My son is (to me) one in a million. He has the biggest heart, is quite the thinker, and has the best sense of humor. At three-and-a-half he is wise beyond his years....and sometimes just amazingly funny without even knowing it. My best stories about him often occur while we're riding in the car. Here are just a few....some funny, some sweet...all Ian.
- We were headed to Ian's school one morning this past spring and stopped at a red light. As we waited, Ian noticed my cross hanging from the rear view mirror and asked, "Mom, why do you have a cross hanging in that front window?" I replied, "It's so we're reminded that even in the car, God is always with us and will protect us while we are on the road." To which Ian responds, "I think it also tells people to get out of the way." All of us including Anna, began laughing after that one.
- As we were returning from my sister-in-law's house a few weeks ago Ian asked to hear his favorite song in the car. For some reason he thinks Buffalo Springfield's For What It's Worth is the best song around right now and asks to listen to it often. As I put the Forest Gump soundtrack disc in the player he follows up by saying, "You know, the song where they say 'Stop children, what's that sound'?" I was floored that he actually knew the real words to the song. His mind amazes me sometimes.
- Again, we're in the car not too long ago and Ian tells me that if he sees a policeman going too fast that I can pull him over and Ian will get to be a policeman for the day so he can write the policeman a ticket for speeding. (My mind couldn't help thinking how funny it would be to have Ian hop down from his car seat, slide open the van door and march over to a policeman, hand on hips, to start lecturing him on speeding.)
- It was late April and we were having dinner as a family like usual. Our wedding anniversary was approaching so Mark and I were explaining to Ian what an anniversary was. Mark told Ian that he met me about eight or nine years ago. Ian, in his wisdom, asked Mark, "So before you met Mama you were alone?" Mark replied that he was correct. Ian's response was, "No Daddy, you weren't alone. I was with you." Mark and I both looked at each other with a lump in our throats and tears in our eyes. Mark just leaned over and hugged him and said, "You know Buddy, in a way you were with me. In a way you were." That was one of the most touching moments of Ian's third year.
- As we played in the living room this past week, Ian told me randomly that when he gets big like Daddy that he will take care of me. It was so precious.
- Nearly every single time we're outside in the yard, at the park, etc. Ian will go searching for a flower to pick and give to me. He's so sweet about it. He'll hunt all around and get so sad if he can't find one for me. Recently he opted for a three-leaf clover (because he says they are lucky - wink) when flowers were no where around. His picking of flowers for me started several months ago and he just smiles so big as he hands me a flower (a weed, actually) and says, "Here Mama, I picked you a special flower." And if Aunt Laura or one of the Grandmas is with us, he will pick each of them one, too.
- Ian talks often about wanting to be a zoo keeper when he grows up. We make weekly trips to the zoo and both kids just love our time there. We've watched many of the animals grow up over the past years.
Here are just a few cute things/phrases that Ian says at this age:
"I'm sweating like a sweater." (What Ian told me on a hot day.)
Old Maybe (also called Old Lady) = the store Old Navy
Chick-So-Lay = the restaurant Chick-Fil-A
The Lawnmower Store = the store Lowe's
Tornado boots = what he calls his rain boots
Sugar and cream ice cream = vanilla ice cream
Combo = the "condo" in Colorado on vacation this summer
Honda store = where we take the van for service
Pouch = punch
Dag-Gumit = What he says when he makes a mistake
Bammit = What he says when his toys run in to each other or when they are intended to crash.
"I hardly wait." (His form of "I can hardly wait.")
Red Jay = what he calls a Cardinal (since Blue Jays are Blue, red birds must be a Red Jay - sounds logical)
Uhscusting = his pronunciation of "disgusting"
He uses the word "never" when he should use "ever" and it's so cute. Here's an example - "Mama, this is the best dinner I never had."
A new favorite phrase, "That scared my life out." Most of us know that phrase as being, "That scared the life out of me."
Ian loves to use "big words" that he hears other say, words we read in books, or those he hears on tv. Here are some of his favorite "big words" right now (that he understands the meaning of and uses properly):
magnificent, incredible, amazing, phenomenal
Ian loved to wear his rain boots in 100 degree heat this summer. He always gets to choose what shoes to wear when we leave the house (unless we're going to church) and he chooses those hot plastic boots. He sure does get the smiles from the people we see in public, though.
And the most interesting development over this summer was Ian's creation of imaginary brothers. At the start of summer there were 3 brothers. That number has since grown to 10 and now 90. I think he's read "101 Dalmatians" a few times and taken it to heart. He so desperately misses his school friends! :)
gee-gee (dog, horse or anything that resembles either animal), daddy, hi-ee (hi/hello), mama (only used when she's tired or having separation anxiety), brr (brother), sh-sh (fish), hah-hah (hot), tee-tee or nigh-night (terms used for her lovie Monkey or pacifier), and she signs "all done" and "more" at the dinner table. 
