Happy 3rd Birthday, John!!

Happy Birthday, darling John!! 

This past June was quite the celebratory month!  Here is how we celebrated you turning THREE:

1. Party #1: A lion-themed birthday party with a few of your friends here in CT, on a date when your dad wasn't on call and could participate- June 8th.

You contributed to every preparation- designing and coloring the invitations and thank you cards, selecting the activities, and prepping the food.

You love being 'big' and a 'good helper', and you worked hard!

You were especially excited about the lion cupcakes (popcorn manes) and lion carrots (hummus and mushroom face).

Your friends arrived and each picked out an animal foam hat, then we dove into the safari activities!

Outside, we played animal charades, lion tag, "Duck, duck, lion", roar contests, animal print matching games, read your favorite lion book, and went on a "grub" hunt.

You were in lion heaven.

 And your sister was your enthusiastic sidekick.

You were gracious and excited about your gifts.

The highlight: Your smile while your friends sang "Happy Birthday"

     2.  Party #2: June 22nd with MD family. Your dad and I were on the Alleman 40th anniversary cruise, and Grandma and Grandpa Colton watched you and Eliza for the week.  They finished the week with this party, including Scott, Brittany, Pierce, BAC, GGma, GGpa, and my cousin Jared. You ate meat kabobs, delighted in some presents, and loved eating TWO birthday cakes (GGma wasn't so sure of how her homemade white chocolate cake would taste, so she supplemented it with a store-bought dark chocolate one!).

 

Highlight: Two birthday cakes!

On your actual birthday, we attended a baptism for my friend Genevieve's little boy, Trent, then drove home to CT.  The highlight from that day: Your smile when the entire congregation at that Catholic mass sang "Happy Birthday."  They were singing to multiple congregation members, but you beamed and said "thank you" repeatedly.

You are such an amazing boy, John!

I love how brave you are, with a healthy dose of caution.  You live fully and love it.

I love how much you love being outside.

I love how observant you are.

Here you were mesmerized by my cousin Kevin's piano skills.  You quietly noted how he spanned the whole keyboard and the crowd's reaction.  So when he was finished, you said "My turn," and did the cutest little butt scooch up and down the bench as you tried to cover the keyboard.  Your grin was ear to ear as your adoring audience applauded.

I love the depth of your questioning, connecting, and memory.

I recently attended the funeral of a good family friend, and taught you some basics about his 'broken' body, his return to Heavenly Father in heaven and healthy body, his funeral, etc.  And you absorbed every detail. Almost daily you have asked me, "Mom, let's talk about Steve and heaven," and you love to work through the details.  You are three.  I love how much you can converse and understand!

I love your love of learning.

You loved our preschool co-op.  You loved learning facts about various themes and letters. Here you are jumping in your seat with excitement over your certificate.

Your wonderful preschool friends:

Elizabeth, Evelyn, Naomi, Rosemary, and Kellan.

You love to draw.  That's all you want to do whenever sitting still- draw with crayons, pens, or on an iPad drawing app.

You still love blocks and puzzles.

You love your parents' alma maters (or at least the reaction you get from us!)

The Stanford hat is your favorite accessory, but the BYU fight song is what you request every night before bed and you have most of the song memorized. You also love BYU cougars and have a poster in your room.

You love your dad.

You talk about him constantly, reminding me that he is at work, that he is a very nice dad, and that you love him. 

And you want to be just like him.  

I love how you mimic our phrases (and wow you pick up on everything- "Dangit" has been a favorite phrase for the past month).  The cutest mimic lately: "..., huh?" at the end of every phrase.  "It's kinda hot, huh?"  "Eliza is being silly, huh?"  Makes me smile every time.

John, you are so sweet and kind. Your current motto is, "I am nice and kind and brave," and it is true!

Here's to a great year being three!