Birthday Boy

We can't believe our first born turned three today!!  Wow, where has the time gone?!  We tried our best to make today fun for him:  He went to the Dollar Store and got to pick out any 3 things he wanted, he said he wanted chicken nuggets for lunch so we went to McDonald's and he got to play in their play place (Ugh... have I told you how much I dislike those things?!  But, anything for our birthday boy:), we let him skip his nap and instead he got quiet time where he was allowed to lay in our bed (which he loves doing) and watch cartoons, I made a dinner that included all of his favorite foods, he opened up all the cards/gifts that family had sent, and I made him a spectacular dinosaur birthday cake.  I would say he had a pretty fantastic day.  And soon he'll get to do it all over again, because we plan on having another birthday party for him when Meemaw and Uncle Justin arrive later this month.  Boy oh boy!!

Happy birthday Mitchell!!  We love you so much!!  You have a great sense of humor, love exploring and discovering new things, and you are a great big brother to Duncan who adores you.  Things you love: cars, balls, dinosaurs, Elmo, Spongebob, Little Einsteins, playing with blocks and Legos, reading books, bubble baths, being chased, cuddling under blankets, Cheerios, Graham Crackers, coloring, batman and superman, helping with Duncan, your favorite stuffed animal Rufus, kitty cats, blowing bubbles, going to parks, being in nursery at church, laughing, and playing outside.  Things you dislike: taking naps, not having any attention on you, having your hands dirty, being woken up (you are not a morning person), not having control of the T.V., messes, trying new foods, the sun in your eyes, and bedtime.  Your dislikes are a much shorter list than your likes... you're just such an easy going kid.  Mitchell, you amaze us everyday!!  We are so grateful to be your mom and dad, and we want nothing but the best for you!!  These last three years have been some of the most special times in our lives and we look forward to celebrating many more birthdays with you.  Xoxo!!

We started the day off by taking Mitchell to the Dollar Store and letting him pick out three items (because duh, he turned three).  He loved holding the basket himself.  Of course, I turned my back for one second to check on Duncan, and Mitchell had filled his basket with seven different balls.  Haha, ironically, after we had a look around the store and made him edit down his items to only three things, he ended up not getting any balls.  He chose cars and bubbles instead.

Next on the agenda, Mitchell said he wanted chicken nuggets for lunch.  So, off to McDonald's we went.  Haha, waiting for his food to cool before he digs in was so hard.

He decided to help the cooling process along and blow on his food.

Next came the dreaded play place (dreaded for me, not him).  Actually though, it wasn't that bad this time.  The reason I dislike these things so much is because when I tell him it's time to leave, he throws a giant tantrum and usually climbs up high and hides in the thing.  This time, I did my best to prep him before he went to play... "Ok, now you're going to play for a little bit, but when mommy says it's time to go, you're going to listen and not cry, right?"  Hey, it worked!  When I said it was time to go, he listened right away and left without any tears.  Awe, he not only got older today but also grew up in maturity.  Lol!!  

Play place prison.  Hahaha!!

Ok, it's kinda hard to see in this picture, but do you notice the adult lady in the play place helping Mitchell?  Every once in a while he had a hard time climbing up the big steps and he would get stuck.  Haha, of course, I played the tough love route of "you climbed it last time, so you can do it this time.  Either stop whining and do it, or climb back down."  Then out of the blue, this lady says, "You stay with your baby, I'll help him," and she climbed up in the play place and gave Mitchell a boost.  Haha, she played right into his hands... any time after that when he got "stuck" he would point at her and start whining.  She loved that he wanted her help so much:)

His next dream to come true was skipping his nap.  Nine times out of ten, Mitchell throws a mini-tantrum when the word "nap" is mentioned.  He just does not want to interrupt his day by taking a nap.  So, to make him feel a little extra special on his birthday, I told him that he could replace his nap with some quiet time instead... He got to lay in mommy and daddy's bed all by himself and watch cartoons, as long as he stayed in there and stayed quiet.  He loved it!!  He felt like such a big boy:)

For dinner, I asked Mitchell what he wanted and he said, "Chicken nuggets."  I tried to argue that he already had chicken nuggets for lunch, but he insisted.  And what my baby wants, my baby gets:)  So, for dinner I made him some chicken nuggets (Well, I made chicken strips, but close enough), along with some of his other favorite foods, homemade mac-n-cheese and baked beans.

We finished his day with an awesome dinosaur cake.  I say "awesome" because I made it.  Don't you just love my cake decorating skills?!  Haha, so fancy:)

In the first part of this video, Mitchell is pointing and whining at his lady friend to come and help him.  Haha, little stinker!  But, then he shows us all how it's done:)

Thank you everyone for thinking of Mitchell on his birthday and sending him some great gifts.  He loved opening them!!

I love his facial expressions in this video... he's so thrilled!  He starts to get overwhelmed and to cover his face because he's so excited and he doesn't know how to act.  He's the cutest!  Happy birthday Mitchell!  "Sprinkles!"