The night before Oliver’s birthday, I tried to ask him how excited he would be to turn 4. Well, he didn’t seem to like my line of questioning. I do admit, watching this now, that I let this conversation go on a little long. But it still makes me laugh a bit.

This was shot on March 5. Three weeks later and he still refuses to turn 4. So it goes with a sometimes-fun, often-stubborn toddler.

Enjoy (or not):

When I was a kid, we used to play a game call B#tt’s Up. I don’t know if we invented the game (my sister’s seem to believe we did), but it was a blast.

Mostly, we would play at school, using a gym class dodge ball. All you’d need is a good wall and a group of kids to play. Basically, you’d throw the ball against the wall and then somebody – whoever it went toward – would have to catch it. If that person bobbled the ball or it bounced off them, they would have to run to the wall. If somebody scooped up the ball and either hit the person or the wall before that person touched the wall, he or she would have to go “b#tt’s up.” It’s much like a free throw in basketball. The person would put two hands and the wall and you’d stand 10 or so feet back and get a free shot with the ball at that person’s backside. Anyway, lots of fun.

Long setup, for this, I know, but when my sister was in town a few weeks ago, the siblings and I played the game for a little bit and Oliver really wanted to join. He cracked us up, so I shot a video. Enjoy:

Oliver just went to bed, bringing his third birthday to a close. As you may know, we celebrated both the boys’ birthdays last weekend, so today we just spent some quality time with Oliver.

We started the day at the Butterfly House, where we met Sarah’s parents. Oliver really dug the bugs in the entrance area, and quite enjoyed watching all the butterflies swarm around us inside the glass conservatory. He spent a good chunk of time sitting on a bench because he wanted a butterfly to land on his nose. None did, but one did land on his shoe. That was cool enough. He looks happy, doesn’t he?

 

We had butterflies landing all over us, including on my rear end and on Sarah’s shoulder:

 

This month a big old batch of butterflies called Common Blue Morphos hatched. They were ALL OVER THE PLACE, and had really bright blue wings:

 

A rare family photo:

 

Next door to the Butterfly House is a carousel, so we of course had to take the boys for a couple spins. Oliver truly enjoyed it, despite this pouty face:

 

Owen started off by putting his mouth all over the yucky pole, but then just stared off like, “What the heck is going on?”

 

Next, we decided to grab lunch at Steak n Shake, where Oliver downed a cheeseburger, fries (not many), orange slices and a strawberry shake.

 

Finally, we headed home so both boys could catch a good nap. Afterward, we opened presents and played for a bit. Then had dinner and sang “Happy Birthday” to Oliver.

 

All in all, it was a fun but tiring day. We both just cannot believe that our little boy is now 3 years old. Crazy how fast time flies.

Oliver will soon attend his last “2-year-olds” class at the library near our house. He attends most Mondays, and really loves it. With a work holiday this past Monday, I got to attend for just the second time. And boy, what a contrast!

The first time we went, he was barely 2, and he was so timid and shy. He sat on my lap the entire time, was the last kid to bring his colored paper up to the board during a game and wouldn’t participate in the songs/dances.

Now, he’s like Franklin or Pig-Pen from The Peanuts (remember their dancing during the Christmas special?)! He hardly pays attention, instead dancing by himself like a little goofball. He sings really, really loud. And he’s among the first kids to bring his colored paper up to the board during that game.

What a character!

I used my phone to shoot a couple videos so other people could see what I am talking about. Enjoy:

Oliver has been pretty entertaining lately. For the past few weeks, he’s been a self-proclaimed rock star, playing a mean fake guitar (and making a grimace that is unforgettable) and also singing into a microphone. He usually makes up words to his songs, which is pretty creative. However, they’re not great lyrics by any means! But he’s sure funny to watch.

Here’s what we get to enjoy every day (warning: the video is a little long):

Though this post is a day (technically, nine days) late and dollar short, I need to get it up for Sarah’s second cousin Bill. You see, Oliver loves trains. I mean, really loves them. And so does Bill.

Bill wanted to share his love of trains with Oliver, so he convinced a bunch of relatives to go in on a sweet Lionel set for the boy for Christmas. We cannot thank everybody enough. Bill, who lives in Texas, is anxious to see Oliver’s reaction. So, without further ado, here’s the unveiling of the train at Christmas:

When Sarah’s friend Reidun was here, she came up with a song she sang to our son Owen. It was pretty simple, with just the words, “Owen. Owen. Diddly-diddly-doo,” sung repeatedly. Well, apparently it was catchy enough that our other son, Oliver, caught on. Today, he sung it about Sarah several times. And tonight … I got my version. Enjoy: