Happy Birthday

Dear Kyle,

Happy 3rd Birthday! I can't believe how quickly it has gone and how much you have grown. I look around at other babies and toddlers and almost can't remember you before you could walk, talk, and have your opinions about things. It is sometimes hard to remember that you are still my little boy when I hear you talk or see you interacting with all the other kids. Sometimes I wish I could freeze time so I could remember every little bit of you.

I love your smile and your laugh. I love how you still give me kisses most of the time I ask for them. I love that you want me to lay with you at night for a few minutes to talk about our favorite things from the day. I love how you think telling me you want to ride your bike will buy you a few extra minutes outside. I love how you want to bargain and reason for things. I love how you listen to me read to you. I love that you want to help with everything and get so excited about it. I love that you get so excited to do things just like Daddy. I love that you lay your bike on its side (even though it has training wheels) just so you can be like the big boys in the neighborhood. I love that you want to dance to the Dinosaur Song before bed and you lay down beside me during the rest part and just look at me and smile. I love that you tell me you love me for no reason. I love your spirit and determination and I love how gentle you are. I love that you hate bugs and even the dead worms squished into the cement worry you. I love how you notice every single little thing that is different in our house even if I have just changed it or moved it. I love how you listen to every word that is being said around you. I love that you love green. I love that you want to wear your socks all the time. I love that you have to know how everything works and what all the words are.

I love you.
Thank you for being a part of my forever.

Cupcakes

Kyle was looking at one of my magazines that had a cupcake on the front of it (what your magazines don't have cupcakes on them?) and asked if we could make cupcakes. Surprisingly, (really surprisingly to anyone who knows me) I actually had cupcake mix and frosting and even those little foil cups to bake them in. So we made cupcakes...actually one of us made cupcakes and one of us licked any bit of batter we could get our hands on. He really should have asked if we could just mix up cupcake batter - forget the rest.


Enjoying the finished product:

Like Father, Like Son

Kyle loves to do whatever Daddy is doing.

He has a bubble lawnmower and whenever Brad is mowing the lawn, Kyle is right behind him mowing the exact same way. He has a leaf blower, and whenever Daddy is leaf blowing, Kyle is right behind him leaf blowing too. And he has a weed whacker (you see where I am going with this)...

Here is my clean up crew in action:


Kyle loves it when Daddy blasts him with the leaf blower (it must be a guy thing, but he totally cracks up laughing and runs when he does it)

What We Did This Weekend

Alternate title - MULCH!!!!

Ten yards of it to be exact, dumped in our driveway on Saturday by a very nice man who didn't even stick around to help afterward. The nerve. It was all finished by 3:00 thanks to my brother, sister-in-law, and my niece (aka the Mulch Monster). Here is the final result (yes I am bragging because we worked really hard and I think it looks good).

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day!

We had a great day. Kyle colored on a coffee mug for me and made a cool jewelry box. He also picked out a singing card for me. These are his favorite cards and whenever we go to any store that has cards, and he sees them, we have to open them all and let the music play. Then we went to the zoo. I think this is our new tradition since we went there last year too. It was great - there is a new baby elephant and Kyle loves to ride the merry-go-round and the scrambler. He crashed hard on the way home and moved from the car to the couch where he slept for two more hours.

Here are some pics from our day

Kyle spinning and spinning in the mini-scrambler:


Kyle did the big slide all by himself:


The lion could be heard through-out the entire zoo...and we could actually see him this time:


Mommy and Kyle going round and round:


The baby elephant Samson with his mommy:


The polar bear was sleepy and looks very cuddly:


Giraffes trip me out...this one was looking at me I swear:

College Friends

I know this is supposed to be about Kyle, but I had to post this picture of me and my college friends at our friend Wendy's baby shower. We have all known each other for at least 15 years if you can believe it (okay you can believe it but I still can't). True friendship that has lasted through some bad times, a lot of good times, and even more amazing life changing experiences. How truly lucky we are.

A FRIEND LIKE YOU
© Natasha

Everyone should have
a friend like you
You are so much fun to be with
And you are such a good person
You crack me up with laughter
And touch my heart with your kindness
You have a wonderful ability
To know when to offer advice
And when to sit in quiet support
Time after time
You've come to my rescue
And brightend so many
Of my routine days
And time after time
I've realized how fortunate
I am that my life includes you
I really do believe that
Everybody should have a friend like you
But so far it looks like
You are one of a kind!