Collin's 3 year photos

And finally...Collin's own pose (his "scary guy" pose):
Taken on January 29, 2010

Collin's 3rd birthday

I am late posting this, but Collin turned 3 on January 6th. We had a party for him and for Brynn later in January, but we did a few little things to make his actual birthday a special day. We hadn't been to the park in quite awhile, so my mom and I and the 3 kids picked up McDonald's and headed to the park for a little picnic. That evening we had planned on going out to get gelato with my parents and Dave's mom and her husband, but Collin came down with a fever right before. Dave ended up bringing home some gelato and my parents stopped by any way. Luckily, he was only acting sick for an hour or so and the fever only lasted a few hours. His gifts from us included books and dress up clothes (a ninja, a GI Joe, a doctor, a pirate, etc). Good thing he opened the books first. Although he loves books, he REALLY loved the costumes and played with them for the rest of the evening.

Don't let the serious expressions fool you. He was having so much dressing up as a "minja" and a "guy" (said with an intense, scary voice); he was also still feeling sick at this point.
Brynn showing off some of his gift:

Collin at age 3:

--you weigh 29.5 lbs and are 36.4" tall (in the 24th and 21st percentile, respectively)
--you absolutely love fruit (as well as candy and other sweets)
--you have quite a large vocabulary, although you still have a hard time pronouncing your r's and letter combinations like spr and ch.
--you love Yo Gabba Gabba, Wow Wow Wubbzy, and LazyTown (on TV)
--you love ice, especially from Sonic
--you are such a boy, and love to pretend to save everyone from monsters and bad guys. In fact, you hate having your teeth brushed, and the easiest way to get you to cooperate is to tell you that we need to clean your monster or dinosaur teeth
--much to our surprise, you have become a good sleeper. Despite having a crying newborn or an older sister that isn't always quiet during the night, you sleep through almost everything. Since you didn't sleep through the night regularly until you were 2 years old, I never would have guessed you'd be the good sleeper in our family.
--you are such a little charmer, and have the cutest, most mischevious smile. You love to make people laugh, and are willing to be a total goofball to do so.
--you are pretty brave, and don't cry very often. If you get hurt and cry for more than a minute or so, I know you are hurt pretty bad.
--you play good with older kids, but are not very fond of babies (except your little sister), because you don't like when they get in your personal space or try to take your food/toys.
--you aren't quite as picky of an eater as you used to be, but it isn't uncommon of you to skip dinner. However, you often seem to eat your own body weight at breakfast.

I asked Collin a few questions about some of his favorite things, and these are his answers (all his answers started with "uuuummm"):
Favorite color: green and blue
Favorite food: cereal
Favorite thing to do: sing and hug
Favorite thing to wear: my football shirt
Favorite thing to play: play football
Favorite toy: the sword (play foam sword) and costumes (he often wears his GI Joe costume, ninja costume, or knight outfit)
Favorite dress up costume: the dress up that has swords
Favorite animal: dogs...I like your dog
Best friend: the dog and you guys
Favorite holiday: Christmas

We love you, Collin, and couldn't imagine our family without you in it! Happy Birthday!!

A Visit to Brynn's Preschool

At Brynn's preschool, during each student's birthday week, their mom gets to go to their class one day to share a few things about their child. The parent gets to read their son or daughter's favorite book and then share the All About Me book that the child has filled out and drawn in. The child being honored also gets to bring a show and tell item to talk about. I was so excited to get a turn to do just that with Brynn this month. I loved seeing her and all of her little friends together, so enthusiastic about learning. Her teacher, Miss Rhonda, is an awesome teacher and the kids really love it there!


Sharing Brynn's All About Me book
Brynn with the crown she brought for show and tell

Happy Birthday!

Yesterday, we had a little birthday party for Brynn and Collin. They had cake, a pinata (a birthday tradition they love), and lots of family--the 3 things they really wanted to celebrate their special days.

The Pinata

Brynn and Collin with their cousins MaJesta and Trance
Collin is 1st up
The spectators

Dave's sister Cyndi, brother-in-law Mike, and mother Cheryl

My Grandpa Luster with his wife Bertha, and my brother Justin with his girlfriend Jessica
Brynn takes a turn (love that intense expression)
Then its MaJesta's turn

When Trance takes his turn, the pinata didn't stand a chance
Mmm...candy!
Eden was glad to be able to be at their party
The Cakes
My mom with her mom Donalee
Eden with her Grandma Cheryl and Grandpa Jerry
Dave's sisters Kim and Cyndi (his other sister Laurie lives in Michigan)
My brother Justin with his girlfriend Jessica
My Grandma B, my sister Alison, and Alison's husband Travis

The Gifts

Trance helping Collin open some gifts
A bat and ball...he was already dreaming of all the fun he would have with those.
Brynn loved and appreciated the gifts she received, but she wasn't so crazy about all the attention. MaJesta provided a little moral support.
At the end, Dave rode in on Brynn's gift from us
Again, she was excited for the gift, but self-conscious from all the attention.
As the guests were leaving, Brynn took her new bike out for a test run.
Happy Birthday to 2 of the best things that ever happened to me!