Three Years Old!

loves living by Alki beach!

In the last sixth months our little toddler has turned into a full fledged little kid! There have been ups and downs, but overall Micah Howard has been funny and happy and pleasant to be with. The hardest thing has been his extreme desire to be with daddy and have daddy do everything for and with him (at the expense of Mommy), although it seems like we may be finally coming out of that phase (that lasted over a year!).

I wrote the following a few months ago. Micah:

• held long conversations of his toys talking to each other

fun on Aunt Cassie's visit

• Truly showed interest in organization.

• said his goodnights, "goodnight daddy and gramma and no goodnight to mama....(no response from me). That's sad." Me: "what's sad?" Micah: "That's said I didn't say goodnight to mama" ensue laughter. This kid thinks he's pretty funny. Quiet the jokester.
• sings songs. like really sings them himself. 
• has been interacting and talking with kids around his age! He and our friend's kid, Isaac, actually are starting to have fun and play chase and play with toys together. 

He also:

• loved it when we rolled lavender on him at night or diffused it in his bedroom at bedtime.
• went through HUGE Daddy phases (the "I'm cool with Mommy" phases lasted a few days at a time if I was lucky, until the last month, which has been pretty even...FINALLY!). :-) 

• did a ton of traveling! Planes, trains, and automobiles galore. 

First trip to Disneyland!

Banff National Park with the Richardsons

San Carlos Hometown Days with friends

UCSD's Alumni weekend with Mommy's friends in San Diego

So fun seeing the next generation of UCSD kids! ;-) 

• even let Nana and Papa take him on a vacation by themselves to the San Juan Islands for three nights!

Fun before their big trip to Decatur Island

• did AMAZING on a two week road trip to Chelan, Penticton, Banff, Sandpoint, Priest Lake, and Lake Roosevelt

loved helping with the wood pile while camping

this kid! Oh the cutest!

Big boy with big boy toys in Sandpoint, Idaho

his more sweet and grown up side

• got big boy underwear (Lego & Paw Patrol themed) and said bye bye to diapers after our big summer road trip!!! He was not really interested at all before we left for the trip, but the combination of observing his friend Isaac (9 months older) and being able to go out in the bushes helped get him excited about the process. We have been so impressed at how well he has done! He has permission to just go to his little potty or use the step stool for the big one or to go in a designated spot in our backyard whenever he needs to without telling us. He likes his privacy too. Sometimes he reads books while going (I mean...who doesn't?). ;-) 
• loved digging

Digging on Easter Sunday

So excited for new tools!

• got a lot of time bonding with cousins and extended family

Lewins & Strauss' Picnic in the Park

Fun with second cousins & Aunt Leslie in Mill Valley

Fun in Michigan with his Cleveland/Chicago cousins

The whole big group of family on our Michigan trip

The Pacific Northwest family at the Giants/Mariners game

San Diego cousin time!

Quickest cousin meet up ever at the Giants/Mariners game!

The Hedlund family on the Oregon Coast

Celebrating Caden's Bar Mitzvah weekend

Finally hanging with his cousins Max & Marcus

• became more confident in the water (with his life jacket) and loved playing in the pool and in lakes.

Swimming in Michigan

• showed that he was able to recite back almost entire books to us (like Ten Little Dinosaurs, the Little Blue Truck, and other rhyming stories) and was really good at cloze reading when we paused in places he could fill in the blank.

retelling the Big Red Barn with toys

• is super helpful. He throws away trash when he sees it wether it was his or not. He usually cleans up when asked and even sometimes puts his plate or bowl in the sink after a meal. 

you can tell this was months ago by the diaper!

• he got super good at riding his balance bike (thanks to our big road trip with Isaac this summer).

So speedy!

• got his first bee sting (while at Aunt Leslie & Uncle Will's house playing with cousins in their water fountain).
• dropped nap time (after a period of a couple weeks of hours long bedtime stalling, mom and dad decided it was time). Once he stopped napping, bedtime became so much easier!

This box lived in our house for months!

• still has a love for trains, but he really spent hours with legos (Duplo and the little ones that Daddy saved from his childhood) and hours playing with construction toys (excavators, dump trucks, bulldozers, etc).

Dad built Micah this gravel pit in the backyard when we got back from vacation!

• discovered the joy of fireflies (at the same time Mommy discovered them too)!

• found favorite movies while on road trips (Bambi & Stellaluna were each watched at least 10 times each or more even though there were lots of other choices).

• entered a bit more shy phase again with phrases like "You tell Mommy", "You say it Daddy".
• has also pretty much given up stroller riding. Now on our family walks he either walks with us or rides his bike and he can keep a good pace for good ol' Charlie to get some exercise. 

• goes in and out of phases of interested in eating lots (and new things) or not much at all. We are letting him even eat things like popcorn now, but still waiting on letting him eat gum which is probably one of his biggest life goals right now.

• got way more comfortable with being dirty.

• Had some two year old moments 

mostly directed at me, his mom. 

• Had the best time being living day to day life the four of us (plus Charlie)

Our family of four in Oregon