look who's three?

what can i say about my lack of blogging recently. i can blame pregnancy, trying to prepare jude's new big boy room, greg's busier work schedule that now includes a commute, or just raising a three year old. All of them may account for it. I have much to share about mister jude's adventures the past few months!
But here is a quick snapshot of the proud three year old at his birthday party.

5/27/11

the splotches and marks on his face are the paint from his art party. he and ryan had lots of fun banging the paint brushes as they created their work.

Thank you Easter Bunny (bawk! bawk!)

It wasn't until about 7pm that we remembered chocolate not only contains sugar, it also contains caffeine. This helps to explain some of the pandemonium that characterized our Easter Sunday.

As a nearly-three-year-old little boy, Jude is starting to grasp the activities associated with holidays. And, while he didn't quite understand the idea that the Easter Bunny visited but didn't stick around ("Where'd the Easter Bunny go?" was repeated about 20x) he did run around the living room looking for eggs once we pointed them out.

Actually, that's not entirely true. After finding the first plastic egg, he opened it up to find the first chocolate of the day. The chocolate had not chance... you can see the messy aftermath of that first piece below.

Chocolate? What chocolate?

After that first egg was done, the race was on. The egg hunt didn't last long, but the screaming sugar-filled frenzy was a blast to watch for all of us, except the dog. Fortunately it was a nice day, so George didn't mind being outside.

Al... most... there...

It's a good thing George wasn't inside, as he has a penchant for stealing soft fuzzy toys when Jude first gets them. We can usually train him to realize they are Jude's toys, but I think the lamb that came attached to Jude's Easter basket may have been too much to pass up. As it was, Jude ended up "feeding" the lamb some chocolate, but you can see a vision of the pre-attack basket.

Obviously, not yet seen/touched by Jude

The box you see in the basket contains Jude's very first chocolate bunny. Jude followed directions well and only ate the ears before church. He has not been initiated fully into the secular side of the holiday.

But the most important part of the holiday, in our family, is the commemoration of the first easter... Jesus' resurrection. So after the sugar rush had faded, we got ourselves ready and went headed off to church. Our church is usually a casual-dress affair, but we decided to spiff up for the special day. Jude even wore his "special jacket" just like Daddy, and looked the part of a debonaire toddler. He never quite slowed down enough for a family photo (hint #1 about the caffeine that we missed) but I love the action shot.

Can't catch me, pregnant Mommy!

There is Sunday School for the children even on Easter, and Jude enjoyed his normal class with Ms. Ruth. As always, they play, sing, listen to Bible stories, and color. We never quite know how much sinks into Jude's consciousness from these classes, but we were touched when today he looked at this picture (the coloring sheet from Sunday School) and pointed to it saying "That must be the stone rolled away!" Yes, Jude, it is.

The sky is yellow. That's all I'm sayin'.

Happy Easter!

to sandbox or not to sandbox

I am finding there are two camps in the sandbox world. I come down squarely in the 'big fan' camp. It is one of the few activities where Jude will play self-contained, by himself for 30 minutes or even an hour. He loves the mini construction site we've created in his backyard with diggers, loaders and shovels.

messy but worth it?

But I am discovering the other camp. I wonder if my observation holds up. It seems almost every mom I talk to who works outside the home is quick to say 'sandboxes are really messy.' (ie not worth it). There is one nanny on our block who told me the parents informed her that the sand needed to stay inside the sandbox and not spill over. For those of us new sandbox veterans, we realize some spillover, dumping and even tossing is par for the course. My sandbox survival plan includes the following: extra pants and baby wipes handy right inside the back door. I keep a big Tupperware bin handy. It gets filled with water to wash off his hands. Socks, shoes and pants come off when we come inside for a fresh, cleaner set. To me the sandbox payoff is worth it: I get to keep an eye on him while making dinner or checking my email. He has a great time.

i found my heart in south carolina

The past few months of mothering felt hard. We have tons of fun and do lots of outings, but ultimately it is exhausting keeping up with and picking up after my little guy seven days a week. I had gotten to the point of wondering whether i needed to quit this job of full-time mothering and work outside the home for my sanity. I am so thankful to say that I rediscovered my heart and energy for mothering, after a nice trip away to South Carolina.

Kiawah- the back yard

I treated my brother to his airline ticket as his most recent birthday and Christmas gift. We flew the new southwest airlines direct route to Charleston, South Carolina, to visit our aunt and uncle who now live year round on nearby Kiawah Island.

4 months pregnant, with Todd at Ft Sumter

Their lovely home and the island are practically paradise. We took in a lot of history including an educational trip to Fort Sumter, the start of the Civil War.

uncle chuck & todd. civil war shell lodged in the wall

It is the first time I can remember where I left both Jude and Greg for a trip. I missed them terribly at times. But then there were wonderful moments of remembering how much I love learning history or taking a quiet bike ride. (Yes I was bike riding the beach while pregnant. It was amazing!) I came back from one ride and couldn't stop grinning.

Jude and his water play

Jude and Greg survived just fine without me it seems. They visited the zoo and a train restaurant.

dump

I came back with fresh energy to deal with the chaos that is a two year old. And I think Greg has a new interest and appreciation for playing with Jude and taking him on adventures. My favorite part was when he said to me on the phone,"I understand what you mean about needing to talk to adults. The only adult I talked to all day was our waitress." Glad he's experienced a bit of my weeks with Jude and can listen to my trials and trevails with more insight than before.