Dear Keaton,
It is the end of
November 2012 and I am just now sitting down to write your 3-year letter. This has been on my to-do list for almost an
entire year as you turned three in December 2011. At first my list said “write Keaton’s 3-year
letter” then it was “write Keaton’s 3 - 3 ½ year letter” now it says “3 - 3 ½ -
going on 4”. Like so much during 2012, I’ve considered skipping this all
together and picking back up at age four, but when I really let that thought
sink in, I feel so guilty. I just can’t do that. Even if I’m late, I have to do
something to document this year.
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| 3-yr photo by CaSondra Shim Photography |
I can’t talk about you
at age three without mentioning The Fire.
We were less than three weeks from your third birthday when those alarms
started blaring and woke us all out of a dead sleep. I really wasn’t thinking straight when I let
you stand in the neighbor’s window and watch as flames started shooting through
the roof, as you were at a prime age for remembering it all. Your brother was by your side, but out of the
two of you, you are the only one that remembers it. It’s been a difficult year as the fire left
you with night terrors, remembering things you lost in the “fire house”, and having
an aversion to fire fighters. We’ve
tried explaining to you several times that its water that comes through their
hoses, not fire, but you are still convinced that the fireman came to burn our
house down. We’ll continue to work on
this and I know someday you will understand.
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| Photo by CaSondra Shim Photography |
We were in the midst of
planning your third birthday party when the fire occurred and while plans had
to change a little, your one birthday party at our house turned into two
birthday parties at Busha’s and Mimi’s, the theme went on as planned:
tractors. At age three you loved
everything tractors. I think they are
what have developed your deep love for the color green. Neither of these things has changed. Tractors are still your favorite toy to play with;
you even chose a tractor theme for your first room in our new house. And if we don’t give you the green cup at
dinner, green sucker at the bank, green shirt in the morning, we usually hear
about it.
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| Photos by CaSondra Shim Photography |
I don’t want to complain
too much about “hearing about it” though.
I think my favorite thing about age three is the explosion in terms of
communication. I remember this starting
around 2 ½ and I can distinctively recall a ride in the car, you in the back
seat jabbering nonstop to me. And I
remember thinking as we turned in the gas station, wow, this, this having an
actual full-fledged conversation with my child, this is really cool. By age three not only could you tell us what
you wanted, but you could tell us how you felt.
I am frus-ter-ated, you’d say.
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| Photo by CaSondra Shim Photography |
Of course, like all
ages, with the good comes the…..we’ll call it difficult. I clearly remember one day early spring
making the statement “Age three is trying to kill us.” While two was difficult
because of tantrums and fits, three gave us a run for our money because of your
desire to push the boundaries and want everything your way. There was many a fight about what you wore to
Busha’s in the morning or what order we did things while getting ready. And of course as you inch closer to four and
just as your Dad and I have started to finally figure out what is worth
fighting over and what to let go, the challenges have started to change. I suppose this is why parents think every age is difficult, because just as
we start to get you, you go and grow up just a bit more.
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| Photo by CaSondra Shim Photography |
Shortly after you turned
three years old I asked you a set of questions, 20 questions that I plan on
asking you each year on your birthday. Rereading these tonight with your Dad we
both found ourselves shaking our heads, yes, yes, that’s Keaton.
What is your favorite color? Green
What is your favorite toy? Machines
& tractors
What is your favorite fruit? Pickles!
What is your favorite tv show? Mickey
Mouse Clubhouse & favorite movie is Rio
What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Pretzels
What is your favorite outfit? Dump
truck shirt
What is your favorite game? Candy
Land
What is your favorite snack? Pretzels
What is your favorite animal? Deer
What is your favorite song? Sexy
and I know it!
What is your favorite book? Machine
books
Who is your best friend?
Jackson & Hutton is your best
bud
What is your favorite cereal? *goes to pantry – wait a sec, I’ll show you*
Cheerios
What is your favorite thing to do outside? Pull
the work wagon
What is your favorite holiday? Easter
What do you like to take to bed with you at night? Tractor
blankie, truck blankie,
machine blankie, and choo choo blankie
What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? No answer, I think you were
getting tired of
this.
What do you want for dinner on your birthday? No answer.
What do you want to be when you grow up? A
builder and a farmer
As I type these out I
find myself shaking my head again. The
blankies. Oh, your blankies. You have no less than three blankies with you
every night. And each time anyone in our
family receives a new one, you immediately claim it as your own. Sweet boy, you are a blanket hoarder. You love to read books and at age three
always asked for your “big machine book! Big machine book!” You had just started getting into cartoons
and I have to admit, I was happy your fell in love with Mickey Mouse. Of course your “shows” have branched out a
bit since last year, but if Mickey is an option more times than not, you’ll
still choose it. You didn’t mention
trains on your list of toys, but while we lived in the duplex you and your Dad
would build some mean tracks, having them travel all over the main living
area. It doesn’t surprise me that you
say you want to be a builder and a farmer, this summer we spent many days at
the house (jobsite, as you called it) and you and Hutton would pound away with
your hammers and play with your tape measures, right along side Daddy and Papa.
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| Christmas 2011 Photo by CaSondra Shim Photography |
At your 3-year check up
you weighed in at 33 lbs 9.6 oz (61.73%) and were 3 feet 3.75 inches tall
(85.90%). You continue to be such a hard
worker. Hauling sticks, loading wood,
dusting, washing windows, you really like to do it all. You are very sensitive and are showing
tendencies of being a perfectionist. You still prefer to be outside rather than in. You have a wonderful connection with each and every one of your grandparents, and that makes me so happy. You
love your brother even though you two spend so much time fighting. At 18 months and 3 yrs old, we could not
leave you two alone for more than 10 seconds (I am not joking) without you
being at each other’s throats. It was
exhausting, if I’m being honest. But you
know what? One “I yove you” out of you
and all of that was forgotten.
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| 3-yr photo by CaSondra Shim Photography |
I yove you too, Buddy. So, so much.
Mama
