Jude's Interview at Age 3

1. How old are you? Three

2. Who is your best friend? Caroline (he answered this right away and she is, without a doubt, his favorite), Shaw, James, and Joah

3. What is your favorite thing to do? "Play in the park"

4. What is your favorite color? "Blue, Pink."  

5. What is your favorite food? He answered "broccoli" which I know is not true. I would say it's pizza, all fruit, hotdogs, and dessert. 

6. What is your favorite thing to do with your family? "Do the pool"

7. What is your favorite toy? Puzzles, "iPad", PlayDoh, "my Mickey" (a little Mickey figure from the dollar tree)...the answer to this would probably change by the day but his go-to toys are puzzles, art stuff, PlayDoh, Legos, and his tablet (and really whatever his brothers are playing that day!)

8. What is your favorite book? Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed, Blaze and the Monster Machines (he asks to read these two books the most)

9. What is your favorite show/movie? Zootopia, Blaze, Monsters Inc., 

10. What is your favorite song? "Play guitar!" "I play the drums!" But what's your favorite song? And he started singing "Sing to the Lord a new song..." (But he loves lots of songs: typical kiddie songs (wheels on the bus, five little monkeys, farmer and the dell), children's church songs (Jesus loves me, I'm in the Lord's Army) worship songs (Good, Good Father), theme songs on movies...he just loves music!)

Other info: weighed 31.8 pounds (below the 25 percentile) and was 3 feet 1 3/4 inches (about 50th percentile); mostly wears 3T in everything, still wears size five diapers but we are working on potty training, shoe size 9-10, big brown eyes, olive complexion, and loose brown curls; still pretty laid back for a three year old and is definitely very social and I already see his peace-maker personality as a middle-born, he has a pretty, mild consistent personality but also has a sweet, mischeviousness about him. He's fun and free and admire so much about him!

Jude's Third Birthday Party: Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed

Jude loves the book/song Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed and so we decided on that for a theme for his party. He also loves The Incredible Hulk (he has a thing for green monsters: Mike Inc. (last year's theme along with monster trucks), the grinch (halloween) and the hulk but, for some reason, he did not want a Hulk party). I bought his cake this time (decorated like a bed) and added some finger puppets and I loved how it turned out. He also had his favorite foods (pizza, fruit, doughnuts) and a bouncy castle. Everyone wore their pajamas! We had almost all of our family (all the grandparents here!), several friends, and his most special friend, Caroline (a 10 year old girl that he adores in our church!). He had a great party! The next day on his actual birthday we went swimming with my mom and sister who were still in town and out to lunch at Chickfila. We ate pizza and let him play with all his new toys after Stephen got home from work that night.

Joah's Baby Dedication

Baby Dedication at our church was such a sweet and special service. I'm thankful that ALL of Joah's grandparents got to be there for it. Our Pastor prayed over each baby and family individually and gifted him with a Bible, letter written by our Pastor to be opened at age 12, and a jar of pennies with one for each week until he turns 18. We are to take one out each week and really think about that week and how we are making these fleeting days count. It was so special. We are so thankful for our church and a godly pastor! James also was promoted from the preschool ministry (through K at our church) into the Children's Ministry (1st through 6th grade) and received a Bible.

Jude's 3rd Birthday Letter (a few days early) and a few Pictures

I tried to get a few pictures of Jude in the cutest little shirt that describes him perfectly: young, wild, and three! He will turn three on Tuesday! He wasn't really in the best picture taking mood, but I still got a few sweet ones. My family is coming into town tonight for Joah's baby dedication and then we will celebrate Jude's birthday a day early on Monday night with a party with friends and family. I will post pictures of these events soon!

Happy Third Birthday to my sweet Jude-y Bear! I'm in absolute denial that we are already celebrating your third birthday, my precious middle boy, but here we are and I hope in all our celebrating of you that you recognize just how wonderful and loved that you are! It is a joy to celebrate the gift that you are to all of us!

This last year with you, you've continued to make us smile in all the ways that are and always have been distinctly you. You are still the toughest, roughest little thing in the most adorable little package. You've still continued to embrace strong, tough things and you've really grown to love super heroes and "hulk smaaaash!" as you flex your little muscles with your sweet curls bouncing. Adorable and ferocious all in one, that's you! You are still so independent and you don't want us to open anything for you or help you in any way. You've learned a workaround for "hold a hand" when we cross the street by holding your own hand. Really? What can we do to argue with you? It's just one example of your charm! And, yet, as independent as you are there are still moments that you ask "play with me, Mama" or "hold you" and you point to me and tell me that you are my boy. And I try to embrace those moments whenever I can; like when we snuggle under the covers to read a book together or I stroke your curly head as you fall asleep for your nap each day. These gifts of time and togetherness are the things that I will treasure in my heart for a lifetime; the little things that mean everything to this Mama. Thank you for the times you still let me hold you close.

You love fruit, pizza, hotdogs, watching toy videos and children's songs on YouTube (your guilty pleasure! Along with your pacifier when you sleep; Mama really has to work on that!), playdoh, coloring, music and singing, stickers and bandaids, and going barefoot and taking off your shoes and making yourself at home wherever you go. We've often joked at the way that you can demolish things quicker than we know what happened and although you do still very much have a knack for that, this year you've proven to be a builder too. You have an amazing ability to put together puzzles lately and I am truly blown away at your skill. You are a builder of people too. You are very social and you have an ability to make others feel so special. You love to play with big kids and cry to leave your "friends." You love your brothers so much (even when they aren't being nice!) and don't want to be anywhere without them (even if it means sitting in time-out along with them.) They will always have their biggest fan in you (such an answer to prayer as one of my biggest hopes as your Mama is that all three of you would always be extremely close!)
I am so thankful for the glimpses of who you are becoming and what God is building in you. When I hear you pray in your sweet little voice or recite scripture or sing a song of praise to God, my heart is filled with such gratitude. Brick by brick he is building something beautiful in you, and I pray that you would embrace  Jesus as the cornerstone of your life through any circumstance. I pray that my mothering would only be an empowering, strengthening, unconditionally loving, building-up source in your life, and that you would always know my heart for you. Happy Birthday, sweet Jude! I praise God for another precious year with you, and I look forward to all the days ahead. I could not imagine our family without you in it, and I'm so glad that God saw fit before the beginning of time to bless us with such a special gift. We celebrate you! We eat cake and smother you with hugs and kisses every June 7th forever because you were born, and your birth and your life have made us all better. And we love you forever and ever and always!!

Love, Mama, Daddy, James, and Joah