3 years old!

Our big girl is 3 years old today! She has been SO excited for her birthday. She tells everyone she's going to be "free" with the correct number of fingers held up. We got some party/cake supplies at Wal-mart earlier this week and she carries them around the house all day talking about her birthday. She has been singing her version of "Happy Birthday" to herself and anyone else she can think of for the last week. She's especially excited for the grandparents to come visit!

Speaking of singing, Emily sings a lot lately. It is often entertaining just listening to her in the van. Most of her selections come from Wee Sing Silly Songs, her other children's sing-along CD's or Sunday school. If she doesn't know some of the words she just makes up something close or kind of mumbles through until she gets to a part she does know. So her songs are ever evolving.

Emily has come to enjoy Toddler Story Time at the library, and she loves Sunday school and Mom's Morning Out on Friday's at church. I bought a pump bottle of Germ-X and she calls it "Sunday school soap" or "magic soap". :o) She likes playing in the gym with balls and bikes during MMO.

I've read that 3-year-olds tend to be quite clutzy because they're going 100 mph and don't stop to think about safety and being careful. Boy, have I noticed that with Emily lately. I don't just think it's the fact that I'm trying to look out for Lincoln. Toys and other objects fly around with no concept of what might be whacked in the process. She has almost been completely banned from removing the broom, carpet sweeper, mop, etc. from the closet. I'm pretty sure I'm going to be saying, "Emily, be careful!" at least a million times in the next year! Whenever she does bump something or get the slightest bit hurt she immediately asks for ice. I give her a small ice pack that is flexible and warms up pretty quickly. Most of the time it never makes contact with the point of injury. She just likes the idea of it. ;o)

Emily especially has a hard time sitting relatively still or straight in her chair at the table. She just plain fell off twice in one week, but that hasn't really stopped her squirming. We've threatened to get out her booster chair again. That usually straightens her out for about 30 sec. Too bad Lincoln will be using it in the very near future and that eliminates that card. :o(

Emily is still doing relatively well with Lincoln. She likes "checking" on him when he wakes up and can often distract/entertain him for a few more minutes while I finish something up. She likes to make loud, raucous noises that make Lincoln laugh. She tries to "play" with Lincoln sometimes, but it usually ends in me saying, "Be careful, that's too rough," or something to that effect. I've already caught glimpses of the ugly green monster lurking inside of her, though. She sometimes takes toys away from Lincoln that she has no interest in playing with herself. It's not going to be pretty once he's truly mobile.

One quirky thing I've discovered with the much chillier weather is that Emily considers socks & shoes a packaged deal. If you ask her to take her shoes off the socks always come off, too. If you ask her to put her socks on then more than likely shoes will follow. My feet get cold just seeing her barefoot sometimes, but I guess it keeps her socks cleaner! (sad commentary on the condition of our floors sometimes)

Recent quotes from Emily:

"We can go to church to learn about God and eat snacks" --during a conversation about what she learned in Sunday School that day

"Goooooo-Timmmmberrrrrr! That's what trees say when Daddy cuts them down." --after a big day of tree trimming and hauling away branches

"Are you going to be difficult?" --seemingly posing the question to herself

"Emily has to hide, but where?!?" --sometimes after I've sternly scolded her about something (it's all in the pitiful tone she uses)

I'll have the October Winkflash pictures updated after Halloween. Below is the October video player. It will also have a few additions. I haven't decided to what age I'll continue kid-specific monthly updates/pictures. I might just do a generic monthly wrap-up after age 3. We'll see!