3 years going on 4.

Maxton  (3 yrs, 4 mos)

Dear Mister,

You are growing so fast. Too fast.  I need to jot down some of my favorite facts about you. The who and what and why of you. Today.

You still love Buzz from Toy Story. You want to be a Space Ranger when you grow up.
You twirl your hair as you fall asleep. You've done this since you were a baby. It brings you comfort.

You love ice cream with chocolate sauce and you always end up with a ring of chocolate around your mouth. (Related: You dislike sticky hands very much.)

At 3 years-old you are full of sparkle and energy and fire and squeaks. You love to scream out everything. And you love to boogie down.

"I could walk ALL day on this path."

You refuse to walk in your rain boots. You refuse to walk the 5 minutes it takes to drop Maz off at her classroom unless you have the correct walking shoes. You will only walk on your own if it involves running toward a park or taking a hike down a path. Otherwise it's "Up Mama!" all the blasted time. (I secretly love that you want to be held but when I'm loaded down with keys, jackets, bags and toys...it's  a bit of a pain, son.)

On this outing you attempted to fly the kite yourself and lost your grip on the handle and the kite went flying. Your sister had a conniption fit.

You are amazed by everything at this age: Kites in the sky. The wind. The sounds of creatures. The shapes of your poop. Everything. One of my favorite things about you is how expressive you get when you wonder about things. Your big brown eyes widen and your mouth makes the shape of an "O" and you gasp just a bit. I could freeze frame your little face in those moments.

Shown above:  The last 1/4 of the 2 miles I make you walk when we walk your sister home from school. Half the time you enjoy it. Half the time you are a whiny mess. On this day you enjoyed it. :)

You LOVE your sister when you are not punching her. You look forward to picking her up from school. You always tell me you are going to give her a kiss when you see her. You know to grab her hand at crosswalks or when you cross the street. She reminds you to wash your hands and she taught you how to write/spell your name. You are two peas in a pod and your dad and I are so happy with the pod we were blessed with.

One night when your dad was away on work and I found you here sleeping in the hallway . 

You go to bed okaaaay. If you have taken a nap later than usual you will try and bide time before you finally let your head hit the pillow. Sometimes you just toss a toy out your door and leave the door ajar to signal to us you are still awake. This is your way of abiding by our rule to "stay in your room". Very clever, Nugget.

The kids here with drawings inspired by Ali. (Mazzy is in one of my  newlywed slips. If that's wrong, I don't want to be right.)

You are a very creative little guy. Your drawings are more becoming full-on pictures now. You love the smell of permanent marker. You favor your name spelled M-A-X. The T-O-N is growing on you.

You, my little Mister, will always be my baby. I love your face, your toes, your tall yet slim little body, your big round head with all that beautiful reddish/auburnish hair, your brown eyes, and your soft, chubby cheeks.

Now, be good.

Love,
Mama

P.S. Your affinity for my hair is sweet and endearing. I love the way you run your hands through my hair when I'm carrying you or comforting you BUT, lately you have developed this habit of grabbing my hair (usually when it's in a ponytail) and shaking it with all your might WHILE grinding your teeth and sorta shaking your head. It's kiiiinda creepy. Just sayin'.

Fun(der) Times

"Mom, what does 'der' mean? Why does Funderland have a 'der' in it?
 "Mazzy, I have no idea. But, good question!"

:::::

After the kids had there Well Child appointments we headed over to Funderland, a place with pint-sized roller coasters and fair rides for pint-sized kids.

It had come time for us to redeem a Groupon we purchased a few months back, so what better time to take the kids than after a doctor's appointment? Josh met us after work and we were able to enjoy the little amusement park with just a few other patrons on such a breezy and beautiful fall afternoon. It was really nice to follow the kids as they made their way back and forth between rides. I was in some serious need for a reconnection of some sort with my daughter. We have not been getting along as well as both of us would like. Let's just say,  like mama, like daughter. We both sure know how to be stubborn.

(I am presently working on this. In a big way.)

Anyways, back to our lovely afternoon. Josh and I enjoyed watching our two children enjoy each other. They really had a wonderful, joyful time together which pretty much made the day perfect. There's just something about spending time just the 4 of us out and about, showing the kids a good time. I want to bottle that feeling.

Here are some pics of our time...

Pieces of Fall

Sweet Potato Waffles with Candied Pecans and Maple Syrup.

Butternut Squash Soup
 (I posted the recipe here last year. This year I used apple sauce in place of apples, and added celery. I was able to make it with butternut squash from our garden, too. Booyah!)

Changing Leaves.

Halloween Decorations. Makes for some happy kids.

Allergies and Colds.  Makes for some grumpy kids.

(Just creepy. Thought I'd include it for a spooky effect.)

With Fall comes the need to hang out in our front yard, as our backyard is at "full occupancy".

 The Bees have invaded, as they do every year.