John is 3!!!

We had John's party last Saturday at the Clubhouse and pool here at the condo. Yes, this is his second pool party in a row, but pool parties are perfect for the heat of July, and I'm being financially wise since the location is free! Besides, last year, the party was in Nashville, so the location was a bit different--that counts for variety, right?

After last year's Monkey party, we moved on to Firetrucks this year. John is obsessed with Firetrucks, emergencies, and sirens, so it just fit :) Plus, since he has firetrucks and firehats and even a family of Schleich Dalmation dogs, it was easy to decorate.

Here is John telling me how old he is. The real way to show "3" is too hard for him, so he uses the "Ok" sign.


Here are some of the party-goers, hanging out pool-side. No, John is not in the pic, because he is probably swimming all around the pool in his swimmies.



Here's the awesome b'day cake. Thanks to my precious sis-in-law, Julie, who stayed up half the night to make this cake (after caring for her 7-month-old twins, no less)!!!



We had to blow out the candles sooner than I was planning, because John kept putting his finger in the cake! Look how excited he was to blow out the candles :)



John was a pro at opening presents this year. My job has been reduced to grabbing the card, to see who it's from before he finishes and moves on to the next one! Oh, and picking up the pile of paper and bows, before everything gets too chaotic. You can also see John's friend, Ella, in the pic. She was very excited about the presents, because she turns 4 in a few weeks. I'm sure John will return the favor and monitor her opening presents! I overheard John explain to her at one point, "Today is my birt-day. Yours is next week." Even though Ella's isn't a week after John's, I thought it was funny that he felt he needed not just one day, but a whole week to celebrate.



Saturday night, after we had all had a much-needed nap, we took John to the drive-in with DeDe and Pop to see G-force. Of course, to get a decent spot, you have to arrive early. So, John likes to while away the hour by getting as dirty as possible. I have to admit, the gravel is a great place to play with cars, esp. those of the hauling and bull-dozing types.



When the movie started, John decided to join Pop and Daddy in the back of the truck with juice and popcorn, sitting in his Little Tot chair (a hand-me-down from Mommy's cousins Scott and Matthew).



Here are some of the toys John got for his birthday. He has thoroughly enjoyed every single one!




And finally, even though John's birthday was Sunday, we waited to take him out to eat at his favorite restaurant on Tuesday, when "the bird" would be there. John loves Red Robin milkshakes, the balloons, the arcades up front, but mostly the Robin himself.

He really enjoyed all the attention when the staff came to sing--even though he didn't want the ice cream after the Shake he had with dinner.

I'd say John had a great birthday! He took a "break" for about one day, and then wanted to know when his next birthday would be :) Boy, does he have a long time to wait!

For me to remember

Sidenote: still working on Tampa pics

This post is mostly because I want to remember how expressive John is and the funny things he says. My brother stopped by this morning before work, because he had left his sunglasses here last night.

John: Where your car, Uncle Mitch?

Mitch: It's broken.

J: (Very dramatic) Oh no! Whatcha gonna do?

M: I gotta get it fixed.

J: Oh no (less dramatic). Gotta get it fixed.

Conversation then continued about Mitch taking John's cereal, and where Mitch was going (to work).

The conversations these days are killing me. I mean, John's been speaking full sentences for a while. But, when did the fully-interactive conversation start? It seems that suddenly, I don't have to explain what someone says to John and I don't have to translate him to everyone else. I'm no longer needed when conversing--it's a little sad, but mostly funny.

Elephant found

Elephant was on the kitchen table when we got home from vacation. (Yes, I had blogged about the missing E near midnight the night before we left for Tampa.) No, it's not the same one, but to John it is. Thanks Mema for purchasing one while we were gone! Daddy Elephant has gone everywhere with us since we've been home--I don't think John will let him out of his sight now.

On another note, I'll post pics from Tampa soon. John had a blast visiting and playing with cousin Emma. But the person he asked for most was his Son-Son. Thanks Chris and Sonya for letting us visit! It was a really nice vacation for almost-free. And you know I love free!!!