I bet you know where this blog is going. Oh boy...holding back the tears, my baby is three. I have been prepared for this moment for a while as Ben has been talking and reasoning like he's 18 for most of his two status (in which there have been many times that I have had to remind myself that he isn't older). But still, facts and dates don't lie, he is officially three. I won't bother with statements like "where did the time go" and "I remember when....", but in the tradition of bragging about my offspring I will go ahead and share some stuff that I like about my little fellow. Here it goes....

He is a great alarm clock and a creature of habit. Almost every morning I feel about thirty pounds dragging over me to get to the center of the bed. Darrel or I hand him the remote and juice and he makes himself at home. I laugh a little inside when he nudges me to take his cup and place it on the night stand. Men. Always cleaning up for them, even in my sleep. But my favorite mornings are when he takes out one of my earplugs and whispers "I love you mommy" in my ear, or "Can you please put on Dora?".

He loves his little brother. Loyal does not even define what Ben is to Harrison, it's almost motherly. Oh, he feels alright taking toys from Harrison and pushing him around a little bit, but others beware because Ben will give you (me) a stern talking to if he feels that Harrison is being hasseled (disciplined) in some way. It is a dynamic that I have never experienced before (I'm an only child), but it is very sweet to see a big brother in action.

He likes my cooking. Everynight when we sit down for dinner Ben flatters me with kind words about my culinary skills. He says stuff like, "This is a good dinner mama!", "Delicioso!" (thanks to Dora) and "Wow, how'd you make this?" He knows the way to my heart.

The boy has got some great dance moves. Always has. At age one he could do the robot seamlessly, and now he is perfecting his twirling which pleases Darrel so. I love the dance parties we have in the kitchen before I start making dinner. Some of my most favorite moments are watching Ben goofily dancing around, smiling his biggest smiles, and giggling up a storm. Just FYI, Ben's favorite song to dance to is Harry Belafonte's "Jump in the Line"- think Beetlejuice. It's a crack up hearing him say, "Shake your body" and "Ok, I believe you."

He's cool like that. He uses great phrases like "Oh snap!", "Crackalackin'", and "That's whack!" And he uses them appropriately, which makes us even more proud.

He loves to read his bible. We started reading it to him more regularly when he moved into a big boy bed over a year ago and now it has become a nightly ritual. I mention this because it is so neat to hear Ben ask us to read a bible story to him at bedtime, and for him to now recognize the stories and characters. What's more rewarding is hearing Ben talk about what he's learning in bible school and to see his growing understanding of how big and wonderful our God really is. There are some nights where Ben will ask if he can stay up a little longer to read his bible- I mean how do you say no to that? My prayer for him is that his interest will keep growing, and growing, turning into a strong and loving relationship with the Lord.

He is a little me, unfiltered. I always wondered what I must have been like as a child, and now I get to see it firsthand. Like me, Ben is very passionate (stubborn), convicted (stubborn), and independent (stubborn)- but at a three year old level. :) But he is also very sweet, kind, and compassionate. He likes to verbalize how he feels now too. Somedays you'll hear him say very grumpily under his breath, "I'm not happy!". But more often then not he loves to pour out compliments to us and express his love. Darrel and I have commented to each other how we love it when Ben says "I Love You" in our ears when we are helping him get dressed- melts me every time. With all that conviction and love- I know he's going to go far in life. Maybe he'll be a preacher like his daddy. :)

Well I better save some stuff to write about later, because of course I could go on and on. So in closing, check out these pictures of Ben on his last three birthdays. They grow up so fast- sorry, got to say it. :)

Ben's first birthday. We took him out for a special breakfast at one of our favorite restaurants. If I remember right he didn't take one bite of that pancake. The love affair with pancakes had not begun yet.

Ben's second birthday. In the midst of his "Little Einstein" party. He was delirious from happiness that day. The kid loves a good party.

Ben's third birthday. Again, the special breakfast out. It's a tradition now. This time he ate all of his breakfast. What a good kid.

Here's to you Ben! Happy Birthday baby boy! Love, Your Mama