potty.

Libby woke soon after, and the three of us headed out for a birthday morning treat.

you are excited, and sleepy. and it's dark out. you know i love you because i don't do mornings well, and i really don't do dark mornings well.

oops, there was a pic of krispy kreme here... thats where we went. we saw the sunrise and we each commented on it's beauty. you and your sister both recognize the sunrise as a beautiful display of the Lord's, and it's a delight to hear you say so. In Krispy Kreme, you brought a smile to a teenage boy's face, when he boxed up our donuts and you giggled, and danced around and exclaimed, "This is going to be the best birthday EVER!" Being your third, I hope it really was. :)

Daddy spent a long time. A long time. Assembling this pirate ship for you, but he had a lot of fun. A lot of fun. doing so. He chose your birthday gifts this year, and he chose well. Your pirate ship and your safari set are as fun for him as they are for you.

I spent a long time. A long time. assembling your safari set. But I had fun doing so. (not as much fun as daddy did with the pirate ship, just to be clear.) I particularly like the elephant, whose many joints move, including his ears. You particularly like the lions because you're greatly enjoying "The Lion King" lately. You refer to the lions as Mufasa and Simba, and you and Libby giggle ad infinitum as you mutter "Mufasa" and shudder with fear. You two are cute. Oh, and yes, you got to sit in the MY SPECIAL DAY chair. You've anticipated the moment for months.

Back at home after picking up our Krispies, it was presents and playtime. Soon after, it was face washing time.

and no, Libby wasn't unhappy. I caught her at a weird time.

and yes, that cannon really shoots. it seems the giraffe has fallen victim to some pirates. who knows what Simba will do to defend his kingdom.

After church, we spent hours at Vala's Pumpkin Patch. Our dear friends the J's came to celebrate you with us. When we parked, the people getting out of the car next to us were not the J's but they were carrying presents. You were sooo excited, "they have birthday presents, mom!!!!!" I was actually sad they didn't bring presents for you. ha. :)

At Valas, we did some playing around, then headed to a campsite for hot dogs and other tasties. Phoebe tried to feed me some bread, but this photo is posted to give us selective memories. How it really went down, was that she did less offering and more taking. Phoebe ate like crazy that day, and much of what she ate was intended for Ruby. Don't let her generosity fool you. Instead, be convinced by her cheeks.

here are the little starving babies I speak of.

there was much excitement at the lunch table, largely because of the rare treat: soda. you even gave a thumbs up, probably regarding doritos. :)

neither you nor maren could be compelled to look at me. whatev.

i particularly like the fingerlike beard that grows from your chin.

and yes, space girls need sunglasses. just think how close to the sun you are when you're in outer space, on a pumpkin mission.

you plucked a pumpkin from the vine.

you rode the hayrack out and back.

and it was a hot day. i don't want to say it was 90, was it? it certainly felt like it. it was in the 80s and we were warm. some were even sweaty.

the day was truly exhausting. fun typically is. libby fell asleep trying to suck sugar from a pixie stick, thankfully, that doesn't work.

and you fell asleep having spilled water on your shirt. it probably felt refreshing. or not. but you were just that tired.

ope! but look who didn't fall asleep on the way home! phoebe pie meade.

back at home we've bathed and you've put on some jammies and you sat in the special day chair for dinner.

and the celebrating was really just getting started! after dinner you changed again (let's be clear, this was same day, just a different jammy shirt, can't imagine why) and we spent the evening at the holloways' for care group. after bible study we ate red velvet cupcakes to celebrate you. I asked you what kind of cake you'd like for your birthday... you weren't sure....I suggested white? chocolate? strawberry? lemon? carrot? yellow?..... your response, "red. i just want red cake, mom." okay, xander. red cake it is.