His 3rd Birthday Party

Even though Jaron's birthday party didn't exactly turn out the way we expected (about 7 people weren't able to come),  Jaron still had a great time. Not to say that we didn't miss those who couldn't come (Nanna & Pappa, Grandma & Grandpa, the rest of his aunts and uncles, "Aunt" Carole & "Uncle" Fred, and our new friends TJ and Reed and their Moms), but we're very glad for those who could come, which was his Aunt Neenie and Uncle Dan along with his cousins, Eli and Gabe. We also invited a college friend of Jeremy's, Matt and his wife Danielle, along with their baby girl, Avery (so cute!) who happen to live right here in the same town as us, about 3-5 minutes away! It was a full house with plenty of laughter, spaghetti (one of Jaron's favorite meals, without the sauce for him, of course) and cake.

Me: Jaron, what would you like for your birthday this year?
Jaron: Cake! Brown cake!

So that's exactly what he got! That's not all he got, but he did get his "brown" cake...chocolate, that is.

Here are some pictures of our evening.

Abigail loves Aunt Neenie.

Uncle Dan enjoys working in the kitchen. Here he's whipping up an excellent dressing for the salad.

The three cousins Eli, Jaron and Gabe. My, what three VERY different personalities, but great buddies.

There's our party gal...

Three boys waiting very patiently for some birthday cake

So serious

This picture cracks me up. He was trying so hard to give us a sincere smile.

Jaron Turns 3!

Jaron has grown by leaps and bounds. Amongst Abigail's physical therapy, her illness, and our concentration on her developments, I have failed to post on our little guy who is growing up way too fast for me! His third birthday was yesterday. My little chubby, cuddly, giggly, bright blue-eyed baby boy is now three! 

Jaron is talking in full sentences with a vast understanding of his little world around him (whether he lets on like he does or not). He is very much into any construction with tools and machines, mostly because his Daddy does so much around the house with them. His imagination has taken off, whether it be building something with his tools, or having a simple conversation with himself (very interesting and funny to listen to). He loves to "finger" paint, but prefers to use a paint brush (sounds like his Uncle Tim). He still loves to sing and does right well with that too (also sounds like his Uncle Tim). His pitch is remarkable for a three year old. He will jump octaves in the middle or at the end of the song just to make it a bit more interesting. He's got a very strong will, but a huge capacity to love. He loves his little sister and is always watching out for her. For instance, Jaron will always warn either Jeremy or I when Abbie is climbing up the stairs for worry that she might fall, and he will close the basement door if she gets too close to it for fear that she might fall down those stairs, and he will put her pacifier in her mouth if she is crying to calm her (probably also because he doesn't like loud noises, and boy is she loud!). I am amazed at how well the two of them play together for being at such different stages. He has learned to communicate with Abbie in his own way and she gets it. It's great to just sit back and watch the two of them.

Jaron has been potty trained for about a month in a half now. We quit cold-turkey on  diapers, figuring that if we're going to tell him that he has to stay dry except for during the night, that it would probably confuse him, so we have not put a diaper on our boy since the day he started potty training. It is so nice to have only one child in diapers now.  

We have been working on Scripture verses with Jaron. He can quote three verses ( Eph. 6:1, Phil. 2:14, and I John 4:19) and say what the Fruits of the Spirit are. Trying to incorporate what those verses mean into his heart is the tricky part :)

We love our first born so much and pray for his heart every day. We need God's wisdom to train him and all our children up properly in the fear of the Lord, so that He will one day give his whole heart to Jesus.

Here is Jaron at 8 months old.

Remodel Bathroom: Check!

Well, it wasn't really a remodel; it was more of an upgrade.  But it seems like a whole new bathroom to us!

Pictures say it all so I've posted a bunch of them below...

Before

After

Cup Of Tea

This is for you Nana! Thanks for the tea set! I love it!

Love,

Abbie