Zander is now exactly 3 11/12 (he turns 4 next month). I can hardly believe how much he has gone through in his sort life. He is one tough guy. That said, he is also one of the most loving, happy-go-lucky little boys I have ever seen. When we found out we had a boy, I was thrilled (because we already had a girl), but also, I felt clueless as to what to do with a boy. What do little boys like? It was all foreign to me. Going down the "boy" isle in the toy department was like being on another planet.
While it's true that boys are different than girls in many ways, Zander, for the most part is pretty laid back. So far, he hasn't displayed any hyperactive or destructive tendencies, rather he is perfectly content to sit on the floor and build a garage for his cars out of Mega Blocks or Lincoln Logs. I am relieved that as he has gotten older he has discovered cars and blocks and pirates and such. It wasn't long ago when he would come down stairs dressed up in Natalie's dress-up clothes, tiara and all!
Currently he likes to play with his Lightning McQueen car and all the other matchbox cars (or hot-wheels as he calls them.) His preschool teacher told me at conferences that he spends a lot of time building things with blocks. I told her that Dan and I think he is going to be an engineer. She thought we were right! Zander also likes to play with his Toy-story Woody doll. When he first got the doll (happy meal toy) he checked the bottom of his foot to make sure it had "Andy's" name on it. Another similar Woody toy did not, so he asked me to write it in. Now he wants a "Woody with a string, that can talk."...guess what he is getting for his birthday! (Shhh, don't tell.)
Zander is also really into the Veggie Tales movies. We go to the premiers at the Hollywood theatre and that's all he can talk about for a week before and after. Whenever he draws or paints or plays with play-dough, he creates little Bob and Larry characters. It's pretty cute.
One thing I love most about being a mom of a three year old is listening to them talk. I love how cute they say things. Here are a few of my favorite Zander quotes:
"If your tummy is empty and your mind is full, it's berry hard to sleep that way, did you know that?"
When asked if his closet was messy he replied "My closet has things in it. That way it can look handsome."
Once he came up to me wearing his sister's pink dress up cape and so I asked him if he was dressed up like Superman and he said "No, I'm dressed up like Natalie's Hero!"
Whenever I let Hayden into the playroom to play with the other kids he says to his toys "Oh, no...A giant baby!"
"Hayden, I wuv you too, baby."
"Mom, am I growing too fast?" He is really concerned about growing up, so I asked him if he was going to be a daddy someday and he said "No, because I just want to play with my toys."
Since being potty trained about a year ago, he has become very vocal about all things potty related:
"Mom, I squeezed my shoulders and that's how poop comes out."
"Mom, we have to flush so the poop and pee can't see us, right?"
Just yesterday he came up with these gems:
"Mom, I'm wearing my foxers (boxers). Foxers are a kind of underpants."
"Dia-wee-a is a kind of poop that's like water."
Since his favorite toy is named "Woody" you can only imagine some of the funny things that he has said...trust me there are lots of them, but my favorite is:
"Natalie, will you draw a picture of me holding my "Woody." No joke! Thanks Disney/Pixar!
Besides saying funny things, Zander has little quirks with the way he likes to do things. If we are driving somewhere he will say to me "Mom, tell me when we're there, okay?" Then he will close his eyes and want everyone to talk quietly. Once he hears "We're here" he wakes up and gets ready to go. In the morning for breakfast he likes cold cereal, with no milk, but he wants to have milk in a cup to drink. He also doesn't like coming down stairs unless he is holding my hand. At first it was kind of a hassle, but now it is just part of our routine and I kind of like it. Is there anything better than holding your little boy's hand, really? I don't think so...other than his great hugs, I can't think of anything better. He is still a great snuggler.
Right now his favorite color is red. It has been for quite some time now. It started with Bob the Tomato, then the Incredibles, now Lightning is red, so he thinks that's pretty cool. His favorite shirt is a lightning McQueen sweatshirt that he changes into after school or sometimes wears to bed. Sadly, the sweatshirt is becoming too small...what ever will he wear? He's okay wearing other shirts as long as I can point out the red to him. As for pants...at times they are optional in his mind, especially during the summer months. He isn't as picky about pants, but feels most comfortable in his warm ups or sweats. He is currently on his third pair of Thomas the Train light-up shoes, but once he outgrows them I think he will be after the Lightning/Cars shoes.
Physically, he is a really solid boy. I wouldn't say fat or even chubby, but just solid. He wears glasses on the days that we can find them. His opthamologist thinks he is making good progress with them. Zander has a great smile and a cute little mole on his cheek.
He has been enjoying preschool this year and I am glad that he has the opportunity to play with other boys his age. On the way home today he was singing the funniest turkey songs to me. He has a Thanksgiving feast program coming up at school, so I'm sure I'll get to hear all the things he has learned.
Okay, that's another book. Glad to have all these details down about my little guy. Thanks for taking the time to connect with me.
Before it snowed much, the kids were already out there
A few hours later, it hailed and snowed until the ground was completely white. Our house looks good covered in snow, don't ya think?
Come on guys, I want to play too!
Our snow covered road.
This was the wildest sunset I have seen in a while.
