Happy Birthday, Drew!!

I always feel compelled to regale the story of Drew's birth year after year. It's lucky I don't look back and think of it as some overly dramatic/traumatic event that scarred me, leaving me never wanting more children - obviously that wasn't the case or we wouldn't have Josie; but, it does make me think about how good God helps us navigate those traumatic moments in our lives. At different points through the day, I thought about his birth and, in particular, the parts that were genuinely scary. The umbilical cord around his neck was a pretty big one, but even in the moment I didn't panic. I just acted on instinct and got the job done. The other scary moment was more for Neil than me. It was when he didn't know if Drew was breathing and called 911. I knew he was breathing because he was under my jacket and I could hear his short, quickened breaths.

He's come a long way and today was a low-key birthday for him. With Thanksgiving tomorrow and a pre-birthday celebration with cousins this past weekend, we opted for a brownie cake {at his insistence instead of an actual birthday cake} which he helped me make, an obstacle course that the older kids designed for him and a collection of 3s that the kids taped all over the house. He had a blast running around the house looking for all of the 3s and Jonathan had fun taping them in unique places. Here are a few pictures from his birthday for you to enjoy. :)

{Drew and Jonathan set up for dominos}

{not the game, though...}

{this was pretty much how Drew's day went - uncooperative and refusing to turn 3!}

{one of the few pics where he cooperated - unfortunately, it didn't last long enough!}

{our home made place mat for Drew's birthday}

{Josie enjoys some Bumbo time while we eat dinner}

{Drew's brownie cake that he helped me make}

{Drew got a football! It was perfect considering he loves to throw the ball all day!}

{does this mean we have to get him a car now??}

{I'm noticing a theme here, Gramma and Paka!}

{Josie - just hangin' around upside down with Daddy}

{Drew loves his new movie!}