Happy 3rd Birthday, Matthew!

It doesn't seem like 3 years ago I reluctantly checked into the hospital for a doctor-suggested induction and delivered this 10 pound 14 oz (yes, you read that right!) 23 inch long bundle of JOY!

This delivery we decided to NOT find out what we were having and I rank those experience as the highlights of my life.  Matthew came out and everyone in the room gasped and it scared me, then I realized they gasped because he was so BIG!

He was so sweet and precious and I could tell he had a calm disposition. We had nurses who stopped by our room to see the near-11 pound baby that was delivered.  He was a star and he still is, in our hearts!

So, here we are, 3 whole years later and our sweet Matthew is turning 3 today!

I feel like this transition from 2-3 has been the most eventuful year of Matthew's life.  He adjusted to being a big brother, became very shy, slowly transitioned out of it, and has emerged a fun, sweet, mess of a little boy!

Matthew spent most of the year refusing to get his picture taken, therefore, I have very few pictures of him actually looking at the camera.  It was a stage, I know, and he has slowly come out of it.  He still has days where he doesn't want his picture taken, but generally he will let us now!

I love this picture because I feel like captures a moment in time where he transitioned from a little toddler into our big boy!  I love his sweet brown eyes, brown skin, and brown hair.  What a precious gift he is!

During the spring and summer, Matthew showed a big interest ALL sports and we generally played them all the time in our backyard!  We could really tell that he probably has a God-given talent for some kind of sport.  We're not sure what, but we'll find out in a few years if that is what he wants. He can hit a ball like nobody's business!

We played outside so much this summer and Matthew was right there always wanting to go outside and get into water!  He really became my water baby this summer!

In July we made our annual trip back to Alabama for close to 3 weeks.  Matthew had a hard summer figuring things out!  It seems like we worked on discipline a LOT this summer.  We went through a period of wanting very specific socks, specific blankets, and certain PJs for nap and bedtime.  I think he just needed some time to transition from being a 2 year old to being 2 and a half!  It's hard to be little!

Matthew played so much baseball this summer!  Here he is toward the end of July looking SO big all of a sudden and hitting the ball great but refusing to run any bases!  Silly boy!

In August we were so happy to finally be able to take a great, long family vacation.  It seems like all I'd done the last 3 years is have babies, so we were finally ready this summer to head to Florida.  Almost overnight we saw him start to blossom and slowly come out of his shell as he discovered different surroundings and learned a little bit more about the world around him!  We hit up a Disney resort for 2 days then headed to the beach.  He loved the Nemo splash pad and I think he would have stayed ALL day if we had let him.

We were very afraid that he would hate the beach and the waves and the sand but he really did love it!  He loved the shells, the sand, and was generally curious about everything we encountered and all the new places we visited.  He grew up overnight on our beach trip!

Fresh off of our beach trip, Mother's Day Out started.  He had gone 2 days last year, but he would only be there 1 day this year.  He has done wonderfully in his room.  He loves to go, loves his teacher, and she says he just plays and has the best time every week.  I love his smile on school days when he runs right in and never looks back.

At the end of September, we packed up yet again, and flew to the Sunshine State to meet up with family for a week at Disney!  This flight and trip was great because the boys knew exactly what to do (it was the same flight) and they really seemed to enjoy traveling!

We were fearful, yet again, that he would recoil in terror at all the rides and we kept asking ourselves, "who will sit with Matthew while the rest of us go on rides?!"  It was not to be.  This child rode EVERYTHING.  He shocked us the whole trip!  He rode everything and he was so good!

Matthew went from never wanting his picture made, to asking us everyday before we left the hotel if we would take his picture with Mickey!  I could tell that my little guy had indeed grown up during the latter half of the summer.  No longer was he a little baby or a toddler, but he was slowly turning into a little boy who had an adventerous spirit.

We have enjoyed our fall and enjoyed seeing Matthew grow before our eyes!  It seems like every week I'm trying clothes on and throwing them into my "does not fit" pile and digging through big brother's clothes to put on something bigger!  He's my constant snacker and I know he has hit a growth spurt lately.  Last weekend we put a pair of brother's 4T jeans on him and they basically fit!  We skipped straight from 2T-4T it seems like!  Matthew also started church choir this fall and it has surprised me so much, but he has loved it!  He doesn't really sing but he knows every word and he just loves to go to choir and see his teachers!

If I could think of anything that seems like Matthew, it would be this picture!  I regularly catch him attempting to do things like this all the time.  I hope and pray he won't be my child to ride motorcycles and attempt dangerous things, but I just see that twinkle in his eye, and I know he's going to be my adventerous little boy!

I'm so thankful that I get to be his mom!  I'm so thankful that God gave him to us to raise, love, and learn from.  Happy 3rd Birthday, Matthew!  We love you so much!  We can't wait to see how you learn and grow over this next year as you transform from 3-4! Happy Birthday Buddy!