Ian is THREE!!!

Can you believe that this sweet, amazing boy is THREE?!?!?!?!

Yes, this post is over a month late...things have been just a little busy in my life these days=)

However, I just had to make the time to write about the fact that our amazing little man is THREE!!!   

I cannot believe it! 
It is so true what they say about time flying when you are having fun!

And life these days with Ian, is just that...FUN!!!

First, some stats. (For me, so I can remember them later=)

At his third birthday, Ian was 35.5 inches tall and he weighed about 28 lbs.  

He is still wearing size 4 diapers and has very little interest in potty training.  We are working on it though, and hopefully soon we will see some progress.

He wears size 2T clothes and size 7 1/2 shoes.

Now for the fun stats...

According to babycenter.com, at three years old, kids should be able to speak in sentences of three to four words.  ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!?!  Ian has been doing that since he was two!!  Speaking to Ian is just like speaking to a little adult.  There is absolutely nothing he can't say!

In fact, just the other day, he was playing with his little handheld Leapfrog Letter game when he stopped to tell me something.  Just then, his game prompted him to "Press the paw button".  He said, "Just a minute!!!  I am talking to my mom, okay?!?!?"  Yeah, three to four words...puh-lease!=)

He is the smartest kid I know.  Mike and I are continually amazed at the things he puts together all on his own.  You certainly can't pull one over on this kid!!!

He counts to about 11 before he starts skipping numbers, and if you ask him how to spell his name, he will proudly tell you I-A-N. And as you saw from this post, he is starting to be able to write his name too.  He is very interested in letters right now and is always asking us
"what letter does ______ start with?" 

He is also REALLY into puzzles and can do them very well on his own - although I love that he still asks me to do them with him=)

He is still very much into Super Heroes, sports, dancing, and playing outside.  Some of his favorite TV shows are on the preschool channel Nick Jr. He loves the one called "Olivia" about a little pig and her family because her little brother's name is Ian.  He gets so excited whenever they say his name=)

He still loves coloring, stickers and playing with Play-Doh.  He also loves video and computer games and can navigate his way through any electronic device!  I never thought I would have to worry about limiting his video game time at three, but we do, and he has to earn his playing time by doing little chores around the house.  (Mean, huh?!?!=)

He really loves computers and asks to go to the library often so he can play on the "boy computers" there.  He also loves going to story and music time at the library.  I get him books while we are there to read later because while we are there, he is all about computers and is too busy to look at the books.  Once we get home though, he loves reading.  He has a little head lamp that he calls his "book light" and he wears it in bed at night as he reads himself to sleep.  We have to go in and take it off and tuck him in after he is asleep (and sneak a few kisses).

He doesn't like kisses right now.  Maybe it is due in part to the fact that I want to kiss him all day long, but hey - who can blame me?!?!?  The other day, I asked him if he had any mommy kisses and he said, "No. I lost them."  I laughed and asked, "Where did you lose them?"  He said, "They are outside in the backyard.  They blew away in the wind."  The best part of this story though is that the next day, he was looking out the window and exclaimed, "There's a mommy kiss!" He then opened the sliding glass door and grabbed it out of the air.  Then he turned around and planted one on me!  LOVE that kid!!!!

He recently got a toy shaver, and he loves "shaving" like Daddy.  We had a LONG discussion about how he can only use HIS shaver and no one else's, and he listens pretty well, so I think he will obey.

Speaking of listening well, we still have some pretty colorful outbursts and tantrums, but now that Ian is getting a little older, it is so much easier to reason with him.  He seems to like doing the right thing, so if we explain to him why he should or shouldn't do something, he usually goes along with it.

And one of the biggest achievements of Ian's third year...we moved him out of the crib into his BIG BOY BED!!  When we were chosen to adopt Logan, we only had about a month to go before he was born, so that very night, we converted the crib to a toddler bed.

I was so worried about this, but Ian has done SO well!!  (I think it really helped him to feel like the big brother=)  I thought that once given the freedom to get in and out of bed on his own, that we would struggle with keeping him in there, but not so.  He has come out to ask for a drink once or twice right after we tuck him in, but he has never once come out in the night.  He is awesome!

Since he did so well, we decided it would be okay to take it one step further.  Mike had taken some time off from work the week between Christmas and Ian's birthday, so we took advantage of that and got Ian's new room set up.  We moved him out of the nursery into the big extra bedroom up front.  We still haven't painted or decorated too much, but we got him a new bed and got him all set so Logan could have the crib when he came home.

Much to our delight, Ian absolutely LOVES his new room!  I was worried that it would be too much change going to a new room AND a new bed AND getting a new brother, but Ian is a champ!!  He goes into his room, on his own, all the time, and just plays and sings and entertains himself.  It is awesome!  Even though he loves playing with other kids, I love that he can also entertain himself.  He has toys and books in there and he can get them by himself, and I think he is loving the independence and having a space of his own.

The one downside of the new room though is that Ian doesn't really nap anymore.  Even though he stays put at night, it is really hard to get him to stay in his bed during the day.  For example, this little event happened the first week that Ian was in the crib/toddler bed...

Yes, that is marker...all over the walls! 
Luckily, they were washable, and Ian helped me clean it up.

After that little incident, we had quite the discussion about ONLY coloring on paper!=)

Even though he doesn't like to stay in bed for naptime, he will stay in his room and play quietly for an hour of quiet time.  It's better than nothing and if he really needs it, he will fall asleep eventually.  And I guess I shouldn't complain because I would much prefer that he stays in his bed all night!

He has only gotten slightly less picky about what foods he will eat, but he is starting to eat a little more.

And he is an AMAZING brother!



When we decided to be foster parents again and we brought Mason into our home, I was so worried about how Ian would take it.  He was only two and a half and I thought he might be jealous.  I mean, he was used to having us all to himself and had certainly been the center of our lives up to that point!  But Ian surprised us all by being a natural big brother.  He is so sweet with Logan (as he was with Mason too).  He is always willing to help me take care of him, and he often asks about the baby's well being.  He always seems to want to make sure that Logan is "okay" and if he isn't, Ian is quick to let me know that he needs me=)  Ian likes to be near him, and he will bring his toys to wherever the baby is so he can play near him.  He talks to Logan in the sweetest little soothing voice and I love watching how caring and sweet he is as a brother.

<3 <3 <3

 Being Ian's Mom has been the greatest blessing of my life and I still pinch myself sometimes to make sure I am not dreaming.  It seems like such a short time ago that we were bringing him home from the hospital, and now he is three and has a new little brother!  CrAzY!!!

With life being so busy, I don't get my camera out as much as I should. But luckily, we live in the day and age of camera phones!=)
So, here are some cute pictures I have snapped recently on my phone

Playing his uncle Billy's drum set

His U of U "Swoop" hat

Riding the scooter one day...

...trying out his new sled the next.

His "funny" face

Cool dude!

I love Mickey!

Vacuuming with Mom

Finger/body painting with Dad

"I look good!"

I really am so grateful for ALL my boys!

And speaking of ALL my boys...

Yep, that's our little Mason.

He is back=)

We don't know a lot yet, but it is not looking good for his birth mother.  She has made some big mistakes, and chances are looking good that we might get to keep this sweet chunkers for good!!!

Stay tuned...

Yes, I do have my hands incredibly full these days with two babies and a toddler! (Feel free to stop by ANY time to hold a baby or two=)  But this is what I was meant for.  This is what I have always wanted, always dreamed of, always knew was missing in my life, and being able to provide a safe, nurturing and loving home for these three boys brings me indescribable happiness and joy!

Ian has been the absolute joy of my life and watching him progress through each phase of life has been my greatest blessing.  (And now I get to enjoy this again with not only one, but quite possibly two, more miraculous boys!!!)

Each day, month, and year with my Ian has just increased, not only my love for him, but my gratitude that he is in my life.  I couldn't imagine a moment without him in it.  He is the sweetest, smartest and most beautiful boy in the world, and I am totally smitten!!!

The other night after bath time, I was snuggling him in his towel, trying to warm him up, and I was staring into those beautiful, big brown eyes that I love so much.  I told him, "You have such beautiful, long eyelashes".  He said, "They're not beautiful Mom, they're cool".  I said, "No, they ARE beautiful!  And someday, some lucky girl is going to stare into your eyes and tell you the same thing".  He thought about that for a second and then said, "That girl is you Mom!" 

And I am SO grateful for that!!!!!!!!!!!
I'll gladly be his girl, for as long as he'll let me =)

Las Vegas

I LOVE my husband!!!

I just cannot start this post any other way than by shouting from the rooftops how wonderful my Mikey is!!  He is constantly surprising me, spoiling me, and showering me with love, and I am so GRATEFUL for him!!!

This year, he planned a surprise getaway for my birthday.  We hadn't been away together, for more than one night, in FAR too long, so it was time!  He wouldn't tell me where we were going, and he planned everything.  And by everything, I mean he arranged for THREE separate child care situations for our two boys and our dog.  He is amazing!

Prior to "the big day", all I knew was the day we were departing and the day we would be back.  When I asked what the weather would be like so I would know what kind of clothes to pack, he would tell me that if I didn't have what I needed when we got there, he would just take me shopping.  Are you swooning yet?!?!?=)

Finally, the day before we were to leave, Mike started giving me a few clues.  He told me what the weather forecast would be, he informed me that we would be flying, and that was about it.

So, heart pounding with excitement, we got up on departure day, gathered up all the boys, took them to their designated homes for the next few days, and to the airport we went.  Mike checked in our bags, and it was not until we were just about to go through security when I learned we were headed for Las Vegas.

VEGAS baby!!

Honestly, he could've told me we were going to Boise and I would have been just as excited!  I just couldn't wait to spend four days with Mike.  Four days without the responsibility of being parents.  Four days to recharge and relax.  Four days to sleep in and eat whatever I wanted.  Four days without being pulled in 20 different directions.  Four days to be spoiled and celebrated.  Four days of bliss!!=)

The first thing we did when we got there, was head over to Henderson to eat at one of our favorite restaurants.

Mmmmm!!

I love eating outside!

Next, we headed to our hotel - Treasure Island. 

I had never been in this hotel before, and for some reason, I thought it was an older hotel.  But it was so nice.  Our room was great, and this was me about 5 minutes after we checked in.

And the surprises didn't stop there.  Mike had something planned for all three nights that we were there.  He said the days were mine to do whatever I wanted and then he would take care of the nights.

Night #1 : Cirque De Soleil's "Mystere"

It was awesome!  At times there was so much going on that I wasn't sure where exactly to look, but the talent and beauty of this show were amazing.  (I could have done without the older gentleman sitting next to me whose enthusiasm over the show was borderline obscene, but otherwise a great time was had!=)

The next morning, we lazily got ready and went to a FABULOUS breakfast at the Wynn hotel.

Then we did a little sight seeing...

...and went to the movies, just because we could=)

Night #2 : The Professional Bull Riders Finals

You may be asking yourself, WHY?  I mean, we aren't exactly country bumpkins like these two cuties...

(Who were SO jealous btw, when they found out where we were=)

But there is a VERY good reason why Mikey picked to take me here for my birthday.  You see, our very first date was to a Bull Riders event, and when he heard this was going on while we were in Vegas, he just had to stroll with me down memory lane...Awww!!!

The next day was my actual birthday.  We had some breakfast and then spent the rest of the day shopping.

We mostly bought stuff for the kiddos but Mike and I snagged some pretty great treasures too!  In fact, we have been needing some new luggage for quite a while and we came across some for a great deal.  So we snatched them up and then bought a bunch of stuff to fill them up with for the flight home=)

After lunch, we headed down to the hotel pool. It was wonderful!  I can feel the warm sun now, even as I am thinking about it!

Night #3: Terry Fator

For my final surprise, Mike bought us tickets to see Terry Fator, the ventriloquist who won "America's Got Talent" several years ago.  He is amazing.  Even if he wasn't a ventriloquist, the fact that he can sing and sound just like so many different people is amazing, but the fact that he can do it without moving his lips is just incredible!!

Before the show, Mike took me to the restaurant "Trevi" inside Caesar's Palace.  Delish!!!

Isn't he cute?!?!=)

And this was my birthday cake this year...

It was such a great birthday and once again, I am so grateful to have a hubby who enjoys spoiling his lady.
I love you Babe!
Can't wait to do it again!!!