Hayden Turns 3!

Year three all summed up!

Happy Birthday sweet boy! Time is always flying around here, and I don't think it will be slowing down anytime soon. Are there really still 24 hours in a day? I could have sworn mine have been shortened to 12! The boys are just growing up too fast. The days of telling people I have a 2 year old are officially over, for now. We have moved right on up to 3! At 3, Hayden is all we could ask for in a child. He is our overachieving, caring, funny, smart, talkative, loving and very, very strong-willed little boy. If you think you know what strong-willed is, I encourage you to make yourself a play date with us to determine just how much you know!:) I'm pretty sure your definition of the word will take on new meaning after being around him!! He has known what he wanted since the minute he entered into this world, and I don't see that changing anytime soon. Oh, and when I say he is smart, I mean smart. ABC's and 123's was so last year! Ha! Like I said before, he's our little overachiever! He doesn't just want to learn something, he wants to master it. Who knows what he is going to learn this year! If he really wants to learn something you pretty much only have to show him once. On the flip side of that, if he doesn't want to learn what you are trying to teach him it may take you forever. Strong-willed! I'm pretty certain he could tell someone exactly how we run this house if something happened to Matt or I. And tell them he would... he's just the take charge kind! If it was something he could do himself be rest assured he would, but if not he'll make sure and tell you exactly how it's supposed to be done. He's always learning something new, and I love that about him. He's still very sensitive, and VERY loving. He needs his cuddle time and boy do I eat that up. It's my favorite time to be exact. It is just so sweet. He is the kind of kid where if you are gone for 5 minutes, he runs up to you like you've been gone 5 days!:) The love he feels is undeniable. It is just pouring out of him. I have always described him as the type that has the ability to light up a room and that is still so very true. He was making nurses in the ER at Children's Hospital of Atlanta smile while he was having to get his arm put in a cast for crying out loud. You just can't help but smile when you are around him. His happiness just rubs off on you. It is the best feeling in the world and I hope that never changes in him. As you can imagine, his 3 year old likes far outweigh his dislikes...

What Hayden Likes:
- Anything Sawyer Is Doing - And when I say anything, I mean anything. It can be something I know Hayden thinks is the most boring toy ever, but if Sawyer has it he wants it too. Sharing... a very hard task to learn around here! We'll get it one of these days!
- Being Outside - He doesn't even really have to be playing, he just likes to be out there which is pretty cool. I love that about boys. They can just have fun getting dirty! And though he can have fun doing nothing, he does still love going to the park and doing something! It is great! Remember my post a while back about parks?!? Well, his love for going to the park has done nothing but grow since that post. You would think since it has gotten colder outside he would choose different activities, but anytime I ask him what he wants to do it is "go to the part!" It doesn't bother him one bit that he has to be all bundled up to go in the 40 degree weather. As long as he can go slide down and play with his brother he is as happy as can be! I'm the one that is freezing cold! I'm pretty sure being outside will always be something he will like, and I love that about him. Well, other than on days it is raining that is!:) That can make for a challenging day for us!

I'm guessing he likes being outside because I let him roll
around in the leaves and throw sticks! Ha!

And play on train tracks!

- Trains - Speaking of train tracks, the boy LOVES trains! We have a train table set up at the top of our stairs(yes, we lack an actual "play" room so we have to make do!) and it is something that gets played with every.single.day. Without question, we are going to play with the trains at some point. Hayden especially loves to connect them all and play with them at once! And, loves, loves, loves for Sawyer to play trains with him. I love watching his imagination go crazy when he is playing with the trains. It is amazing what he can come up with to do with them. He is always telling me some story about what they are doing and where they are going! Love it!

Hayden loved having Thomas on the tracks with him!

And really loved throwing rocks!

Choo, choo!

- Sweet Tea - Yep! He's my child. He is still a huge milk drinker, and asks for it quite often, but he really gets excited when we give him a sweet tea. If we ever give it as an option, it will definitely be what he picks! We are branching out and giving him a few more options when it comes to drink choices, but sweet tea is definitely not always on the list. Soon enough Hayden, soon enough!

And all I had to do was mention sweet tea!

- Pizza - Definitely his favorite food(OK, so he's his father's child too!), with a McDonald's cheeseburger coming in a close second!:) The boy will do just about anything for a slice of pizza. There is no doubt about it... he loves it! Oh, and let me add here that he actually eats it with pizza sauce unlike me!:) His Daddy is proud!
- Doughnuts - Yes, I just said that pizza was his favorite food, but doughnuts(the powdered sugar cake kind) are his favorite breakfast/snack food! They are a treat around here just like pizza, and his eyes light up huge when he sees them in the pantry! He'd eat the entire bag if I'd let him!

This is exactly what his face looks like after he's had one
of those yummy things listed above! I actually asked
him how much he liked pizza and doughnuts
when he made this "Mmmm" face for me!:)

- Cars - Another for the love category! He just loves every single thing about them. The way they roll, the way they crash, how far he can throw them, and especially how they get a little out of control all on their own! It is a lot of fun to play cars with him, but just as fun to watch him play alone or with his brother. I never knew I'd own a million cars...
- Singing - Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, ABC's, Happy Birthday, Itsy Bitsy Spider, you name it and he loves to sing it. And he knows all the words. Well, let me correct myself... all the words according to him! It is the sweetest sound to listen to him sing. Unless he is singing Taylor Swift's "Mean". He sings that with a mean tone! It is so funny! I have so many videos of him singing, but still haven't managed to get one of that. I also have no idea how he knows that song. I guess we have sung along to it one too many times on the radio while driving down the road! We(including Hayden himself) have tons of fun re-watching his singing moments. Here's a little peek at a few of his favorites we recorded tonight on his birthday...

Yes, his version of Twinkle, Twinkle includes little bits of his ABC's, yes he needs Mommy to help every once and a while, yes he sang Happy Birthday to himself, and yes... he let me record all of those just so he could watch a movie! Ha! Gotta love those bribes!
- Movies - Never going to be removed from his list. I'm sure of it. He likes movies as much as I like eating at a good restaurant! It's crazy. He likes it so much it can be used as a bribe!!! And, he sits through the entire thing and then asks to watch it again. Crazy I tell you, crazy!
- Mommy - Who knew it could be so great to be a mother of boys?!? I love all the attention and love I get! I hope they never grow out of needing their Momma! Hayden has been attached to me from the very beginning, and I hope I can always call him a Momma's boy(even when it's not "cool"!!)! I love my Hayden!

Who couldn't love a face like that?!?

And a smile like that?!?

- Sydney - I think I have said since the beginning of time this would be something that would never come off his list, and it's not looking like it is. They spend so much time playing together, and it is really entertaining to watch them with each other. It's like they have their own little language. So sweet! I'm glad they get along so great!
- Camera - OMG! He got a camera/camcorder for his 3rd birthday from Auntie May, Uncle Danny and Uncle Troy and he has absolutely loved it! He hasn't even had it for a full week yet, but he is actually pretty good with it already. I guess he's been watching me snap away enough to catch on fast! Check out some of his good work...

Is this not the funniest thing ever?!?

The camera has this function where you can put different embellishments on the faces and Hayden loves nothing more than to use that feature. He rarely takes a photo that he doesn't put a funny sticker on. I really think it's because of the noise it makes when you choose one, but he does laugh out loud once it is on the person, so maybe he does like that part just as much as the noise! Either way, it is fun to watch him!
- Publix - Is this hilarious to have as a like or what?!? Hilarious or not, it's true. The boy loves Publix! Almost every time we get in the car he asks us if we are going to go to Publix. And days we are not really getting out to do anything he will just ask if we can make a quick trip to Publix. He knows it's right around the corner I guess! It's so funny how much one little cookie can make a child love a store. That free cookie they give us when we get in Publix makes grocery shopping so much easier. It's actually a "like" around here!:)
- Suckers - Oh Man. "Sutters". He loves them. That is all I need to say!

Pictures like these are super easy to get when you have suckers on hand!

- Brushing Teeth - Appropriately listed after suckers! Ha! I have mentioned before that my boys enjoy brushing their teeth, but I had to list it here too because Hayden just really likes it. I have always thought Hayden probably tolerated it because he knew he was going to get a gummy(vitamin that is!) before we started the brushing process, but that is truly not the reason. He actually likes the brushing process. And, he can do it completely by himself which is awesome! He is always getting us to look at how clean he is getting his teeth which is so cute! Soon I think we'll try out an electric toothbrush... he's been eying them at Target!:)

Bye, bye likes... hello dislikes!

What Hayden Dislikes:
- Being told what to do - I mean what child likes being told what to do? I just had to list it here because I can't think of anything else he "dislikes" enough to be listed! When I say being told what to do I am not referring to the general day to day things(chores, rules, etc.) I am talking about activities and things that would generally be his choice(which snack he wants, which show he would like to watch, which toy to play with, etc.). He is just one of those kids that likes to make the decisions, so he despises someone else trying to make them for him. I like that he knows what he wants, but it can be challenging at times also. There are obviously times he can't make the decision, so we are working on accepting others peoples choices. Not such a fun thing to teach or learn!

I sometimes get this cute, sneaky face when he is thinking
about doing something I have already asked him not
to do. SO hard not to just give in
when you get a sneaky little
smile like this one!

- Bedtime - I knew the time would come, I just didn't know when! We are so lucky when it comes to sleep around here. Matt and I like our sleep, and our kids like theirs too. It's great! Until recently we have never even had a problem when bedtime came around. We would just get ready for bed and that was it. Well, we have now entered the stalling phase with Hayden. He will do just about anything to get out of going to bed. He needs water. He has to go potty. He's hungry. He's not tired. Something scary is in his room. He lost his lovey(aka threw it behind his bed!). He needs to watch a show. He needs one more hug or kiss. He wants to pray one more time. He needs his light on. Need I say more? The child will say anything to get him 5 more minutes of awake time at night! I actually think it is really cute, but probably because it doesn't last too long before he gets tired of all the no's and just goes on to bed. I'm sure if he drug it out too much I wouldn't be thinking it was too cute!

Sleep or no sleep, I'm always gonna think he's a cutie!

Especially making these silly "huh?" faces!

Speaking of "huh?", I can really only think of one thing Hayden hasn't quite made his mind up about these days, so here it goes...

What Hayden is not sure of:
- Getting ready - There are days he loves helping to get himself ready and days he wants nothing to do with it and lays on the floor like a baby. I'm sure it won't be long before he'll be doing every bit of the getting ready process by himself, but for now he's just not sure! Of course I don't mind helping!:)

It is so hard for me to believe I am even writing about him getting ready on his own. It's just so sad.:( I don't want him to be a big boy yet! Sappy, I know. I really enjoy him at this age. He knows so much. He shares so much. He loves life. He beams with happiness. It is so great I just want it to last forever. Good thing I'll have this blog to look back on, because he's certainly growing and changing everyday. Hello year #3, we are ready for you! A few more 3 year old pics...

Hayden Turns Three!

3 year train collage! Don't you just love the
series with Thomas at the bottom?!?

Having fun in the leaves!

Train time fun!

Happy 3rd Birthday Hayden! We love you!

As you can imagine we had him a big train party for his big #3! I'll be sure to post pics from that as soon as I can find the time. For now, I gotta go enjoy my boys!:)

* Update - At 3 year appointment on December 9th with Dr. Papciak, Hayden weighed in at 29 and 1/2 pounds(10-25%) and was 35 and 1/2 inches tall(10%). Also, they started taking his BP which was 86/42. Who knew they started taking BP's at age three?!?