celebrate

today started like any other sunday.

we ran around like chickens with our heads cut off trying to be on time for church.

we got to church late.

we spent three hours wrestling with maggie.

we got home from church.

the kids went down for a nap.

and that's when things all changed.

because today is tennyson's birthday.

when he woke from his nap, kid had quite the celebration waiting for him.

we went to party city yesterday and let him pick out his own candle.

we thought for sure we'd be walking out there with a mater, or at least a lightning mcqueen. but next to the cars display was toy story, and he only had eyes for buzz.

and when we walked him to the counter to choose his balloons, kid wanted buzz.

p.s. the buzz balloon is almost as big as he is.

mike says it weighs about the same, too.

to say that tennyson loves his new toys would be an understatement.

he got right to work flipping the switches, figuring out the gadgets, driving the cars through the tunnels.

at one point, he started acting out the movie.

he takes the business of acting things out very seriously.

he got to skype his grandmas and grandpas and show off his new toys.

and then it was time for cake.

kid isn't a fan of cake.

so we got him a cookie cake as a compromise.

and this was the first year that we trusted him to blow out his candle without heavy adult supervision.

tennyson learned an important lesson today.

we don't put out candles with our fingers.

and we don't put it directly under our face.

it was a simple day.

we didn't sing a birthday song,

we didn't have a ton of people over,

it was just tennyson and his family and his toys.

but it most definitely was a happy day.

and a perfect way to celebrate tennyson.

we are so blessed to have him in our lives.

just a few videos to round out the post:

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.

outdoors

it's no secret i love spring in michigan.

i've mentioned it here before.

this year, spring has really taken its time to come.

and it feels like one day it is here and the next it is gone.

that's why when spring showed her face today, i knew we had to get out.

because who knew if she'd still be around tomorrow.

plus, tennyson has always had a love affair with the outdoors.

he's totally a boy.

(kid was throwing pine needles at me.)

fenner is one of our favorite places to go.

we've been going there ever since tennyson was a little baby.

and it's kind of my go to place when i need to wear out the kid.

there is so much for a little boy who loves the outdoors to explore.

plus, there is a trail that just goes around in a circle.

today i turned on my run tracker to see what tennyson could do.

three quarters of a mile in fifteen minutes. not bad, kid.

miss maggie still isn't a huge fan of the outdoors.

she's totally a girl.

mostly, she just preferred sitting in her stroller like this...

(so prim and proper.)

as for me...

i like spring in michigan.

always have, always will.

playdate

play dates are always fun with three year olds.

because the mood changes so radically from one minute to the next.

like one minute you are screaming because there is only one woody doll, and you don't have it.

but then the next minute you are totally giggling up a storm because funny faces are just so, well, funny.

but then you start crying again because everyone is laying on your blanket and you just want them to get off.

eventually we were so tuckered out by the fighting and not fighting and playing and not playing, that we only had the energy left to play temple run.

kids these days.

p.s. every time i look at this picture, i hold a moment of silence.

it's the last picture ever taken of my mom's ipad.

right before she left it on the roof of her car and it was brutally run over.

sayonara ipad.

firsts

it's funny that even though i've spent almost twenty years of my life living in utah, there are still firsts to be had. the place is growing like crazy! and they keep getting all these cool new things.

and then, of course, there are all the things i get to show my kids for the first time.

this time around, we went to scheel's for the very first time.

it's a sport store that is absolutely mammoth!

they have a mini bowling alley. and bears. and jeeps you can sit in. and some pretty amazing gelato.

but if any of you reading this are there in the future, do not leave without getting the chocolate chip cookie.

it was by far the best part.

(can you tell in that picture that the poor kid was running a fever of 103? but he really did want to be sitting in that jeep...)

maggie got to take her first taste of fry sauce. we made sure it came from crown burger. all other fry sauce pales in comparison. one day, i have hope that tennyson will try the fry sauce. he has no idea what he's missing out on. 

we also finally went to the aquarium for the first time.

when you are used to going to the shedd in chicago, you hold very low expectations for any other aquarium.

but this little thing was actually wonderful! tennyson even touched a shark (and then pulled his hand out of the water as quick as possible yelling "ew yuck!").

but by far my favorite first was meeting my first nephew for the first time.

we were very, very lucky that he was born while we were there.

the odds weren't really in our favor.

maggie adored him.

tennyson at least looked at him once or twice.

and i held him while my kids screamed and fought with each other thinking,

"why didn't i appreciate it more when i only had one that slept all day?"

p.s. if you are wondering my least favorite first?

it would definitely be that this trip was the first time i was ever stranded because my flights kept getting cancelled.