happy 3rd birthday John John

yep, you read that right my baby is three. so hard for me to believe.  time is such a strange concept for me sometimes. how quickly it goes by when you watch your children growing up so fast right before your eyes. and how it can also seem to just stand still when you have a newborn baby or when you experience the loss of a loved one.

i was just a couple months pregnant with john when i lost my father unexpectedly.  if i hadn't had this beautiful child growing inside me at the time, the grief i was experiencing probably would have taken over my life for quite some time.  i cried everyday for about a month, i remember it being such a breakthrough for me when i got through an entire day without crying.

so, when this child of mine was born and he was a boy, we named him after my father.  now, he is a constant reminder to me of my dad.  he has the same enthusiasm and zest for life that pop did, and i love that so much about him.  he has been such a joy to our whole family and we just love this little guy so much!

john john woke up to some fun gifts on his birthday.  i left the vintage toys i had gotten him unwrapped, they're so adorable...

and he loves his new baseball toy, asking everyone, "wanna come out and see my baseball practicing?"

3 things i love about john john:

1.  you are so outgoing - you really love people and love talking to them.  i love the questions you ask people and your amazing memory of things to ask and talk to others about.  

2.  you are so observant - you notice things right away and notice things that others in the family don't.  new sheets on the bed, grandpa's new haircut, a new decoration at grandma's.  today when we were out you said, "mom see that truck over there with the d-backs sign on it?  not the gray truck, but the white truck with the baseball d-backs on it?" - you are always noticing things around you.

3.  you are so thankful - you thank me all the time for things, even for doing your laundry.  you get so excited when i put your clean laundry away and tell me in your loud voice, "oh thank you, mom, for washing my chonies!".  it just melts my heart.

I could go on and on but i'll stick to three, since it's your third birthday.  

we love you john john, happy birthday!!!