3 Years & 4 Months

 Mateo and Ben shared a little celebration on the 3rd. Mateo had his 3rd birthday, and Ben was officially 4 months old. Mateo decided on a Phineas and Ferb birthday party. (He tried changing it to super heroes at the last minute, but I wouldn't allow it. You can't do that to a mom!) I'm a freak and like everything to follow the set theme. I had been thinking about his party as soon as Sam's party was over. For lunch, we had ham & cheese and peanut butter & jelly sandwiches. I wish I would have taken a picture of everything all set up. Phineas and Ferb is about 2 boys and all of their summertime shenanigans. What do you eat for lunch on summer break? Sandwiches! I put each sandwich in its own brown bag, then I had little cups with carrots and ranch dip. We also had chips, bottled water, and juice boxes. My brother-in-law was rather peeved about the menu at the birthday party. 1) That is incredibly rude and I put a lot of thought into this lunch. 2)You don't come to a three-year-old's birthday party and complain about what is being served. Rude.

Rude BIL aside, the party went well! Manuel and I both felt bad that Mateo couldn't have a pinata, but hopefully one day we'll have a garage so he won't miss out. It would also be nice to have a bigger house so we can invite more people. For the sake of space and my own sanity, we had to keep the guest list pretty short. Darn winter birthdays!

 It was so fun to watch Mateo's reactions as he opened his presents. Sam was pretty funny too. I've had to remind Sam numerous times that they are Mateo's toys, not his. He has a nice little double standard where he expects Mateo to share everything, but Sam doesn't have to share anything. We're working on that.

 Mateo loved all of his presents, and got so many awesome things! He's been a busy boy playing with all of his cool stuff.

 The cutest little Thor I have ever seen.

 This picture cracked me up when I saw it. I had an awesome photographer and videographer for the birthday party! Good thing too, because I get so wrapped up in everything else I'm never able to take as many pictures as I would like.

 Admiring all the presents. :) Little boys are so funny. My kids have never watched a Star Wars movie in their life, but they're obsessed. We'll probably wait a few years before we finally let them watch one.

                                                    Grandpa and Ben. :) I love this picture!

 Mateo took all of his toys to Manuel after everything was opened. The kids had a huge pile of stuff right in the main walkway. Not the best place for all of the toys to end up, but luckily no one got hurt. :)

                                                  I love this picture. 2 boys concentrating.

 Even though I BEGGED my brother not to open the dart gun, he did it anyway. No one listens!

                                                               Getting the gun ready...

                                    Shooting Uncle Michael! He totally got what he deserved!

 Going back to Phineas and Ferb, they're always creating awesome things. I decided a build-your-own sundae would be fitting and EASY. It was a big hit!

Here's a little about 3 year old Mateo: 

Favorite color: orange
Favorite foods: anything with rice, grilled cheese sandwiches, cheetos
Favorite drinks: chocolate milk, orange Fanta, any kind of juice
Favorite TV shows: Phineas & Ferb, Jake and the Neverland Pirates, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
Favorite movie: Chicken Little
Favorite song: Itsy Bitsy Spider (That is the only song he allows me to sing)

Mateo is a crazy little boy. He is stubborn, active, and hilarious. He is loving, but only on his terms. He's definitely a kid that likes his space! He looks to his big brother for cues and mimics Sam all the time. When asked how old he is, he tells people, "I am free yeaws owld." When asked his name he says, "I'm Tato-wishus!" He loves to repeat lines from movies and dance to theme songs. We sure love our Tatolicious!

I had made an appointment for Ben's 4 month well baby visit, and completely forgot about making one for Mateo's 3 year visit! Our awesome pediatrician decided to squeeze him in for me so we didn't have to come back. It's all thanks to his amazing nurse- I'm pretty sure she convinced the doctor to do it. They both rock, and I was so grateful they would do that for me! When I thanked Dr Barrett he told me it was because we're an easy visit. I took that as a compliment. :)

Mateo's 3 year STATS:  Height: 38 3/4 inches  (75th percentile)
                                      Weight: 35 lbs 4 oz  (75th percentile)

 Our sweet little Ben! He is such a sweet baby. He is very laid back and only cries when he's overly tired or exceptionally hungry. We all love him to pieces! I hope he keeps his sweet disposition. I'd like to think after the first two I've earned an easy going kid. :)

 I am the worst mom in the world because I suck at the Tummy time game. Every mom I know is so awesome at doing it. I have some serious guilt issues when it comes to that. And other things, but we won't get into those. I admitted it to the doctor and he made me feel better when he told Ben, "That's okay. I'm sure your mom doesn't want you mobile any time soon anyway." Very true!

Ben is SO close to rolling over from back to tummy to back. The only thing stopping him is his arm. The doctor gave us the ok to start him on cereal, and as soon as I can figure out sleeping arrangements, Ben will start sleeping in his big boy crib. He hates his bassinet and doesn't sleep for very long at night anymore. Kind of frustrating.

Ben's 4 month STATS: Height: 24 1/2 inches (25th percentile)

                                    Weight 13 lbs 4 oz (25th percentile)

I am so grateful for both of our happy and healthy little boys!