Bobby is 3

My baby is three!

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Bobby is a hoot!  He didn’t really think it was his birthday.  His birthday fell on Tomato Days, so we didn’t celebrate until that evening and he informed me earlier when I asked that it was NOT his birthday.

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Bobby is very determined and strong-willed.  He has an opinion about most everything, but especially what he wears.  This yellow Batman shirt, an Old Navy flag shirt, and “camp shirt” (usually a flannel shirt but sometimes that just means a long sleeved shirt) are pretty much his standard attire.  One week, to my chagrin, he wore that darn flag shirt 3 days in a row … and it was dirty!  But he insists and, by number five, I pick my battles.  The shirt one isn’t one I’m usually interested in fighting.

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Another of his funny traits is that if something happens that he doesn’t really like or appreciate, Bobby will fold his arms, furrow his brow, frown, and say repeatedly, “you make me so mad!”  Sometimes there doesn’t seem to be any reason why he should be so mad!  And, usually, I can break his madness by telling him not to smile until he caves and smiles.  It is funny though!  Yesterday, he actually stomped his foot as he told me “I’m so mad!”

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While Bobby does love Batman, he very much loves the show “Paw Patrol.”  He also loves “Team Umizoomi” and “Dino-Trux.”  He loves playing with toy cars and trucks and planes and helicopters.  Bobby loves stories and books.  He’s figured out how to read stories on the ipad and there is a Lego game he likes as well.   Bobby can ride his bike with training wheels and zooms around the driveway after his brothers!

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Bobby does not like being treated different than his brothers.  If they get a snack, he wants one.  If they are doing homework on a tablet or computer, he wants equal screen time.  If they are practicing the piano, he’ll wander in and pound out a tune.  If Kevin is taking the boys to school, Bobby wants a ride, too.  He knows he’s three if you ask him, but he acts like he’s 12!

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This costume of Chase from “Paw Patrol” was a favorite birthday gift.

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But even more favorite were the two sets of Batman jammies he got – one from me and one from his aunts.  One is “black Batman” and the other “blue Batman” and he pretty much only likes wearing them each night.  He will let us know that if he would rather be blue or black each night.

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He has a great smile, a silly giggle, and brown eyes that melt my heart.

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Long eye-lashes and a smooshy tummy – he’s my favorite number 5 son!

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I like to hug him and kiss him (even though he wipes the kisses off and says, “no kissing!”) and I sometimes call him “George,” which he hates and corrects me!  “Me not George! Me Bobby!”  The other day, we were talking about a Robert and he popped his head up from where he was playing and said, “That me!”  Kevin and I were shocked he knew his name was Robert!  Today if you ask him if he is Robert, he’ll declare, “No!  Bobby!” so who knows how he got it right earlier!

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Bobby needed his birthday party, too.   However, I don’t know a ton of three year olds and the ones he plays with are the kids of our friends, so I decided to cheat.

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I combined our back to school bbq with a party for Bobby built in!  Easy enough for me and he knew it was his party, so we both won!

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Hamburgers and hot dogs and friends …

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I went with an animal theme (because 3 year old parties seem to need a theme).  This game was only for the 3 year olds – stomp the pigs!  After catching all the pigs and putting them in the pen, the little people got to pop them all.  Not my idea of fun, but they thought it was great!

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No animal themed party is complete without some pin the tail on the donkey …

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My favorite part was the train (and the inspiration for the animal theme).  Our friends have this train and let us borrow it for the party.

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Bobby thought it was pretty cool!

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We did a pinata as well.  That may be the last pinata I ever do … it brings out the crazy in kids!

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Brownies and ice cream.  Birthday candles.  A fire.  Night games.  Running and giggling and playing for hours.  What more could this little man have wanted out of a party?

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I absolutely love my little brown-eyed caboose!!