Harrison- 3rd Birthday Party!

Harrison has said for months that he wanted a Team UmiZommi birthday party. I searched, but there was NOTHING out there. The sound of creating everything from scratch, though a fun challenge, just didn't seem all that exciting. So, I brought him to Target, showed him to the party isle, and he picked a CARS 2 party (which I have to admit was my hope). The following are photos from his fantastic party.

We had Harrison open a few small gifts from us, and some other family member on his "actual" birthday. His party was later that weekend.

I am CONSTANTLY on the lookout for the cars he does not have yet! These two were a rare find!

With auntie Leah.

With grandma and grandpa B.

With us!

With uncle Eric.

Ellie was not feeling the hug...Harrison did not read the signals :)

Harrison was such a lucky boy, and opened a bounty of gifts from the friends and family at his party. The week after, I had him go through his play room with me and pick some old toys to donate.  I am hoping to start the conversation about giving back... at 3 that is a hard concept!

YUMMY CUPCAKES!!!

Miss Kate!

Playtime with cousins!

EJP did such a great job coloring, and was the only kid who decided to partake in the activity!

Baby Carson was the youngest cousin at the party. 

With grandma and grandpa G.

I think it is time to get ready for bed....

...yup, this party is over. But, boy was is good!!

Harrison- Happy 3rd Birthday!

Dear Harry-

Happy 3^rd Birthday, my sweet boy!!!!

Last night, your dad and I were up plotting how to make the 30 minutes we would have with you before work extra special. At three, we figured this would be the first year you would care that we made a big deal out of your big day (and you had been telling us for MONTHS that your birthday was on May 14th). We decided on a streamer “carwash” outside your door, and a chocolate doughnut for your birthday breakfast…of course complete with candles and a birthday banner. At 6:32, we checked in on you and you were still FAST asleep. I decided to have Dad wake you up, so he didn’t miss out on the fun, and what followed was pretty typical of you as of late. You immediately started crying and told us, “it is not my birthday”,  and “I don’t want it to be my birthday.” BACKFIRE!!

You calmed down enough to notice the doughnut, got over the fact that we made you blow out the candles, and perked up with the help of some chocolaty, gooey goodness. You have not been a huge fan of eating right away, so I am not sure why we thought you would be on May 14^th, but we figured the doughnut would be enticing. You are still a somewhat picky eater: no ground meat, red sauce (except ketchup), hamburgers or pizza. You really love dairy: cheese, milk, chocolate milk, yogurt, ice cream, string cheese, cottage cheese, etc…. You will usually eat your fruits and vegetables, and you would be happy if every meal consisted of a peanut butter sandwich or chicken nuggets. Doughnuts, however, are ALWAYS a go!

You are SUCH A BIG BOY!!! You have not gained very much weight. I actually think that it was only 4 or 5 pounds in a year! You have, however, grown taller! We haven’t had the official doctor’s appointment, but I know that you are MUCH taller than the 36” limit that you need to pass to sit on a lap at the Twins game, or ride on some of the bigger rides at amusement parks. You have lost a lot of the baby fat in your face, making you look like such a grown up little boy.

I call you my sweet boy because you are a very caring kid. You notice when other people are sad, or not having a good day, and you seem to try and make them feel better. You can be sensitive, but I think that helps you understand when people are sad around you. You are a good listener (most of the time, of course). Other people often compliment us on how well you listen to them. We see more of the “independent” Harry than I think a lot of the world does, so we are glad to know that when mom or dad are around you know what is right and what is wrong. You have become such an independent little boy. You want to do all the things you can for yourself, but when you are tired…WATCH OUT! All of the sudden, you turn into a child who has completely forgotten how to do anything for himself. You have definitely perfected the ‘whine’ and the ‘fat lip’, but only use them when you feel that you really need them.

When I look back on the past year, I can’t even fathom all that you have learned. You can count to 20 (though you usually add an eleventeem where fourteen should be), and you say all the letters, and point out almost all of the alphabet letters. You know all your colors, and shapes. You have been learning to sing more and more songs- a few favorites right now are Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Jesus Loves Me and The Itsy Bitsy Spider. You LOVE to read books, and I don’t imagine it will be all too long before you start reading to us, as you already memorize books to share with us. The list could go on forever…

We are blessed by everyday that we get to watch you learn and grow. We are so proud of the little boy you are becoming and cannot wait to see what adventures you will take us on next!

Love, 

Mama (and Daddy, too)

"How old are you today?"

Harrison- 2.11 Years (35 Months)

April 14th- May 15th: It is officially the month leading up to Harry's Birthday. For months, he has been telling everyone who will listen that his birthday is May 14. He has been picking out things to put on his birthday list for months, too. I have been trying to teach him the months, so he can understand that April comes before May, and stop asking if it is his birthday yet! I know that, too, that one day his level of excitement will likely decrease for his birthday, so we are soaking it up!

Food: Not much new...same kid, same appetite. People are still shocked that he is unwilling to eat things like pizza, and hamburgers (which I feel like, for better or worse, are kid favorites). I am still SHOCKED that he is not a fan of hamburgers, because I ate more of those the 9 months while pregnant with him than during the rest of my life!
Harrison has become more independent. So, we put together snack containers in the fridge and the cupboard. These bins have mom-approved snacks when Harry needs a little something, so that we do not have a whining fit about it for 10 minutes :)

Lodging: Harrison has been a STAR sleeper. He has stayed over at both of the grandparents, and has even had some experience "carpet camping".  I am happy that his early sleeping habits do not seem to have followed him into his toddler/preschool years!

Communication: Harrison has a HUG vocabulary. There are, at least, three nights a week when he is talking to Bryan and I at dinner where we look at each other with a, "where did he learn that word" look. Luckily, it has not been any bad language, but it has been different than what we typically talk about. He is ALWAYS listening, and rarely forgets anything you tell him, especially if it has something to do with him!
Most recently, he has started to tell me from the backseat of the car, "mommy, talk to me," like he is bored and needs to talk about something. When something frustrating happens (like a chair gets broken from playing cowboys', or a cup of milk goes air born, only to be met by gravity...and mommy), he will say "you cant be mad with me!". His intuition with how people are feeling is almost always dead-on!

Apparel: Sandals, shorts and t-shirts, Oh My!!! I have been EXTREMELY nervous to take out any summer gear, for fear that it will cause a May blizzard this year in our fine state of Minnesota. One particularly hot and sunny day (the only one in about 40 days), I finally bit the bullet and made the clothing swap. Of course, we still need jeans and sweatshirts, but I figured it is May...its time.
I was surprised to find that Harry has not grown that much from last summer (according to how his summer gear fits). I had to pack away about half the clothes I had bought, and hope that they will fit him next year. Harrison has definite opinions about what he wants to wear. Now when shopping, he has a "style" of things that he prefers... and the best part is that it is usually pretty dapper!

Transportation: Nothin' new.

Entertainment: Aunt Erika and uncle Kevin have a new Baby, Carson. So, Harrison has been spending his days with Jody, both Grandma's, grandpa Jon and Kristen (Andon's mom). It has been such a blessing to find people that I completely trust to watch him while Erika was on "maternity leave". Harrison has enjoyed the time with different people, but often talks about missing Jeremiah, since he was used to seeing him almost everyday. We will have to make play dates this summer :)
Harry has been using his imagination to build things for his cars, and create stories to go with the toys that he plays with, especially after the winter we have had. It has been so much fun to watch his personality really start showing through. He is very inventive and detail-oriented. Much to his mothers delight, he also likes to make sure things go back where he got them from. YEAH!!!!

We went to Chuck E Cheese to celebrate Jeremiah's 3rd birthday with Bryan's family. It was such a great time, and the boys went home worn out!

Grandma and grandpa are REALLY good at Ski-ball!

We took a trip to the Arboretum for a picnic and outdoor adventure on Mother's Day. Its starting to look like spring...kinda :)

Loved the yellow flowers. Not much else was blooming- just a few trees and bushes.

Harry is "learning" to smile at the camera. Sometimes he just says "cheese" and stares off into outer space, but other times I can get a good shot.

Making some homemade granola bars- YUMMY!

One of those "cheese" photos I was talking about :)

Big boy on his bike with training wheels!!!

Then, he switched to running the Strider into things. I really hope that future children like this bike better than he occasionally does.