three

wanna know something that is really blowing my mind?

this kid is three.

tennyson is our quirky kid. he always has been, and always will be.
one of my favorite things about him is the way he memorizes phrases, and then uses them all the time.
like the way he always says "yo ho, let's go!" when he wants you to go somewhere.
or if you aren't doing something fast enough, he'll start saying "one, two, three, go!!!" over and over.
every time he sees a lightning mqueen, he yells out "kaCHOW!" and every time he sees a pirate he says "ARRRRRR!" oh, he is the greatest.
my favorite is the way he says "oh man" and "okay".
if he drops something on the floor... "oooh mah!"
if you ask him if he wants waffles... "faffles? oh, otay."
if he crashes while playing temple run... "oooh mah!"
if you ask him if we should go to the blue car... "boo cah? oh, otay."

tennyson is sweet.
when he notices that maggie is crying, he runs in to me and says, "uh oh, gaggie sad."
sometimes i'll go into her room and find a toy or book or something that tennyson handed her to try to make her happy again.
before bed, we have a routine of hugs and kisses that we have to follow. hug on the left, kiss on the left, hug on the right, kiss on the right, repeat. and i can never leave his room until his hug and kiss quota has been filled.
and even though it annoys me sometimes, it is super sweet that he always wants to be sitting on my lap. if i'm working at the computer, there he is trying to climb on my lap. if i'm eating dinner, there he is again at my lap. he likes to be a part of things. like i said, super sweet.

tennyson is our active, always on the go kid.
he loves to run back and forth from the kitchen to the living room. he spins in circles in the basement. he jumps up and down to see how loud his feet can be.
his favorite game is when dad throws him on the bed, or rolls him up tight in the comforter, or just holds his hand so he can jump up and down on the mattress.
and he's in heaven when he's outside. kicking a ball, running through the grass, hitting things with a stick, he doesn't care what he's doing. it's just pure joy.

tennyson can usually be seen walking around with an oreo moustache and no pants.
he loves his baths almost as much as he loves the ipad. until mom tries to wash his hair, that is. then he hates baths almost as much as, well, a lot of things.
when we are in public, he can often be found reading the numbers and letters he sees as we go. sometimes he mixes things up by calling out shapes or colors. he's so incredibly bright.
his best friends are lightning mcqueen and mater. his eyes light up whenever he spots them.
he eats a lot of granola bars and waffles and macaroni and cheese.
the mcdonald's drive thru holds a very special place in his heart. anytime we pass one, he starts chanting out "frufries! frufries! frufries! and shicka!" which when interpreted means, "mother, may i please have french fries and chicken?" (he's very polite.)
the kid loves hats and the color black and tickles.
he's very particular about the shirts he wants to wear and the color plate he wants to eat on.
he hates when people sing. he hates getting his hands dirty and having his picture taken.
i think one day he'll end up being a marathon runner. and maybe a mathematician on the side.
but really, as long as in another twenty years we aren't still finding him pantless on our couch with a bag of oreo cookies watching cartoons, we'll be proud of whatever he does.

happy birthday, kid.
we love you to pieces.