Ode to Bookie

With Korban turning three we thought it was time for him to say sayonara to his beloved bookie, AKA the pacifier. It did not really dawn on me until pondering what to write but giving up his bookie was asking a pretty tough thing of him. I mean, imagine having to give up something that you are used to being attached to from the day you were born. It was there to comfort you through teething pain, scraped knees, missing mommy and Daddy when they went on a date, and soothing you to sleep when sleep was hard to find. It was probably like me having to give up coffee when I was pregnant. I looked forward to it every morning and loved the smell of it, taste of it, and just the warm comfort it would bring. So having to stop cold turkey was not easy at all. So I began to limit Korban to just nap time and bed time. That was not too hard and he did not protest too much. I told him that he better enjoy bookie while he can because once he turns three he would be too big for it and it would break. Now you are probably thinking, "what a mean mommy! Lying to your boy like that! " Don't worry, I would not lie to him. It did "break". Mysteriously some scissors found their way to bookie and well....I'm sure you can figure out the rest. He actually handled it quite well and even showed Josh when he came home from work. Korban very matter of factually said,"look daddy, my bookie broke!" He never cried or argued about it. He did very nicely ask for it a few times though. But Most children can be won over with a new little toy car if they can sleep through the night without it. Nap time however is another story and I think this is where I am kicking myself in the hiney. He has had such a hard time taking naps without his bookie. Even still I know it is best for him. It is all part of growing up.

Grandpa and Grammy....and John Wayne

For the past three years I have gone to Utah in the late spring nearing Summer to visit my parents with Korban and now of course Benjamin too. Last year they had an unusually long winter so I decided to wait more until summer, mid June to make our visit. Even still there was snow up in the mountains and we did spend a little bit of time there. The boys did great on the plane both ways and I survived it too:) I will admit that I was a little anxious about busy Benjamin and flying on the plane, though a bit wiggly he was a good boy. Korban even got a special Thomas back pack to stuff with snacks and toys for the flight to keep him and brother busy. He insisted on carrying it himself the whole time.
Korban was excited to see Grandpa and Grammy and John Wayne. John Wayne is a life size card board cutout of none other than himself. Korban has chatted with him via Skype and has heard about him from grandpa over the phone. He kept asking when we would see Grammy and Grandpa and if John Wayne was going to be there. I assured him that he was. So after a 45 minute flight and a two hour car ride, we arrived in Utah! Now I don't know if it was all the anticipation or the wondering if John Wayne was real, but Korban became suddenly afraid of him. Korban would not go up the stairs unless I reasured him that John Wayne was no were to be seen. I finally had to explain to him that he is just pretend and made of paper. It is so strange the things children become afraid of without you giving them any reason to be afraid of it in the first place. Korban, satisfied that all was well, posed for a picture and would say "Hi John Wayne!" every time he passed the stairs. The picture above is Korban's "fighting the bad guys" face and him just not wanting to look directly at the camera...boys.My Dad thought it would be fun to have some sparklers for Korban since independence day was just around the corner. Last year he did not want to get too close to them. This year he wanted to hold them! He loved it and I am pretty sure he went through the whole box. And what visit to grandma's house is not complete without cookies? He specifically asked my mom if they could make chocolate chip cookies again. I think he mostly just likes to lick the batter;) We had lots of fun mostly just staying home and playing with a few outings here and there. We really enjoyed our time and look forward to next year when maybe Josh can come too and Benjamin will be able to run around with his big brother. Even though my parents live far away, I am so glad they are less than a days drive/flight from us.

3 Already

From oh so tiny this to...











So grown up this. I still can't believe it!



















I think this year I realized it even more than the years before. Mostly because Korban actually had a preference of what kind of birthday party he wanted. It cracks me up that he chose Thomas but it also makes me think, "How cute! He wants to like Thomas just like his cousin Noah...awwww." Korban very rarely watches the show and only has two character toys. But he did receive some very cool train toys that he is enjoying and Thomas clothes that he is waiting for me to wash. It was a very active party for sure. Lots of kids and swimming and eating and chatting. I don't think I ate anything or sat down for that matter but I had so much fun watching my little boy have fun.

It is hard to think that this is just the beginning. He is only three and there is so much more to come.