The Three Year Old Mind

There are several things that are difficult for a three year old (or our three year old at least) to wrap his mind around:

1. The difference between the house alarm and a fire alarm. If Mommy sets the alarm when we leave, does that mean the house is going to catch on fire?
2. The concept of "next week," "5 more days," etc.
3. The concept of "strangers." A stranger is anyone you don't know, not just someone who looks mean or otherwise scary/crazy.
4. Kenzie and Maddie can't come with us everywhere we go.
5. We wash our hands before we go to the bathroom, not after.
6. That Mommy doesn't just sit around with her thumb up her you-know-what while he's at preschool. "You went to the store while I was at school??" Translation: "How dare you go to the store without me! I wanted to harass you the entire trip about going to look at the toy aisle."
7. Tom Bergeron is on America's Funniest Videos and Dancing With the Stars? At the same time??
8. Not every one's favorite color is yellow.
9. Grandma and Grandpa live 250 miles away, thus preventing a day trip.
10. We have to wait for Christmas to come, and we can't travel to it. "Mommy, I wanna go to Christmas."

There is an even longer list of things he thinks he understands, but in reality hasn't the foggiest idea about. One of these being the concept of a sibling. Cognitively he's aware that he's going to be getting a little sister, and that she will cry and wear diapers and drink milk. But he doesn't even begin to understand how this "wittle tiny" person is going to rock his 3 year old world.

Because of this fact, Jason and I have been trying to pack these last few months with lots of fun stuff for him to do, since much of it will come to a screeching halt by Thanksgiving. And I've also been trying to include him in much of the preparation for her arrival so he doesn't feel left out.

Here he is painting on the canvas that is now hanging in her room. I posted the finished product two posts ago.

He is becoming such a good little helper and can do so much more than he could just a few months ago. Here he is tonight tearing the tortillas for our King Ranch Chicken. And for the first time, his "help" actually saved me time, rather than costing me time!

With his finished plate of bite-sized tortilla pieces.

Last weekend we took him to the Kemah Boardwalk for the evening. He and Jason are waiting in line for the Ferris wheel here.

All by himself in the balloon ride. Big boy!

Today I took him on a bike ride, and I tried really hard to savor the precious moments, like the sound of his bike bell as he rode behind me and how much fun he had when we stopped to throw sicks in the creek.

Once Sarah's born, I'll be sure to make an update on how he's doing once his little sister is actually living here!