Tahl is 3!

I can't believe my littlest is THREE already. I know he won't be the littlest for much longer, but it feels like there is no way Tahl could be so big.  He is such a joy to have in our lives.  He loves to be silly, sing, dance, and tell stories.  (I listen to VERY long stories about how Mufasa went to Costco, etc.)  He loves to be social and spend time with his family, his friends, and most of all, his brother Zev. Tahl has a very big temper that we are hoping fades this year, but he continues to be overall a really thoughtful and kind person. He CANNOT wait to be a big brother.  He talks to my stomach all the time, and he tries to feed the baby through my shirt. He is smart, funny, and still has amazing hair.  We are so excited to see how he continues to change and grow as a three year old.

We celebrated the big day this weekend.  I have made a birthday room and a birthday hallway for Zev in the past, but Tahl is on the other side of the house now, so we were afraid if I set it up over there we would miss the fun.  Tahl ended up with a new invention, the birthday cave. 

Presents on top of the table and balloons and streamers under the table. 

He made me change Lulu out of her pajamas and into this dress to come to his birthday. He was really excited. 

Zevi was pretty excited too. 

If only my kids ever wanted to pick pajamas that matched each other, these might have been cuter.  This is better anyway because you can really see who they are. 

Zev was leading the way. 

He was teaching Tahl all about how to be the birthday kid.

We decided to open presents in the cave.  Tahl got some books from my Nana, and Frozen from the Richardsons! He was so really happy to finally have the movie.

After they ripped down the streamers, we gave Tahl another present.  He said, "Another present? For me???" 

We gave him a little book reader that reads the books to you when you push the buttons. He has been asking for it for a month so he was very happy. 

His last present from us was a magnet board that is going to hang on the wall in his new room. The boys have fun playing with it and making words.  

We remembered that we had one more present left from Uncle Oren. 

It is a Lion King lover's dream come true.  He was so excited to put it on right away. 

We get to hear a fair bit of growling every time he wears it. 

Even lions have to stop growling to read a book though. 

Ari went out and brought back doughnuts at Tahl's breakfast request.  The boys couldn't decide who should get which one, so they went with halves. This is a mean looking cheese face.

Yum! 

Ari got a giant cronut with nutella and strawberries. 

Double yum.

Zev was excited to give Tahl the gift he made him. He made a him some art for his new room, and I helped him put it in a frame. He drew a lion because they are Tahl's favorite. You'll notice that it says "Zev to HTAL."  We are still working on the fact that letters have to go in the same order to make a word, but I think that makes it cuter. 

Tahl really liked it. 

After the guys got dressed, we got in the car to go to an Easter egg hunt. Tahl got to pick the first song, and he requested "Roar" by Katy Perry.  Halfway through he stopped me, and he told me I was doing a great job singing.  He can be a really sweet guy when he wants to be. 

Another cheese face. 

Zev had to be a bucket head.  Mimi and Kade met us at the egg hunt to hang out with the birthday boy. 

They got to play on the bounce house.

Each boy stood in line to get his face painted. Kade got a football, and Zev did too. It isn't what he would have picked on his own, but he really likes to match Kade. 

Tahl picked out a pink pig, which he couldn't wait to get home and show his favorite stuffed pig, Jolene. 

The eggs were just all over a field. 

The boys got tons of candy and stickers. 

Tahl didn't really move around much, he just stayed still until he felt like his bucket was full enough. 

We will definitely have to do another hunt with a little more sport in it. 

This guy ended up with the most eggs, of course. 

Tahl kept stopping to open his eggs.  He ended the egg hunt wearing five or six stickers. 

These guys were excited to meet the Easter bunny.  Tahl told him, "On Easter, I want you to bring me candy and Easter stuff."  

Kade thought about being nervous, but he ended up in the picture too. 

Then they got to pet a real bunny. 

The bunny really wanted to hop away. 

Kade always looks right at the camera and smiles.  I didn't know it was possible for a four year old to be so photogenic. 

Next, we went to the petting zoo area, which we know Tahl loves. 

He was hugging all the animals. 

The boys were also excited to pet another bunny and even some baby chicks. 

I tried really hard to get another picture of all three boys looking. 

 

My two make it very difficult. 

We had a little more luck when we went to see the fire truck. 

They really liked going up in the truck and seeing all the fire men's stuff. 

We went back home for lunch (again Tahl's choice) of corn dogs, strawberries, and snap peas. 

Then it was off to Home Depot and the park.  This is a pirate cowboy with a doll.  Tahl loves to dress up just as much as Zev and with just as much variety.  

Speaking of Zev loving to dress up, here he is flying out on top of Ari's new mulch as Super Why. 

We took the costumes off to play at the park. 

Zev really loves his dad. 

We were playing Disney World, and this is Zev in the tea cups. 

I tried to take a turn pushing while Ari took pictures, but I have been informed that I push too slow. 

Tahli didn't seem to mind either way. 

Look at this big kid at the very top! 

Ari is afraid of heights, and he has a hard time with the boys climbing at the park. 

He would not have asked Zev to stop and pose for this picture. 

After we got home from the park, the boys had to rest and watch Frozen while I went to the store for party supplies.  After that Mimi and Kade came over for a pizza dinner.

Tahl had a really great day! So far, he LOVES being three.