Happy 3rd Birthday, Noah!

Dear Noah,

Three years ago this was you.

Today you are three.  THREE.  

Your daddy and I can't believe it.  How did you get to be such a big boy?  It seems like just yesterday you were born, but in reality, just yesterday you were telling me all the finer points (in Noah-speak, of course) of how you watched The Fox and the Hound at Grandma and Papa's house and how a "big bear with big teeth attacked the doggie" (followed by the appropriate "ROAR!" of course).  We look at you on a daily basis and just can't believe how big you are.  

You have accomplished some major milestones this year as well as developed some new obsessions.

Firsts this year:

Got tubes in your ears and haven't had an ear infection since (praise Jesus!!). Which led to your next first...

Visited the doctor only four times (a major improvement over the 20 times last year)

Started stringing words together to form "sentences."

Visited the dentist

Stayed over night with Papa and Grandma Marni (we thought you would miss us...boy were we wrong. You never even asked about us during the whole week we were gone.)

Started using the "big boy" potty (you haven't perfected this but you are working on it).

Moved to a BBB (Big Boy Bed) Even though you still hadn't figured out how to climb out of your crib, your daddy and I thought it was time.

Started swimming lessons.

Started to really connect with your doggies--you insist on kissing each of them before going to bed at night; it's so sweet.

Started day care with Noni (Lydia).  You love her and so do we.  We are so grateful for her.

Started throwing major-melt-down fits.

Mastered the stairs in Utah.

Discovered the doggie door (much to our dismay) and now use it as your own private entrance and exit.

Learned to recognize and say all the letters of the alphabet, count to 7, recognize all of the basic colors (and some non-basic ones), and recognize and say most of your shapes.

**note: we think you are brilliant**

Your favorite words/phrases these days are:

"I do"

"No"

"I see you (insert name here--mama, papa, daddy, etc.)"

"Hawley (Harley), Murmur (Ember)"

"Ka-ya!!! (Kelsey)" always said in a yelling voice.  You also refer to her as "No, No, No."

"Cookie"

"Ni-night mama/daddy"

"Sorry mama/daddy"

"I see ah jus" (I see a lizard)

"See George" (as in Curious George)

Cute names you still have for things:

"Cauco" (dinosaur)

"Ghee" (Grandma Ruth)

"Cuckle" (tickle)

"Ah Jus" (like the dipping sauce--Lizard)

Your favorite things this year have been:

Your "b" (blanket)--You insist on having at least five of them in your bed when you sleep.  Thankfully, you don't carry them around like Linus.

Dinosaurs.  any kind, any size, any color.  YOU.LOVE.THEM.

Any reptile or fish--your daddy loves to take you to the aquarium or pet store to see them.

Curious George (the show)

Word World (which contributed to your knowledge of all the letters of the alphabet)

Harley and Ember

Daniel

Carter

Books

Cookies

Things that you do that we love:

You love to pretend to be a dinosaur.  You ask the other participant (the victim) to put their hands on their cheeks and act scared and if they take their hands down too early you will remind them to put them back; sometimes you will do it for them.  You then stomp through the house roaring like a dinosaur.  It is very cute and you have a blast doing it.

You are hyper aware of babies.  If you see one you always point it out (like when we skype with Auntie E and the boys, or when you see a baby when we are out to eat).  If you hear a baby crying you get quite concerned and say "baby crying."  So cute.

You love to go to "Ghee's" house (Great Grandma's house) for graham crackers--your favorite.

You are obsessed with Daniel.  If you ever hear a lawn mower you press your nose to the window to see if you can see him mowing the lawn, all the while saying, "See Dan."  He loves you too and is so willing to play with you.  

You get sooooo excited when someone takes you out front at night to see the geckos on the carport.

You give kisses.  We laugh because you are so willing to give kisses but immediately after you wipe your mouth off with your arm and when you kiss papa you follow it up with an "owww."  We assume this is because of his facial hair.   It's too funny.

You love to ride the quads in Utah.  You call them "cars" but that is ok.  This summer you asked several times a day to go for rides and "see deer," which you can now spot without anyone pointing them out to you.  We figured that since we were riding so much that you should have goggles.  You love them.  We enjoyed our daily rides, except when you figured out how to turn the quad off by yourself and proceeded to do so while driving down the road.

You are still a very picky eater.  Not much has changed there. Typical meals consist of things such as fish, potato faces, chicken nuggets, pizza, peaches, mandarin oranges, mac and cheese, eggs, some types of pastas, and cookies/crackers.  You dislike all veggies and the only thing we can get you to eat sometimes is broccoli, and that's always a crap-shoot. 

You are not a fan of bedtime.  You have so much energy and your daddy and I haven't figured out how to tire you out so that the bedtime routine isn't as difficult.  You have your daddy wrapped around your finger (this is not necessarily a bad thing) and you know what to say to get him to read you one more book, or let you stay up a bit longer because you say you have to poop (you pull this one a lot).   For example, I am sitting on the couch writing this letter and it is 10 p.m. and you are still not in bed.  So far tonight you have had to come out to kiss the dogs, then again to kiss me and the most recent one was see the lizards out front.  We are such suckers. 

You are extremely strong-willed.  This is our nice way of saying that you like to throw fits when you don't get what you want, when you want it, in the way that you want it.  It is a challenge to maintain patience with you.  Most of your fits come from your intense desire to do everything yourself, such as opening cupboards, putting DVDs in the player, and getting in and out of your car seat. While we wish that you didn't get so upset about it, we are very grateful that you are so independent.  When we found out that you were going to be born with only one hand we were so worried that you would have trouble doing everyday tasks.  This is not the case, and even if there is something that you struggle with, your determination gives us the confidence that you will never let your hand hold you back.

We will admit that there are days that we want to sell you to the highest bidder, but then you turn around and do something that melts our hearts like say "sorry mama" or tell us thank you with out prompting, or one of our favorites, ask for a "hug and kiss." After moments like that, we feel like we could never love anything more than you.  Your good. :)

How life has changed for your daddy and me in the last three years. Our lives certainly revolve around you and while most people might be bothered by this, we wouldn't have it any other way.

We love you very much, Noah. You have gone from our "Itty Bitty" to our "Little Man."  We look forward to seeing how you grow and develop throughout the next year.

Love,
Daddy and Mommy