three years old – what!?!   here you are on your birthday.  we were bursting with pride and fear and joy.  we could have never imagined what a spectacular kid you would become.   

beckett, at 3 years old, you are well-spoken, sweet, ‘fiery’ (code for ‘a pill’) at times, energetic, brave, outgoing, coordinated, opinionated, and funny.  you love baseball (i can hear you singing ‘take me out to the ballgame’ in your room right now), anything with a motor, puzzles, legos, and being outside, macaroni & cheese, watermelon, red peppers, ice cream and m&m’s.  you say ‘i love you, too’ when we say i love you, you play pretend and tell stories with your cars, your ‘L’s’ are ‘w’s’, you say ‘i need’, then hold your hand to your mouth and whisper something like ‘a surprise’, ‘to play trains’, etc. (like you’re letting us in on your secret).  you approach random kids on the playground and try to play with them – mostly older girls – and i love that you initiate play instead of depending on us.  you still nap (and are much happier if you do), love the movies ‘finding nemo’, ‘cars’, and ‘lion king’, and you and chloe are becoming buddies (though you don’t like her chewing on your new birthday toys).  you guys can give each other the giggles now, and i just wish i could freeze those moments.  i get choked up every time.

the biggest thing going on in your life right now is that you just started school.  you go tuesdays and thursdays, 8.15 – 12, and you are loving it.  we thought you were ready for something, and i really think school fills a little void i didn’t know you had.  you are so excited to go, and you come home on a little buzz after your mornings there.  though you can surely give us a run for our money at home, you truly have a sweet spirit, and you’ve shown it at school already.  there’s a boy in your class that is having a hard time transitioning – he is missing his mama.  your teacher told me that you’ve been so sweet to him, taking him by the hand and helping him and telling him it’ll be ok and that his mama will be back soon.  it made me pretty much explode with pride to hear this from her.  you have really always been empathetic, and that will do you well all your life.  i also think school has made you a little more sure of yourself, which is most of the reason i wanted you there.  not that you needed help, but i really just wanted you to have a social experience without us.

beckett, your parents sure adore you.  happy birthday buddy.

we had shenanigans at our house all weekend, and we are still recovering.  here are a few pictures from the family birthday party.  hope to recap our, i mean his, friend party soon,  it turned out pretty darn cute.  side note:  he had a much better time than these pictures show.  i swear, the moment the camera comes out, he is stone faced!

it was pretty darn special to have both sets of grandparents, and 3 of your great-grandparents all in one place.