#3

Our little Goomba turned 3 on December 25th. Remember how I said I would never tell people that he was born on Christmas Day, rather say "December 25th"? I changed my mind. I change it up, depending on how I feel, but he always gets extra pinches on the cheek when people find out when his birthday is.

This boy is really quite something. As a great big three year-old now, he talks up a storm. When we were visiting in Abbotsford last month, several people commented on how much his vocabulary had increased in the not quite 3 months since we moved away. He is totally full of spit and vinegar. He knows what he wants and makes haste to get it. This past year, he has fully embraced his role as "little brother" and has very little trouble keeping up with the big boys.

I can't tell you how many times this boy

has crashed to sleep at any time, and any place!

He got this Strider bike for his 2nd birthday, and for many months would only run along beside it, refusing to actually try riding it. He could push it and drag it and steer it and lift it up behind his back but would not ride it. Then one summer day he finally decided to give it a try. He is now able to get all the way around the BMX track at camp with only a little help on the bigger incline hills. He has remarkable control, yet we still hold him back from starting right at the very tippity-top of the track as it would only take a few wobbles to incur some significant injuries.

He's spent some quality time with some very quality young ladies.

All 4 of them are very much in the running for betrothal. Time will tell ...

He's charming and engaging, funny and hard-headed.

His body has still yet to catch up to the proportion of his head.

(He has plenty of bruises and scrapes to prove it!)

He's spent more time with his Opa

than both his brothers did combined in the past 7+ years.

And by far his greatest accomplishment of all time ... he's potty trained!

Happy Birthday, Jaxon - we love you so very much!