3

Early this week, I enthusiastically asked Colsen, "Do you know you are about to turn THREE in a few days??!"

And he responded, in an equally high-pitched, enthusiastic voice, "And then I can SHAVE??"

He may not be quite that old yet, but he is growing all too quickly anyway. It's been such fun watching him develop theories about the world, figuring things out, and finding his place. He definitely has no qualms about carving out his own niche... we often hear him saying, "I'm talking! I'M talking! Be quiet everybody!" or, when we're sitting down to read a book together, "Someone needs to move over on this couch because I need some SPOT!" This third-born always wants to be right in the mix.

And his imagination is on full-throttle as well... always pretending he's some sort of creature, or he's friends with some sort of creature (that we can't see). We love hearing his creativity. His activity level is high as well: we often have near-heart-attacks watching him vault himself off of something way too high. Now he's starting to climb trees, too, so we're going to have to start setting out a helmet for him to put on each morning when he gets dressed.

One of my favorite quirky things about him is that even though he is a very good enunciator in general (he may be our first child who could say he was "three"on his birthday -- not "free"), for some reason he insists on calling bananas "go-vainas," and he calls balloons, "go-bawoons." It might have something to do with the fact that Pete insists on calling them that now, too, I don't know.

At this stage in life he is also learning some vocabulary to express his dramatic personality. For example, he came downstairs a couple days, approximately an hour after breakfast saying, "Mom, can I have something to eat? I'm absolutely starving!" (I don't know where he even picked up the word "absolutely" since I hardly ever use that word - on principle - and no one else in our house really does either)

His fascination with all things lawncare-related has continued this year, so for his cake we decided to play on that theme. I tried to make a lawn cake with a mower...
... and on the cupcakes I attempted some other lawn tools: edgers, leaf-blowers, and rakes...

I think he liked it! He asked me, though, if anything was going to make noise.... Oh well.
The good news was.... he ended up getting a lawn mower that DOES make noise from Nonna, Poppa, Aunt Katie and Uncle Graham!

We have so enjoyed Colsen as a 2-year-old, and look forward to many more happy years with him, D.V., watching him grow into the strong boy and man God has designed him to be.

And we continue to love having conversations with him... such as this one from a few days ago:

Cole: Look, Dad, this doll has no hair, just like you! But my other doll has long hair, just like your mama.
Pete: Like my mama, or your mama?
Cole: Yours.
Pete: Who’s my mama?
Cole: Ames.
Pete: No, that’s your mama.
Cole: No, I call her Amy Frank.
Pete: Oh you do?
C: [Coming to find me in the other room] Hey Amy Frank, what are you and Miles doing in here? Me: Just hanging out.
Cole: Oh, you’re just hanging out, Amy Frank? So, well, where are Strider and Rayna? ….

[And on and on it goes…]

We're thankful for this funny boy!