Happy 3rd Birthday, Joshua Douglas Good!

Here is my sweet boy on his third birthday...I loved his smile next to his brand new big boy undies!The night before his birthday, Joshua was up off & on all night, screaming in pain. Shawn & I didn't know what to do. So, we prayed. I think he had a stomach ache. He kept asking me to kiss his "ouchy belly." I feared it was appendicitis (since I had that pretty young) but thankfully he seemed better (just extremely tired) the next morning.So, I wasn't sure which of my plans for him to keep and which ones to cancel. I thought a nice big breakfast (the one meal he typically eats) might be a fun treat, and I invited my mom to join us. We rode together to Oregon Dairy up the street, where Joshua had maybe two bites of pancake and two strips of bacon. He LOVED the tops that were part of his goody bag, along with the teddy graham crackers (which he ate before his meal came). He also received a little cake to take home for his birthday, which I thought was nice, and a "good start breakfast" box for each kiddo.After breakfast, we let the boys play on the playground outside for a little bit. It had rained that morning, though, so it was pretty wet. Soon we decided to head back home, where Joshua laid down for a morning nap. When he woke up, we had a message from Grandpa Georgia where Joshua held a conversation with the answering machine (Dad said "Hi, Josh!" and Joshua said "Hi, Grandpa Georgia!" to the voicemail...so funny!!!).Since both boys were up early, we went for a walk around the neighborhood and played in the garage and also in the backyard. The weather had cleared up and it was a beautiful fall day. After we came inside, I laid Caleb down for another nap and asked Joshua if he would like to open his presents from Grandma & Grandpa Ginder and Aunt Erica. The boxes had arrived previously during the week, but we wanted to wait for his special day to tear into them. He was excited! Daddy told me to go ahead without him when Caleb was down so Joshua could look at everything himself first without a little helper.First, we started with Aunt Erica's box. Joshua received an outfit (which was so cute - it looked like something Daddy would wear) and Elmo PJ's (which he was excited about). He also got a cute pumpkin t-bear "treat" and a cup with a straw that he LOVED. Look at his priceless face below when he opened it!Next it was time to open the big box...only this thing was taped so thoroughly that it took Mommy a LONG time to finally get it open. The first thing Joshua dug out was a little adventure backpack with a sleeping bag, bottle and flash light.He LOVED the flashlight and told me it had a bug on it (which I didn't get at first...here there's a bug on the light part itself). He has carried it everywhere!Then he saw the counting books. When we were at his friend Isabella's house, he didn't want to put down the "Five Little Lady Bugs" and now he has his very own copy!Next he got out his adventure pack with a little watch and utility knife and survival items. Looks like Daddy will have to go on an exploration with the Bean!Joshua was also thankful for this sing-a-long CD and the clothes he got (with an adjustable waist- yeah!).He was thrilled with his Elmo undies & Disney bigger undies.Soon enough Caleb woke up & Daddy was coming home. For Joshua's birthday, I made Pesto Tortellini Alfredo. It's hit or miss with him what he'll eat, but this is something he's had before and liked. It has cheesy noodles & bacon...what more could you want (although he honestly didn't eat much all day long, and I didn't push it since he had been sick the night before and it was his special day). After we were finished, I dug out the cake from Oregon Dairy (why make one if one was given to you???) and I re-decorated it just a bit for his birthday...Then I lit the candles and we sang to our big boy! He (like other kids) loves the happy birthday song. Daddy helped me blow out the candles since he didn't want to get too close...And after a few bites, he didn't want any more so we fed some to Caleb and also hada few bites. Yumm!!! Next, we went back outside to play. The photo below is actually of Caleb on Joshua's birthday. He is wearing the Bean's helmet and pushing the shopping cart...so funny!Soon it was dark and time to come inside. As a special treat, Daddy let Joshua bowl on the Wii by himself.And he did a pretty impressive job...look at that score!Then we changed the boys into their jammies and gave Joshua his birthday gifts from us, which included a baseball glove & ball and a 'real' golf club. We didn't go crazy this year with gifts since we also purchased a bigger party for him. He LOVED them (even more than we suspected) and he begged to go outside and play until Daddy showed him how dark it was.Soon, we gave him more love and then took him up to his big boy bed after an eventful day. Originally we had been planning on taking him to Bounce-U again for his birthday, but when he wasn't feeling well the night before, we didn't want to push it. We wanted to make sure he had energy for his party the next day!Happy birthday, my little love! May your third year be the best yet!