{3}

Simple as that...

my little man is THREE today!

Just typing those words makes me want to burst into tears.

He really gets the whole "birthday" thing this year.

So we've been celebrating for the past few days, and talking about his cake and his party.

Tonight, after his bath, we snapped a few monkey shots.
The last time we did it, he was two...and now, he's three!

Happy Birthday, my dear sweet boy!

I can't even believe that three years ago at this time (writing this at 2am), I was trying to sleep in a hospital bed, anticipating your arrival the next day. The day that I would become a mom, and fall so deeply in love with you. A love that I never even imagined could exist. That day was amazing, but every day since then has only gotten better. You are such a sweet and mellow (most of the time) little man. I love being able to stay home with you every day. I hope you have a very special third birthday! I love you so very much, Mommy

And as a reward for sitting still during my "monkey shots"...

I let you JUMP on my bed!

Like I said...We've been celebrating for a few days.

On Sunday, we took Barrett to Wichita for a "special day."

We all had our first experience at Build-A-Bear!

It was fun, and Barrett picked out an adorable puppy!

 {filling up his puppy}

{warming up his puppy's heart}

{putting the heart in his puppy}

{yep, he LOVES him}

{bath time}


After the puppy's bath, we looked at the clothes.
Barrett like the basketball uniform, mostly because it came with a ball, and a skateboarding shirt.
We might have persuaded him to get a little Nebraska shirt instead :)

 We rode the rocket ship at the mall, and then headed to Red Robin for lunch!

I think this (Red Robin, not the rocket ship) was a first for Barrett too!

After Red Robin, we did a little bit of shopping for his birthday party supplies,  then headed to Target so he could pick out a toy. He'd been telling us he wanted a dinosaur ALL day, but once we got to the toy isle, he found plenty of other things he'd rather have. Justin and I were very entertained by the cute Dinosaur Train interactive dinos, but Barrett insisted he didn't want a dinosaur anymore, and that he wanted a Buzz Lightyear toy.  Eesh! (I hope he still likes the dino party I have planned for this weekend)

So, we loaded up with the new (LOUD) Buzz toy, and headed home.
Stopping for ice cream at DQ on the way. One of Barrett's favorite things! He's definitely our child!!

Once the ice cream was gone, this was the scene in the back seat!

I think he enjoyed his special day!

Mealtime Makeover for 2011

THANK YOU, THANK YOU to my friend Amber (and her sister Jessica) for discovering this awesome meal planning site!

As soon as I heard about it from Amber, I went to check it out and signed right up!

I have been wanting an easy meal planning guide for a long time, and this one is perfect!

If you're ready to simplify your meal planning, shopping and cooking for 2011, check out the link below! AND it's only $15/every 3 months!
Sounds like an infomercial, huh?!?  I'm just that excited!!

 

E-MEALZ Easy Meals for Busy and Frugal Families

I love that they have so many different plan options: meals for 2, for family, lowfat, gluten free, weight watcher points based, vegetarian...AND they also have them by the store you like to shop at! That way each menu is planned based on the stores current sale prices.

We got the "Meal Plan for 2-Walmart" since Barrett doesn't eat a whole lot.
I would much rather have Kroger, but they don't have a Kroger for 2 yet. I need to email them :)

My hubby loves that we're not eating my same-ol same-ol meals

I love that the recipes are super simple, but yummy

I love that my grocery list is made for me; just click, download, print and head to store

Barrett has loved everything so far too

You can view samples of all the menu types on their site! Enjoy~

Big boy room

We started off the new year, with a new room for Barrett!
Well, that was after Barrett and I got over our spell of the Flu! Not fun!

I knew it was time to make this transition, but I'd kinda been putting it off.

Not because I didn't think Barrett was ready. 

But because I wasn't sure if I was ready.

So, on January 1st, he had his last night in his crib.

After Barrett got up on January 2nd, we started taking down the crib.

I deep cleaned the whole room, and re-arranged to get ready for the new bed.

I had planned to buy this dinosaur bedding from Pottery Barn Kids. But just before I went to order it, some adorable bedding (and decor for the WHOLE room) fell into our laps! My friend Heidi's mom was re-doing a room, and wanted to get rid of her bear bedding set.  It worked out perfectly! She'd had twin bunk beds where it was used, so we ended up with TWO bed spreads and two sheet sets. Plus throw pillows, shams, wall hanging, clock, lamp and stuffed bear pillows!! AND, it went with the current wall colors, so we didn't have to paint!

After we got the new bed in, I couldn't wait to get everything all put together.
Justin hung some of the stuff on the wall, moved the moose, and I changed out the pictures in this frame.

That afternoon, Barrett slept in his bed for the first time!

Then, that night, we tucked him in for his first night's sleep in his new bed!

Then I stood in the hall and tried not to cry.
Justin made fun of me =) I told him I couldn't help it!
I just kept thinking...we put that crib up the November before he was even born, and now it's gone.
It's official...he is a big boy (almost three), and the years are flying by.

I was hesitant to make this switch for a few reasons...

He's was such an amazing sleeper in his crib, I was afraid the new bed might change that.
And I didn't want the feel of his cozy little room to change.

Well, neither of those things changed. He has done AMAZING in his new bed. I don't know why I ever worried.  He goes right to sleep every night, and for naps. He even waits for me to come in in the mornings before he gets out!! He'll call out, "Mommy, me ready to get up out of my bed now." It's just adorable! I am so proud of him! He still sleeps the same 12 hours at night, and naps are still 3+ hours.  At night, I tuck him in and read stories with him, then Daddy comes in to read with him. I love being able to snuggle up in bed while we read (although I do miss the rocker too). It's been a great transition.

The room is just as cozy as it was before.
Still my favorite room in the house, and I will miss it one of these days!
{See the room before....Barrett's room::March 2010}

 

We love your new room, and your big boy bed, Barrett!!