Owen Turns Three

James the Train

For a whopping seven months, as of yesterday, I will not have a two-year-old in the house

(But don't worry. Owen is still, and Silas is already, doing their best to fill that role.)

While all of my boys love to drive trains, Owen is my most dedicated train-driver. So a few months ago, when my husband spotted a Thomas-brand take-and-play track set featuring the Owen train (yep, there is one!) for 75% off, it seemed like a no-brainer for Owen's birthday. My mom, ever one to jump on board (no pun intended) with a theme, brought engineer hats and bandanas for the boys to wear and train whistles to blow.

Owen, being himself, refused to wear the hat or bandana that night. But he donned both excitedly the next day.

Levi and Grandpa, reading Two Little Trains by Margaret Wise Brown. Beautiful book.

If you ask Owen what he likes to eat, he will tell you quite seriously that he only likes three foods: grilled cheese, peanut butter and jelly, and sometimes spaghetti. So it was PBJ for lunch and grilled cheese for dinner!

 

Token picture of little brother, who also loves grilled cheese with typical toddler passion.

My parents actually celebrated with us two weeks ago, as they were unavailable yesterday. This worked out well: Owen wanted both James and Thomas (two trains) on his birthday cake, so I baked one 9x13, cut it in half, froze one half for our second party, and put James on the first and Thomas on the second. (Thomas did not turn out nearly as well as James, because really . . . who has time to decorate two cakes, even simply?!)

Very excited about James on his cake.

  

Singing "happy birthday."

Love the tongue out. This boy is ready for some CAKE.

Shoveling it in. Total bliss.

This may be the first time Owen has really understood presents. He ripped into them with his usual serious intensity, and was delighted to find more additions for his wooden train tracks (thanks to an exceptional second-hand store my mom frequents). He also got a few new puzzles from my aunt, but since Silas is the king of losing puzzle pieces, those went immediately onto a higher shelf.

Yesterday, his actual birthday, Owen got to start the day with the traditional birthday donut run with Daddy to our local bakery. This birthday, anticipating the post-breakfast sugar crash, I finally got smart and served yogurt and applesauce along with the donuts.

This may be my most satisfying moment of motherhood yet: the boy has a sprinkled-covered donut on his plate, and he's too busy slurping down homemade yogurt and homemade applesauce to notice. (He did, of course, eat the donut. He's not totally weird.)

Isaac's parents, who just took a trip to Taiwan, brought back the tiniest wooden train for Owen. It, too, has been removed to a high shelf, since I found a train car in Silas's mouth this morning. Some day my kids will actually get to play with their toys . . . 

I have no pictures of the original train track Isaac found, but we set it up in the big boys' room so Owen could play undisturbed by Silas. And play he does: this morning he spent an entire two hours upstairs, completely alone, doing whatever boys do with a few train engines and a small bit of track.

Yesterday's party did not go quite as planned. Owen refused to accept that he was three from the minute he stepped out of bed. He was quite willing to go along with the birthday donuts and presents, but other than that was totally stubborn about the whole birthday idea. We had intended to go out for dinner with Isaac's parents, then come back here for cake and presents, but Levi came down with a fever pretty much right as we were leaving. By the time we figured out plan B, Levi was half-asleep on the couch, Silas was nearing bedtime, and there was only just time for present-opening before the big boys (Levi especially) needed to go to bed. Since Owen wasn't interested in a birthday party anyway, the Thomas cake still sits uneaten on the counter, and there was no second round of singing or candles or anything. 

And that is why we hold all things -- especially things involving toddlers -- with a very, very loose hand. :)