Skyler's 3!

Skyler is now 3! His birthday was November 25^th and I can’t believe how much he’s growing up all the time. It’s absolutely crazy how much he’s changed in the last few months. He’s now wearing 4t clothes and is just about out of them. He isn’t really putting on weight, but he is growing taller. It’s amazing how different siblings can be.

He’s great at counting, is learning to sing along with songs, loves shapes, colors, and absolutely loves coloring! Hence we have markers and crayons on almost every wall downstairs. I’ve found he doesn’t really listen well, but I’m trying a couple things to help. For some reason when we call his name, he completely ignores us and I fell like I’m yelling all the time to get him to respond. I’ve considered hearing issues, but I highly doubt that since he hears when he wants to hear.

I’ve also found with him I can’t say “You need to listen” because he responds “I am listening.” So I’ve started saying “You need to do what I ask” and he usually responds “OK” and then does what I ask. It’s so nice when it works out like that!

He was potty trained in less than a month, including overnight. Once he finally started, he just went for it. He never used pull-ups and even wore underwear overnight after just a couple days. He only had a couple overnight accidents and that was it! But he did go through a week long phase where he decided to pee his pants all day long. Now keep in mind, this was after he had been accident free for nearly 2 weeks. So after a few days I told him if he wanted to wear shorts again (he hates pants) he had to start using the toilet again because he keeps peeing in his shorts and all that was left were pants! That was the key and he started using the potty again and has been doing great since. He has a couple accidents when he’s not paying attention, but overall he’s been great, and a very easy trainer! So that makes 2 potty trained by around 2 ½…hoping for another easy round with Carolee! J

This year we had his birthday part on Saturday December 2^nd, even though his bday was the week before. Why? Because I was trying to get ready for a boutique, had a ton of orders come in, and then totally forgot until it was too late. Really? I was not on my game this year. Plus, Jon didn’t get his first paycheck until right about that time so I couldn’t really do much to get ready for a party.

But we had an art party and they kids had a great time. We ended up inviting people from his nursery class because it was pretty last minute and I didn’t think about inviting the other kids he knows his age. Ooops! But at the party we had pizza for dinner which the kids decorated themselves, had a fruit loop station, let them color with markers, paint, and glitter glue, and even used a paint and spin machine where they got to create their own designs. It was a lot of fun! And for the record, Kendra made the cake and I sewed the crayon felt decorations. Pretty cute.

The kids with their pizza...
Skyler decorating his pizza...he didn't actually eat it, but it was his birthday so we let him skip it. :)
Austin and Jon were both helping at the fruit loop table while Susan and I cleared the table after eating. And if you're wondering, those display boards in the background are from Sage here in Buckeye! I absolutely love them!
The kids painting, using glitter glue, and coloring with crayons and markers.

The final product at the paint n' spin station.

Jon using the paint n' spin.
The retake of Skyler blowing out the candles since the first one was blurry. :)
Skyler opening his gifts. For some reason we were busy the entire time so he opened gifts after everyone left. The same thing happened at Caleb's 3 year old party.


He loved all the gifts he was given and had a great time!

The way we decorated one wall in the living room. We just displayed a ton of artwork and it looked great!
We made a crayon painting and it's much harder work than you would think. Basically, you unwrap crayons, and glue them onto a canvas with a hot glue gun. Then you melt them using a blow dryer and it's supposed to look good when it's done. Hmmm...it certainly wasn't as fun as I thought it would be, but it served its purpose for the party. Jon actually hung it up upside down (as shown below) because he thought it looked cooler like it was defying gravity!
The kids also made their own crayons in the silicone molds while they were here. Johnny Rockets had given us a ton of their crayons, so I didn't have to buy these ones.
Overall, the party was a success and Skyler still keeps talking to us about his birthday party. I love that we wait until they're 3 to have their first actual party. It's the first time they can really remember and appreciate it! Skyler is such a sweet boy and we love him!