October 20, 2015 (3 Years, 8 months)

Andrew had a great summer, his days were filled with splashing in the pool with his daycare friends, playing at the park, swimming at the lake, going out for ice cream, and enjoying events in our neighborhood like eating at the food carts.

Andrew likes to get in nature and go for walks and hikes. He is usually happy the first half but then complains about how far away the van is on the way back. This summer we visited Devil's Lake, Durwoods Glenn, Gibraltar Rock, and Pope Farms Conservancy.

 

 

Andrew has his Daddy's appetite and his Mommy's sweet tooth. He loves treats especially ice cream and cookies.

Andrew had fun helping Daddy with the garden and landscaping this year. He especially enjoyed picking and eating cherry tomatoes and green beans. He is also quite proud of the pumpkins from the garden.

 

 

Andrew loves to play at Grandma and Grandpa house, especially when hay baling is going on! Andrew faced his fear of big machinery and loud noises to go on a quick tractor ride with Daddy. He also loves to pet, feed, and ride the animals.

 

Andrew practiced casting his line a few times this year but he is still a bit too impatient for fishing.

 

 

Andrew loves to make forts, his favorite is to pile all the throw pillows from the couches on our corner end table so he can hide and watch shows or play games on the tablet.

 

Andrew continues to pick up the chickens. They are used to him now so when they see him coming instead of running/flying away they actually lay down and wait for him to pick them up.

 

Andrew LOVES movie nights! Well to be honest he doesn't actually like to watch movies, but he LOVES the popcorn!

 

 

Andrew loves apples and had a blast during our annual trip to the apple orchard.

 

 

Andrew passed the Shrimp Dip level of swim lessons and next round he will start the preschool level with Shrimp 1-the first class he will be without Dad in the water with him. He did a great job and is now fearless when it comes to jumping in off  the side, getting his head submerged, and holding his breath.

Despite Mom's best efforts, Andrew has started pretending to play with guns. He doesn't have any toy guns but instead builds them with legos or just uses his hands. He makes the pew pew sound and says he is shooting monsters or bad guys.

Andrew loves riding his trike, he is hesitant to get on his balance bike and only rides it for a couple minutes at a time.

Andrew is no longer obsessed with trains and has now moved on to stuffed animals. He has a couple favorite stuffies including bird and kitty but just about any stuffy will do especially if it is new or belongs to someone else. He still likes Thomas the Train but doesn't usually ask to watch it, his new favorite shows are Daniel Tiger and Caillou.

 

When asked what he wants to eat, Andrew will almost always answer with Mac N Cheese.

July 21, 2015 (3 Years, 5 Months)

Andrew celebrated the Fourth of July by doing art projects and going to our neighborhood celebration which included a kids fun run, bike parade, carnival games, and ice cream. He is still very afraid of loud noises and did not enjoy the fireworks let off all around our neighborhood. It was a rough night!

 

Andrew LOVES sweet corn on the cob! But then again, who doesn't?!?

 

Andrew is often resistant to go play outside complaining that it is too hot or the sun is too bright. Once we are outside he usually has fun and is even starting to have fun running through the sprinkler.

 

Andrew really likes to go the beach and play in the sand. There is a park close to our house on the lake that is stocked with sand toys. As an added bonus it is right across the street from an ice cream shop!

 

 

We also like to visit Governor Nelson State Park.

 

 

Andrew has started his 2nd round of swim lessons. He is getting more confident now and will jump off the side of the pool and is willing to put his face into the water.

 

Andrew loves to go to the zoo and see all the animals; his favorites are the giraffes and the seals. He loved riding the zoo train last year but this year is happy just to watch it go past.

 

Andrew is often resistant at bedtime claiming that he isn't tired. If we ignore him he usually lays in the hall outside his bedroom door and falls asleep quickly.

 

 

June 21, 215 (3 years, 4 months)

Andrew has really enjoyed raising our chickens so far. he loves to pick grass for them to eat, chase them around the yard to try and pet them, and feed them mealworms out of his hands.

Andrew is destined to be the class clown, he is always being silly and trying to make other children laugh. He makes friends easily and is not afraid to introduce himself to other kids at the park and ask if they want to play with him.

Andrew is Daddy's big helper. He loves to be right by Daddy's side helping or imitating him while he works.

Andrew dresses himself most days. He is getting better at matching his outfits although we sometimes disagree about the definition of "matching." He likes to wear his shirts backwards.

Andrew takes really good care of his stuffies especially his favorite puppy named "puppy." He likes to read them stories, makes sure to get them snacks when they are hungry, and puts them down for naps when they get sleepy. He even makes sure they have a toy to play with while they fall asleep! :)

Andrew is a chatterbox and talks to everyone. He is very curious and inquisitive and not afraid to speak up and ask questions even to people he doesn't know such as a server at a restaurant ("Excuse me mister, can I have chocolate milk?") or employee at the grocery store ("Why are you putting those boxes there?") He is very interested in learning how things work, one recent topic of interest is where water comes from and where it goes and he likes to get down under the sink to look at the pipes.

Andrew loves to paint, here he is hard at work painting a train bank with Daddy at Fired Up Pottery.

Andrew has developed a dislike for the smoke detector in his bedroom. He often asks us to take it down and sometimes even cries about it and hides under his blankets.

 

There are few things Andrew enjoys more than a popcorn and movie night. He insists on holding his own bowl of popcorn but is usually willing to share.

Andrew prefers pants over shorts even on really hot days. He hates to wear socks and takes them off immediately upon entering the house. He likes to be barefoot even outside and is constantly taking his shoes off.

 

Andrew went to his first Brewer's game. At first he hated it, the loud noise from the crowd, announcer, and fireworks overwhelmed and scared him. He covered his ears and cried that he wanted to go home, even sitting by his big cousins didn't make him feel better. After taking him out and walking around the stadium for a bit we convinced him to go back in and watch the rest of the game but he was not a fan :(.

Andrew is afraid of loud noises. He loves to look at big trucks and tractors from a distance but will not get close if they are running. He hides when Mommy uses the food processor, blender, or carpet shampooer but is used to the vacuum. He doesn't like fireworks. He avoids public bathrooms due to loud flushes and hand dryers.

Andrew is often hesitant to go play outside complaining that it is too hot or the sun is too bright. He does get excited to go to the park or play with water. He had a ton of fun playing car wash and also loves to launch his rocket.

April 21, 2015 (3 Years, 2 Month)

Andrew loves our new baby chicks! When we first got them he was vey concerned about where they were going to poop and if they might poop on him. When deciding on names his top picks were train, bus, and tractor. He also suggested fan, owl, and plate.

 

 

Andrew had a very happy Easter! When we decorated eggs he dyed all of his green, which is now his favorite color (blue has been downgraded to second favorite color).

 

 

Andrew had fun finding eggs at our neighborhood egg hunt and even met he Easter bunny. He was reluctant to get his picture taken with the Easter bunny but later kept trying to touch his tail.

 

 

 

Andrew found a special Easter basket that the Easter Bunny hid under his bed. It was filled with all kinds of fun things (Thomas the Train hat, kite, bubbles) but he was most excited about the jellybeans!

 

 

During Easter Sunday service Andrew had fun coloring, eating snacks, crawling under the chairs, and trying to run away from Mom and Dad.

 

On Alex's birthday, Andrew was more than happy to help Alex play with his balloons, eat his cake, and open his presents.

 

 

 

 

Andrew loves sensory exploration and can play happily for hours with scoops and trucks. We have used rice, oats. cloud dough, lentils, mixed dry beans and of course sand.

 

 

 

Andrew continues to crack us up with his choice of sleep positions. He always takes his blue blankey and lots of toys to bed with him such as his gray engine, bus, puppy, Thomas the train, lego trains, matchbox cars, and other stuffies. He usually parks his trains and cars in their shed (i.e. under his pillow) or in the crack between his mattress and the wall.

 

 

 

 

 Andrew is becoming very social, he loves having his little friends come over for daycare and always gets excited to meet new friends at the park. He is learning to greet other kids with "Hi, I'm Andrew, what's your name?" Instead of "What's your name? What's your name???" And then refusing to tell them his name.

 

Andrew often reenacts scenes from books, shows, real life, or his imagination when playing with his toys. Some of my recent favorites are: "Are you going to eat me?" "No, I'm not going to eat you." "Okay  good, lets play." and "Poop." "Why did say you poop? Do you have to go potty?" "No I just like to say it." "Yucky!"

 

Andrew picks out his own clothes and dresses himself most days. His outfits don't usually match but he is getting better. He almost always wears sweat pants and refers to regular pants as "church clothes."

 

Andrew likes to make up silly games to play with his friends. Some favorites are "Monster Hide" (run down the hall and pretend you are hiding from a monster), "Monster Dark" (similar to monster hide but with the addition of hiding in a dark room), "That Chasing Game" (run around and chase each other then roll around on the floor giggling), "That Flying Game" (throw stuffies in the air and pretend they are flying), and "That Jellybean Game" (drive cars or trucks around and pretend they are stuck in jellybeans, other variations include mud and peanut butter)

 

To Andrew, anything that happened in the past happened yesterday. This can get confusing when he is talking about something that happened several weeks or months ago. His memory is quite good!

 

February 21, 2015 (3 Years!)

Andrew is 3 years old!!! How did that happen?? He had an awesome birthday that started with waking up to a decorated living room filled with balloons. He had a really fun party visiting with his family, playing with his cousins, eating a Thomas the Train themed cake, and of course opening presents.

Andrew has been experiencing intense emotions. He isn't just hungry, he is "Sooooo hungry." He isn't just thirsty, he is "Sooooo thirsty." He doesn't just want to watch TV, he is "Sooooo TV." He doesn't just want to eat a muffin, he is "Sooooo muffin."

Andrew has broadened his horizons, television-wise. In addition to watching Thomas the Train, now also likes to watch Dinosaur Train and Chuggington. Okay so I guess he hasn't broadened his horizons too much!

Andrew uses, possibly overuses, the phrases "oopsie daisy" and thanks to Chuggington, "oh bumper!"

In addition to scribbling, Andrew likes to trace his hand and draw circles, the letter H, and rainbows.

Andrew likes to give you an end of his blankey to hold while he leads you around the house to pretend to visit various family members. Grandma lives in his bedroom, Aunt Rachel lives in Mommy and Daddy's bedroom, Aunt Mary lives in the kitchen, etc.

Andrew likes to have Mommy and Daddy close their eyes and pretend to be asleep so he can wake us up by making a loud noise either with a shaker bottle or any other noisy toy.