3 1/2 Years Old

Ethan and Mia turned 3 1/2 a couple of days ago. I can't believe how fast this is going! I wish I could hit the pause button (only when they're being good) and keep them little and innocent. Though, I have to admit that age 3 is, by far, my least favorite of the stages. When the twins were 2, I couldn't wait for 3 to hit. I figured that being 2 would be the worst of it. People at work kept telling me that 3 was even worse than the 2 year old stage. I just couldn't believe it. How could a 3 year old be worse than a 2 year old? Well, I certainly have found out. And in case you're wondering, 3 is worse than 2 (for us, anyhow.)


I want to dedicate this post to Ethan. We love him so much! I'm glad that God gave him to us. I can't imagine our crazy house without him. He has taught me a lot about being a parent. I know how to deep breathe, meditate, count to ten, and pray to Jesus. Haha. All jokes aside, he's such a cute little boy and it's only going to get more fun as he gets older.

He's my first born. It's no surprise that he was the one that sent me into labor. His water broke and that was that. He has one of the strongest personalities I've ever seen. He is so very picky about things. If I get him toast on an orange plate, he won't eat it because he wanted a green plate. He has to pick out his glass, plate, cup, and fork. On the flip side, he knows exactly what he wants. There's no lolly-gagging around.

One of his favorite foods is peanut-butter toast. He has to watch me put the peanut-butter on and won't eat it until I've covered every square inch of it. He likes it smooth and will point out any bumps. He won't eat it if you cut it. (Here's a funny story. The kids went and stayed with my parents for the weekend. My dad made them peanut butter toast. He cut Ethan's and Ethan started throwing a fit. My dad called me to ask me what was wrong with him. I asked my dad, "did you cut it?" My dad says, "yes" sarcastically. I reply, "he doesn't like it cut." You should have heard my dad. It was hilarious. He made Ethan another piece of toast.)

When Ethan is in a good mood, he's a blast to be around. He laughs and smiles and is so funny. He can get everyone laughing with all his silliness. He runs around like a chicken with its head cut off. When Ethan is in a bad mood, watch out. He seems to be at the extremes. He's either very very happy or very very pissed off.

Ethan is very smart and very curious. He always wants to figure things out. He knows how to run my dishwasher, run the microwave, turn the tv on/off, put a movie in. He thinks he's big enough to get the gallon of milk out of the fridge, get himself a glass, and pour himself some milk. I've caught him doing this in the middle of the night. I saw a light go on so went to investigate. He had poured himself some milk. He walked right past me to go to bed and didn't say a word. He left the milk out and the fridge open. That would have been a fun surprise the next morning! He's actually really good at pouring the milk and hardly ever spills.

He no longer lets me pick out his clothes. This makes for some interesting outfits. I don't care at all if he doesn't match. We do get some looks from passer-bys though. Ethan wore the above outfit to the Renaissance festival. Mike wanted to get Mia some pink fairy wings. Ethan wanted green fairy wings. We bought him some and he wore them all over the festival. :)

He's 150% boy. He loves to rough-house and kick balls and break stuff. He loves his Spiderman stuff and anything alien or robot. He likes having his toenails painted. I guess he doesn't realize he's not supposed to like his toenails painted. Oh well. He'll figure it out soon enough. I'll continue to paint his nails as long as he wants them done. I've gotten a few comments on his painted toenails, but I don't care. He always chooses the color green for nail polish. Green is his favorite color!

Mia has a very girlie butterfly rain coat that they all fight over. Ethan loves wearing that coat. He brought it to my parents' house and wore it when they went to the zoo. Haha. My mom said everyone would look at him and then look at my mom. I wish they could stay innocent like that forever.

He doesn't really like watching tv. The only time he wants to watch it is if he's tired or doesn't feel well. Again, he's really picky about what he watches. Some of his favorites are, "Dino Dan," certain "Spiderman," "Iron Man", and "Hulk" cartoons. He sometimes likes "Spongebob." (That cartoon drives me crazy!)

Ethan's speech is getting better. He's talking in sentences now. There are a lot of times I can't understand him and he gets so upset. I wish I could understand everything he says. I think a lot of his frustrations are over this.

If I'm not paying attention to him, he yells, "Mommy, look at my eyes. Look at my eyes." It makes me laugh every time. He also tells me I'm "ucky" almost every day. My reply? "You're ucky too, Ethan." He also tells me I'm "mean." My reply? "You're mean too, Ethan." You've got to have some fun with them!

I seriously could go on forever about Ethan, but this post is way too long. He is such a special little boy. I love being his mom and watching him grow up!