3 Years Old

Time sure does fly by! I simply can't believe that Maddox is 3. It seems like just yesterday that I was trying to train him to sleep through the night and play gently with the dogs. (Okay - we're still working on playing gently with the dogs.)

On Mad's birthday, we had a few aunts, uncles and cousins over for a little birthday dinner and strawberry shortcake. Maddox made out like a bandit with lots of new toys!
Maddox and Uncle Andre opening Grandma and Grandpa's gift, while they look on from the computer.

Skyping with the grandparents.

It was time to trade in the tricycle, so Mommy and Daddy got Maddox a new big boy bike.

The Kerchie's made sure Maddox got plenty of new weapons for his arsenal.

Opening more presents, and thoroughly enjoying being the star of the show.

Here's a video of Maddox learning how to ride his bike. As soon as we get a new camera, I will record him riding now. It just took a couple days to really figure out how to get those pedals moving, and now he's an expert!

We are humbled every day that God has given us the privilege of being this amazing kid's parents! Maddox is pure joy! Happy 3rd birthday, Buddy.

Sneaky Leprechauns

Even though I don't have any pictures to prove it (we still haven't replaced our camera), we have had a great St. Patty's Day today!

Maddox woke up this morning and instantly started bouncing on his bed asking if the sneaky leprechauns had played any tricks on us during the night. As a matter of fact, they had! Maddox found green milk at the breakfast table this morning and green jello in the fridge. His lunch apples even had magic green sprinkles! Those silly leprechauns got us good.

It Was A Good 8 Years

It had a good run, but the camera we bought over 8 years ago finally bit the dust. By the time it died it had no front panel, just an exposed lens. It was a sad, pathetic sight, but it still worked.

When I told Becky of our camera's unfortunate demise, she was less than sympathetic. I believe her exact words were, "It's about time. That thing's been on its last legs for years."

The sad departure occurred right before Maddox's 3rd birthday, so we are waiting to get some pictures and video from Andre's camera because you have to see this kid ride his new bike!!

We are shopping for a new camera now, but in the meantime, here's an old video of baby Maddox to hold you over. Please notice (a) how fat he was (b) how blond his hair gets in the summer (c) how fat he was (d) my favorite part that comes in the last second of the video!

Current Events and Politics

This morning, Maddox and I saw a clip of President Obama on TV. Maddox said, "Hey! We know that guy ... Tiger Woods!"

Something tells me the First Lady wouldn't appreciate the implication.

King Josiah

Yesterday in Bible class, Maddox got to play King Josiah, the child king of Judah who began his reign at just 8 years old. He's been telling me all day, "King Josiah says don't worship idols, only worship God."

I just keep waiting for him to run around the house smashing everything he considers an idol.
Sorry about the picture quality. This photo was taken on a phone and emailed to us later. But, you can just make out the cutest little Josiah ever.

A Rite of Passage

Two years old is a big milestone in our family! It's the ripe old age when Daddoo's grandchildren can start drinking "coffee" with him. Drinking coffee with Daddoo is all the rage!

My parents got to come visit us for Christmas, and Maddox drank coffee with Daddoo every morning.

The "coffee" is really just a handful of M&Ms in a mug with just enough coffee to melt them, and filled the rest of the way with milk. It's essentially hot chocolate, but don't tell Maddox.

I drank coffee this very same way with my great-grandmother, and the tradition continues.

No Santa Torture This Year

Judging by the pictures from the annual Kreil - Young visit to Santa for the last two years, it is abundantly clear that sitting on Santa's lap is akin to child abuse in Jaxon's mind.

But not this year...
This year, both boys sat on the big man's lap and told him just what they wanted for Christmas! It was quite an accomplishment!