THREE??!! Already!

Spike, Spike turns three today.  Where has the time gone?  I wanted to have a current photo, but we are still having camera issues, so you'll just have to imagine from Christmas.

My little man says the funniest things!  He has a fire car that he calls his 'wooo who woooo who car' because it has a siren and when you open the doors, the siren goes on and the lights too, of course.  When people ask about the car, which is painted red, he assures them it is a police car, even though it says 'fire' on the side.  Oh well.

Yesterday he was hilarious!  We were visiting a friend to check out her backyard.  It was a huge mound of dirt that she has been trying to clear away and build a retaining wall.  There is still quite a little mound out there and her little guy put one of his toys on the top of it where no one could reach it.  Spike wanted to get it down so he tried to start climbing the mound.  Finally he looks at me and says, 'I can't climb that.  It's too steep.'  I just looked at him totally confused.  What three year old knows the word 'steep' and how to use it??  And where did he hear it anyway?

With his dust allergy, we have been putting in hardwood floors, which has been a little crazy, but seems to have made a big difference, so far.

Let's see.....

Spike, I want you to know how fiercely I love you.  You crack me up.  You are so demanding and insistent about me helping you when, where and how you want it that sometimes I have to go outside and just breath before I can help.  You are exhausting.  If I were a younger mom, you would be having a really, really hard time.  I would be so much less patient and less kind.  You are so very sensitive.  You can tell how people are feeling just by the looks on their faces and the tone in their voices.

Two days ago, as we were all moving the furniture back into one of the bedrooms because the floor had just been laid that day, I came into the kitchen to find you using my four cup measuring cup, scooping out sugar onto the floor and spreading all over the kitchen.  I didn't lose my cool.  I simply said, "No Spike, No.  This is not OK," and I took it away from you and escorted you kindly out of the kitchen.  It broke your heart and you started sobbing.  I wasn't even angry and my tone was kind, just firm.  You cried and cried until I came into you, hugged you, and told you that I wasn't mad, but we couldn't make a mess in the kitchen.

It is so very, very good that your siblings love you!  You still get up every night, sometimes two or three times.  (I think it is mostly due to allergies.)  But your sister gets up with you every night and then you usually climb over your bed and into hers and snuggle with her until the morning.  You love to talk on the phone, or SKYPE on the computer to your brothers who are away at college.  And you pray for all of them and for our missionaries.

You require all of my effort and energy, but you love all of us and you give the very best hugs and kisses, especially before bed time.  And you are so funny.  When you smell something that is nasty, you say, "Peeeuuuusky."

The most important things are that you know Jesus loves you and you recognize his pictures.  I love you dearly and when you are sleeping I watch you and am just in awe of how full my heart is when I look at you.  (I don't feel that way, however, when you are screaming in my face and kicking and flailing your body because I won't do what you want.  I really don't like that.)

But thanks for coming to our house.  We love you, attitude and all!
Love Mom