Jude: Three

Our middle-man turned 3 over the weekend!  According to Jon it seems like he arrived a lot longer than just 3 years ago.  I've been thinking a lot about those last few days leading up to his birth.  Something about the flowers blooming, birds chirping, and warmer weather always makes me think back to my very favorite spring and the days leading up to Jude's birth.  A lot has changed since then, but here were are 3 houses, 3 springs, 3 kids (and another!) later and our little guys is still completely awesome!

Gosh, he makes me smile.  He's really starting to shed the shy-guy persona and, to be completely honest, it seems that most he just won't shut up.  His Daddy has given him a new nickname: B.R. for "broken record." Jude has absolutely no problem standing and there and repeating the same word or phrase over, and over, and over again, until you finally acknowledge him.  Whether it's a soft "Daddy I go poopy" over breakfast this morning, a screaming "I don't want to go home!" when we left the park last week or a sobbing "Jack hit me" just about every afternoon, he's proven he's perfectly capable of saying something over and over for at least 100 times.  Now that's talent!

But he's also our little sweetheart.  He's very thoughtful of others and that mischievous grin that makes the corners of his eyes crinkle is enough to melt any mother's heart.  And now he's all grown up, talking in full sentences and long paragraphs, and making that hormonal mother sort through the boxes and boxes of baby clothes he'll never fit in to again.  Oh geez, enough about my yard sale prep and emotional turmoil this week, let's get back to the birthday boy.  Who woke up to what he called "a birthday" hanging from his doorway!

And a breakfast brought to you by the number 3!

Following a long day of cleaning and cooking we welcomed Nonnie, Aunt Rachel and Aunt Katie for a visit!

Loving the neighborhood trees this week!

And I celebrated my son's birthday with MY favorite meal - Chipotle.  The copycat kind, that is!  Barbacoa simmering in the Crock-Pot all day, lime rice and black beans on the stove and a 26-week-old in my belly doing flip-flops at every whiff of cilantro and red onion.  Mm-mmm!

Julia's really starting to warm up to other people this past month, she's finally letting the aunts into her inner circle!

We followed up dinner with a special birthday cake that Marmie made and sent down, because she's the birthday cake queen and I'm still trying to figure out if it's possible for me to live a normal mothering-life and hold down two small jobs.

Jude was thrilled about this Duncan cake!  It got a little beat up after the car ride from Pennsylvania and three curious children staring it down all day, but it didn't matter to the kids.  They couldn't wait to eat the cake!

And then there were the presents.  Jude's been asking me about them (repetitively of course) ever since he realized there was a "secret" in the closet a few weeks ago.  I'm just glad we can finally move beyond trying to distract him from the wrapped gifts piled up in the guest room.

But Jude wasn't the only one excited, Jack did more than his share of screaming with each new present.  And when we finally got them calmed down enough for bed Jack's last words to me were "I love birthdays, I love Jude, I love Jude's birthday!!!"  It must be nice having a brother 18 months apart, I'm sure they will each benefit from each other's birthday celebrations for many years to come!

Of course, now that we have a 3 year old in the house again some things have to change, at least for Jack.  I heard him yelling at Julia today, whom he did want to play his game, that whatever he and Jude were doing was "Only for 4 and 2 years olds, I mean 4 and 3 year olds!!"  Clearly, the rules in this house are in constant flux!

And while Jude was honored that his Nonnie and Aunts drove all the day down from PA for his big day, the real reason they made the trip was so that us ladies could head to Virginia on Saturday for a bridal shower for our cousin-to-be.  I just love my husband's family and I especially enjoy all the new cousins I acquired upon my marriage (since I only had two growing up myself).  So I am always eager to welcome a new cousin-in-law into the fold to help make those family holidays even more zany!

Photo Credit: Aunt Julie

Photo Credit: Aunt Julie
Oh, those fun shower games!

My mother-in-law and her sister - two fantastic women whose family I joined 7 years ago!

Photo Credit: Aunt Julie
She was tickled to be included in our "Girls' Day"!

Bride and bridesmaid giggles!

And Hannah is no exception, we knew from the first moment Peter brought her to visit us last summer that she was going to make a perfect addition to the family!

Photo Credit: Aunt Julie
Sewing aprons for my brides just may be my new thing!

Aunt Julie and the littlest guests!

Photo Credit: Aunt Julie
Julia hanging out with Cousin Lizzy.

It was a fun day celebrating the bride with the girls while Jon held down the fort with his boys, who I was able to convince not to be sad that they couldn't come along since it was going to be all girls celebrating a princess party.

Photo Credit: Aunt Julie
Jon's sisters Rachel and Kate, me, Cousins Holly and Lizzy, their cousin Ashley, and cousin-to-be Hannah.

They were more than happy to hang out at home and play with their new Thomas toys after that.

Now we're home, we said goodbye to our family this morning and we're ready for a week of fun fueled by birthday and princess parties!  We're thriving on spring ... and with that comes spring cleaning!  In with the old and out with the new!