Kaney is THREE!!!

Kane (better known as Kaney to those who love and adore him) is officially three! With two birthday parties under his belt and a corner of the living room piled with toys and clothes, my baby boy makes it clear that he is no longer a baby. Although I have known it for some time, it is still bittersweet. On his actual birthday, which was July 1st, we were at my parents' house getting the AC fixed in my van. My brother and his family were out of town for his big birthday bash on Sunday the 6th, so we had a little pre-party at Nan and Pap's Monday night for Kane and my nephew Ethan, who share a birthday. You can't tell in the picture, but Monday he was fevered and sluggish all day. He even slept through his cake and ice cream that evening. The fever broke in the night, though, and by the time his birthday rolled around, he was feeling better. So although he missed the "party," he played and opened his presents on his birthday.

Kane chose to have a dinosaur birthday party this year. In a non-thinking moment, I asked him what kind of cake he would want to have at his party. I was expecting his answer to be blueberry, because he wants blueberries in absolutely everything. But a three-year-old's mind never works the way we expect it to, and instead he answered (with gusto), "DINOSAUR!" After some thinking, I asked if he would settle for a mountain to put his little dinosaurs on, and in the end we decided on a volcano cake. Of course, the dinos had to be moved far from the strawberry and apricot spreadable-fruit lava so they would be safe. I had a blast making it, and everyone enjoyed eating it. Definitely worth that non-thinking moment. Their imaginations inspire me.

We had fun activities outside, including a scavenger hunt with hidden dinosaurs all over the backyard, and dinosaur bones hidden in the sandbox, which the kids had to dig out with their dinosaur sand chompers to get the full skeleton assembled. Here you see Baylee, the little girl we babysit for, our niece Serena, Kane and Bella hard at work digging for dinosaur bones.

Then there was swimming and playing on the swing set, which distracted from the scavenger hunt. But it didn't surprise me. Our backyard is so much fun, with a swing set, trampoline, pool, and sand box that it's bound to distract anyone!




The only ones able to apply themselves enough to finish the scavenger hunt were Bella (with the help of her Nanny) and my husband's two youngest brothers, Mike and Jesse. They all tied and finished at the same time!









Then of course there were gifts to be opened. If you don't know already (I think it may be common knowledge), the tongue has to be positioned between the lips, at just the right angle, to properly open birthday presents. But it was worth all the hard work for all the gifts he got! From clothes to roaring/walking dinos and squirt guns to brand-new dinosaur sheets and curtains (made by Nanny), he really made out! All in all it was a perfect, warm, sunny, fun-outside, blast-of-a-birthday-party kind of day. Every time we go to my Mom and Dad's house and go for a walk or do something fun like that, Daddy says to the kids, "You know what we just did? We just made more memories!" Of course, Bella has to argue with him that they aren't memories yet, because they just happened, and won't turn into memories until tomorrow! But we definitely made some memories on Sunday!