Birthday Party Fun

Today was Bo's birthday party at Gymnastics, Inc. It was an hour and a half of crazy fun. And not only for the kids . . .

Bo and the manly pink bike

Samantha showing her mad skills on the obstacle course

Sam got in on the fun, too (bad cold and all)

Kailey zipping across the floor on the ring

Crazy driver Logan

Bo-Man flying high (he loved the pit)

Dana . . . 40 or 4?

Vanessa loving the tumble track

Sam, Bo & the . . . ahem . . . runway cake

It looked more like a turd cake but Bo LOVED it

Birthday boy yawning already

It was a great party. Bo had a blast and I think everyone else did, too. We didn't take any pictures of him opening gifts because we video taped it instead, but he got way more toys than any 3 year old should have. (A Dump truck, a crane that makes noise and moves, a walking roaring dinosaur, a huge stuffed dinosaur, moose backpack, dump truck book, helicopter, puzzle, and more.)

We came home with quite a loot and one exhausted 3 year old. Happy birthday, Bo!

Stripping It Down Cave Man Style

Bo is finally starting to catch on to the whole potty training thing, but only when he's either naked or just not wearing any pants. Lovely thought, I know, but it works. Any time he has dropped trou and needs to pee, he runs in the bathroom, sits on his musical potty and does his thing all on his own. But anytime he's wearing a diaper, I can't even bribe him to sit on the potty. It's like pulling teeth. And the boy refuses to wear underwear. Absolutely refuses.

So, what, I ask you do I do? Do I just let him run free-ballin around the house all day or what? And what is his phobia of underwear? Seriously. They're just underwear. I don't get it.

But what I do get is that I can't afford to give him a new matchbox car every time he pees in the potty anymore so he and I made a new potty reward chart today. He was all excited about it and helped me decorate it. He also helped me decide on the rewards he will get (new car, new airplane, trip to McDonald's, new car).

So now, after he goes 4 times he gets a reward, instead of every 1. I hope it works.

He already went twice today

And in unrelated news, Bo cut one of his own binkies today. I told him I was going to cut it and then asked if he wanted to do it. He got all excited to use his scissors and chopped away. I still don't think he realizes that the supply is about out (I think we're down to 2), but I guess he will soon enough.

I Will Eventually Win (someday)

Ok, so my whole, "when Bo turns 3 I'm throwing all his binkies away" thing didn't exactly happen. I just can't bring myself to do it. I just can't. He LOVES those things and his entire world would be ruined without them. (I know, I'm weak. Get over it. I have.)

But I am sick of them. Sick of seeing them plugging up Bo's face. Sick of hearing the binky lisp. Sick of never being able to find one (despite having about 12 when we returned from our trip). But apparently not sick of them enough to get rid of the damn things.

And so my new tactic is strictly limiting them to the bed. If I catch him with one in his mouth around the house, out come the scissors and the binky gets chopped right there in front of him. It is mine! A little brutal, I know, possibly borderline mean, but it seems to be working. Now, I can just threaten to get the scissors and that binky is thrown back in bed before I can even set foot in the kitchen.

Now, I'd say that's progress.

Bone pile from the last 2 weeks

Happy Birthday, Bo!

It's hard to believe it, but Bo turned the big 3 today. He's getting so big but still such my little Bo-Bo at the same time. This really is a fun age.

We celebrated today by first surprising him with cocoa puffs for breakfast (which are his favorite and something he only gets at Grandma's). He was so excited. He kept saying, "I love my birthday."

Then he and I made a cake. He picked a chocolate cake with white icing and by the looks of the finished product, I would like to claim that he helped assemble and decorate it but I can't. The lopsided, off center stack and wompyjawed (sp?) circle on top were all me. Oh and the sprinkles, he wanted to do the sprinkles but found it more entertaining to try and drink them out of the jar and spread them all over the kitchen than to put them on the cake, so that hideousness was all me, too. It looked horrible, absolutely kindergarten craft day horrible, but he had a blast turning red from eating a pound of frosting while I was making it so I'm ok with it. He did, however, pick out how many candles he wanted and stuck them in the cake. That randomness was all him.

Then he, Sam & I met Wes at Carl's Jr for lunch (Bo's favorite place to eat). We had a great time and Bo even got an airplane as his kid's meal toy so that made it even better.

The rest of the day, the boys and I just played and laughed and I tried to call Bo "Birthday Boy" as many times as I could until Wes came home for dinner and we had birthday cake and opened presents.

At least it tasted good

Make a wish

Truck from us

Lightning McQueen from Grandma & Grandpa

Tool bench from us

9 Months Old

Hard to believe Sam is already 9 months old. He crawls all over the house on one knee and one foot, pulls himself up, cruises around the furniture, loves to take Bo's toys, "chases" Bo around the house, eats anything and everything, has 6 teeth (2 bottom, 4 top), loves to blow zerberts and slobber all over my face, laughs and smiles all the time, and is such a joy to be around.

Digging Out

We came home from vacation this weekend to over a foot of snow, and while Bo loved playing outside in the sun everyday in Austin, he begged to go outside and help Wes shovel the deck last night. They always have so much fun out there and then come inside and warm up with a cup of hot cocoa.

Is That My Birthday & Bo-isms #14

I have been talking to Bo quite a bit lately about his birthday and that it is coming up next week. He understands that he will get presents and a cake and that he will be 3 years old but that's about it. He still does not understand that a birthday is just a day, not a thing.

While driving this afternoon, he pointed out the side window of the car and asked if that was his birthday over there. And then tonight he went over to the living room window, looked both directions and said, "Mom, I can't see it. I can't see my birthday coming." How do you explain to a 2, almost 3 year old, that his birthday is coming but will never show up at the front door?

And then there's the cake. Oh, the cake. I asked him today if he would like an airplane cake for his birthday and he said, "Yes. And trains, and cars, and a space shuttle." Ummm, I do enjoy baking every now and then but I think that goes well beyond my level of expertise. I was just going to make a long skinny rectangle, ice it gray for the runway and stick some toy planes on it, but now I've got to turn into Martha Stewart-Gone-Mass-Transit by next week. Any suggestions?