Happy Birthday Casey!

Since we already had he party, we just went for ice cream tonight to celebrate the big day


The other day Casey was calling me from upstairs and I walked over to the bottom of the stairs to see what he needed. He came into view at the top of the stairs and I was suddenly struck by how grown up he looked. He really is a kid now - there's just no more baby there.

Casey is such a neat kid - he is affectionate and thoughtful and creative and funny. He is also stubborn and prone to dramatics. You never know what you are going to get with this one. At his 3 year old doctor appt he totally flipped out about getting on the scale -TOTALLY - it was crazy. So as a result we got to do the "weigh mom alone and then weigh mom holding a screaming kicking child" thing which was super fun for me. Then, the nurse was understandably giving herself an audible pep talk as she prepared to prick his finger for the blood draw, and then she counted to 3 and .... nothing. No response whatsoever. Digital scale? NO WAY! A finger prick? No problem! When Casey is accepting his Oscar for best supporting actor in a drama, we will remember moments like these.
But, MOST of the time he is simply delightful to be with. He picks us flowers, draws us pictures and will spontaneously say, "mama, I glad you're here". He eats well and continues to sleep better than any child known to man. He wears his emotions on his sleeve and cannot hide his excitement over Lighting McQueen race cars, baseball, trains or daddy coming home across the back lawn. He loves to race his truck around the church yard and does this really funny thing where he spins the tires with his hands to simulate "peeling out". He is singing along with songs, reading to himself and getting really good at using the mouse on the library computer.
He is also in a whole new realm physically. We have been given a hand me down little bike with training wheels that he has attempted a few times, and he is recently interested in climbing trees. He is spending more time out of the stroller than in it during our walks and he has graduated to the big kid swing. He prefers to try a new thing when its his idea but still exercises some caution.
The pink pig comes everywhere with us now and Casey seems to find a lot of comfort in it. Anyone who says hello to him hears "I'm Casey almost 3 and I got this piggy".
Well, Happy Birthday Casey - we love you so so much and wouldn't trade you for the world!


Sharing some ice cream


With his bear (and piggy!) in the chair


We spent last weekend on a trip to Pokagon State Park in Indiana with a group from church. We had a great time, and got a nice family shot