Matthew Turns 3

Well, it happened. My little Matthew turned three. I can't believe it! What a big boy my little guy is. He was so excited for his birthday this year. In fact, for the past 365 days- he has been telling people about his eventual birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese's. He really gets it now and it is so cute! If he did something new physically (like hopping on one foot)- I would ask him where he learned to do that. He would respond, "I learned on my birthday". In fact- most everything he does, he claims to have learned it on his birthday! It is really hilarious. This year, it was hard for him to understand that he was having two parties. First, a small party with family and then on his actual birthday- we would celebrate with him at Chuck E. Cheese. It took some explaining but eventually he got it. I, for one, was having a hard time understanding how this beautiful little boy, my baby, was turning three years old. Time is flying by so quickly now and I want to hold onto this sweet, innocent, young Matthew and make him stay this way forever!

It was fun having four kids this year on Matthew's birthday. The more the merrier! Emily loved the balloons and Matthew loved having her there! Matthew certainly felt cool on his BIG day! He picked a Cars theme for his cake and picked a Spiderman pinata. I was going to tell him he should stay with one theme but then I realized I was a bit crazy and realized he should get whatever he wants!! We had a really nice time at his party. It was super low key and just nice to catch up with everyone while celebrating our Goosey!

On Matthew's actual birthday (after watching Michael and Claire's basketball games at the gym) we all went to Chuck E. Cheese's for some fun and birthday celebrating! My Mom and Natalie were in town (they are going to watch the kids while Damien and I go to Jamaica) so they were able to celebrate with us! Damien's brother Mark and our nephew Brennan also joined us and we all had so much fun! Matthew as in ALL his glory. With a cup of tokens in hand and a pocket full of prize tickets- he ran around the restaurant like he owned it! He ate pizza, saw the Chuckster, got his cotton candy (it had to be pink) and won a bunch of little prizes when he turned in his tickets. Matthew had a great time and that is all we wanted for our little man.

A sign that he is getting older happened on the ride home when he asked me, "Mom, can I go to sleep in the car?" "Of course!" I responded. I swear, no more than thirty seconds later he was completely zonked out! When he was little, I had to BEG him to go to bed and walk him around in circles for what seemed like hours! And now he asks me go to sleep? I am LOVING Matthew being three!

Matthew is such a great kiddo. He is happy, smart, ridiculously funny, sensitive, inquisitive, sarcastic, loving, passionate, and a huge part of the happiness of our family. This has been a big year for him. Matthew went from being the baby of the family to meeting the new baby of the family. He handled the transition so well and I just love him so much. He is starting to really play an active roll in the family and fits in with the already established family dynamics. He is a great brother to his three siblings and a fantastic son to us. We are all so blessed to have him in our lives and hope he has an amazing year ahead of him. This is his last year home with me full time. Next year, he will start preschool (only two mornings a week) and start creating a life for himself outside of my care. While this saddens me greatly, I am excited to share my little boy with the world. Lord knows he brightens our days and I can't wait to see how he brightens the world one day at a time. Happy 3rd Birthday Matthew! I hope you learned a lot on your birthday this year!!!