Friday night fun!

We had so much fun last night! We're always looking for new things to do on Friday night. It's always been a goal of ours to start the weekend early- not wait until Saturday to do something fun as a family. So, last night we picked up Daddy from work and headed to an area called The Boardwalk. It's a small strip area full of really fun stores including Crate and Barrel (Allison enjoyed checking out the furniture), Strassburg (sp?) Children's Store (a place Allison's grandma might spend money, but her mommy won't), Soft Surroundings (love that place!), and restaurants like P.F. Changs (where we have YET to eat), and a great Italian place, where we did eat! Allison loves this place because there's a fountain where you can make wishes and a big horse you can stand next to. Simple pleasures!

For the record (since this kind of serves as a diary for me), here are some new things Allison is doing now that she's the big 3!

1. sits at restaurants w/o a booster seat- today, in fact, she sat on one side of the booth by herself while Daddy and I sat together! WOW!
2. gets undressed/dressed by herself. She sometimes struggles with jeans, getting shoes on the correct feet, etc, but for the most part, she'd doing it alone.
3. uses big people utensils. I used to carry around toddler silverware- no more!
4. no longer uses a sippy cup except on long trips or when we might not be able to get drinks easily.
5. turns off and on lights when she needs to instead of calling us to come help her (gotta love little step stools!)
6. uses napkins at the table to wipe her hands and face (hoping to phase out the wet wipes soon)
7. a BIG change is that she's trying VERY hard to stop sucking her thumb! We do not punish her for sucking at all, but we point out when she's doing it and offer suggestions on what she can do instead. She REALLY loves her thumb, but she REALLY wants to stop, so we're doing all we can (lots of suggestions from her doctor) to help her give it up- and save us dental bills! :)
8. Walking a lot more than using the stroller. Things take a LOT longer to do, but it gives her more independence, and she loves to walk!


I'm sure there are 3 year olds out there who have been doing some of these things for months now, and maybe some who can't imagine trying some of these things yet- that's the beauty of it- following your child and allowing them to do what they can in their own time is just fine! I'll watch some kids at the playground and marvel at how well they get around the play equipment, jumping off steps, climbing high and doing flips off of things, etc., and I think- oh my gosh, Allison is so behind them. Then I listen to my child read books word for word that she's only heard a handful of times and think- wow, I don't see many kids her age doing that, and I remember that they all have their little areas of strengths and weaknesses, and that's what makes them all unique and wonderful!

I realized today that Allison will be starting preschool in 3 months. I only have 3 more months to be with her every day, all day, and I want to make the most of it. Soon she'll be off to school every day (thankfully only half days!) learning like crazy and meeting all sorts of new friends and teachers. We're going to make the most of our summer, and I'm going to do my best to get her ready for the big, adventurous world that is SCHOOL!! :)

God willing, I will get another chance to be mommy to a baby. I'll be able to get out the bottles, diapers, baby silverware, highchairs, etc. and do it all again. Until then, I'll have to accept that the baby in the house is growing up, and that the stage she's at now will be just as fun and wonderful! Bring on the 3's!