Three...Almost

Ben’s third birthday is approaching – we find ourselves in a classic case of time flying by quickly, while simultaneously not being able to recall what our hearts looked like before his arrival.

We opted to forgo a big birthday party in favor a family getaway to the mountains for a few days. Our generous friends from church loaned us their mountain house, the same spot where Leah stayed for her “radioactive exile” last May. Leah was emotional and thankful as she watched the kids play within the walls that she spent countless hours missing, worrying and dreaming of them and was beyond content to spend the evenings cuddling with Mark on the sofa watching movies.

Thanks to tickets from G’ma Zipper (a perfect birthday present for the little guy), we were able to spend another day at Tweetsie. Ben loved all the rides, thankfully he has not inherited his mom’s fear of heights or motion sickness. Clara was big enough for only a handful of rides, but she spent most of the day determined to figure out the latch system on her stroller seatbelt. Both kids were freaked out by the western showdown on the train ride and have decided that they don’t like guns-thank you Tweetsie!

The rest of our time was spent playing in sunshine and rain, cruising around in the golf cart, talking to the “reindeer,” morning cartoons in bed (necessary with the early wake-up call by the munchkins), bath time in the big tub and enjoying the beauty of the Blue Ridge Parkway. One of our big parenting goals is to instill a love of nature in the kids…thus, the humor in the following conversation:

Leah: Look at that waterfall! I love waterfalls.

Ben: Me too, Mommy!! I love waterfalls, too.

Leah: The forest is just beautiful. I love forests.

Ben: I don’t like forests. I like sidewalks.

Here’s to the (almost) birthday boy!