Flashback: Jonathan's Birthday

Our sweet boy officially turned three on November 16. It's still hard to believe my baby is three. I know every parent in the world says to cherish these days of him being so small because they go by so quickly. It almost seems cliche, but it's true. Not a day goes by that I don't stare at him in amazement of how quickly he has grown into this adorable young boy. He truly surprises me with how much he has already learned, how he sees the world, and what joy he brings to each day. His birthday was certainly no different. 

We started the day right . . . leftover red velvet cupcakes from his party, some fun coloring, running around the backyard, and watching a couple of his favorite PBS Kids shows. And the day just got better from there. He had been asking us for weeks to go to Red Robin. He loves that place! It's as if he knew how much his mommy and daddy used to eat there when they lived in WA. Definitely a passed-down tradition. So, off to see Robin we went, and we lucked out big time! It was mega birthday night, so Red was there walking around, giving out balloons and hugs.

Of course Jonathan just had to give him a huge hug and kiss. And he had to do some dancing with Red. (Notice the pure joy on the kid's face . . . it was almost like he was with Mickey. He was so excited!)

 

After thoroughly enjoying every last bite of his "hamaburger" and fries, the crew came singing with their usual enthusiasm and brought him a yummy sundae. By that point, he was so excited that I had to spoon feed it to him (and for a moment, he was my baby again).

When it came time to say good bye to Red, we headed over to another one of Jonathan's favorite things about going to Red Robin . . . "his" car. Even when we're out, he can smell a driving game from a mile away! Red was so enamored with him that he (ahem, she) followed us over there and pretended to be in his backseat. It was adorable and a great way to end our visit.

We then headed home for more fun . . . cake time! We kinda lucked out. Uncle Gary made such a huge (and delicious) cake for his birthday party that we didn't even cut into the bottom layer. We brought it home, I added a bit more frosting and decoration, and we had his cake!

He loved it and was so excited to sing Happy Birthday again and to blow out the candle. In fact, we had to relight it about three times before he was finally okay to move on to actually eating the cake.

 Of course, he did sneak a little taste of it before it was cut. :)

He was so excited about his cake . . . so much so that he ate two pieces!!

Then of course, it was time for the call with Gamma and Gampa. They called at just the perfect time to be part of the fun. He was so excited to hear their voices!

  What birthday would be complete without laughs? Daddy had Jonathan laughing up a storm!

And, what birthday of Jonathan's would be complete without his little stinker face? Doesn't he look like he's up to something? 

We ended the day with opening a few presents and reading his new books before bed time. What a great day of celebrating!  I don't know that we'll be able to wait until next November for another birthday celebration. I have a feeling that someone will be asking for one for his half birthday. :)