Calvin Russell at age 3

We just celebrated our Calvin's 3rd birthday. I have to say, the "terrible two's" thing did not ring true for Cal (he had the terrible one's). I think I could keep him this age forever. He is potty trained, sleeps great, is very helpful with Mae, never throws fits that last more than 4 seconds, and makes us laugh allll the time. I used to hear people say that they missed their kids while the kids were sleeping. I always loved him, but never quite felt that way. I seriously miss him while he sleeps right now. We cannot get enough of him. I want to bottle him up and keep him this age forever.

At age 3, Calvin...

-Is still a good eater. Washington has been fun for him because he loves picking (+eating) berries. We do it often.

-Superheroes. All the time superheroes. Dal loves it! He knows the names of all of them (the weird ones that I have never heard of) and their powers. He assigns us all a different one every night and we "fight". I wish I could describe this better. It is my favorite. 

-I try to not let him watch any TV or iPad during the day. His shows are the only thing that get him really cranky. If I let him I think he would watch them all day.

-I tried to force the naps thing as long as I could but just recently he stopped napping completely. I thought it was hard at first (especially not not watch any TV for the whole day with no nap), but recently I have taken advantage of the one-on-one time since Mae needs my attention so much right now. We work on his workbook, read books and do puzzles, do his online preschool, and sometimes I cave and we cuddle and watch a show :) But the nap situation has been a struggle because I can't get him to fall asleep in the afternoon, but he seems so tired all evening every day. 

-Cal is not very shy. He loves nursery and the gym kids care. He refers to anyone he doesn't know as "friend". I have been so grateful for his ability to make friends and be so open to new kids since we moved to a new place.
-He lovessss both sides of our families so, so much. He talks about his grandparents, aunts and cousins daily and requests to FaceTime all the time. We miss them living so far away.
-Calvin loves Mae. Before a few weeks ago, he never once got frustrated with her. He kisses her all day long and says, "GOOD JOB, MAE MAE!" overtime she does anything. He has never been jealous and gets so happy to see her. Just a few weeks ago he started getting upset when she tips his blocks over or messes up his puzzle. He doesn't hit her or anything, but he will say, "mom, hold Mae mae for a long time, ok? Don't let her get down". haha.
-Books, puzzles, and building blocks all day.
-He gets pretty freaked out about swimming if he isn't touching the ground (even if we are holding him), but he loves the hot tub where he can reach.
-He is very vocal about loving Washington. He talks about it all the time and when we ask if he wants to move he will say, "No, I just love Washington".
-We started potty training a few months after he turned 2 and it was a struggle for several months. I had read that parents weren't supposed to get mad when kids had accidents... so we never did. When we first got to Washington we went to Ikea and Calvin had an accident in the ball pit! Dal got pretty mad at him and he has not had one problem at all since then and it was like 5 months ago!
-He is getting to be quite the little hiker (when he feels like it) and can last like 2 miles. He loves it and Washington has been so perfect, oh... until like a week ago when it started raining every day.
-He likes animals except he is terrified of cats and buffalo.
-I am just starting to appreciate how good he has alwayssss been in the car now that Mae sometimes screams her head off.
-He has always been a big mama's boy but this year he has been pretty obsessed with Dallin. They wrestle for an hour every night and it makes me tired just watching.
-We have been doing FHE more regularly and he does surprisingly well. He usually really likes it. The treats help.
-The thumb sucking is getting a little bit out of control. Our "little hobbes" obsession is still going strong.
-Calvin really likes trying new things. He has been pretty happy this year exploring WA with us.
-There has been a huge jump in Calvin's vocabulary the past few months and the way he can carry on conversations. It is so fun to have him understand how to tease/joke around and get him excited for things.
-"I want..." has switched to "I need...". He neeeeeeds everything!
-He is still a good eater. He eats everything we eat for dinner and is obsessed with fruit and yogurt.
-Mae gets sassier by the day and it makes me appreciate how truly sweet Calvin is. He tells me he loves me often and is so sweet with Mae.

We love this sweet boy. I cannot wait for this next year with him!