Three, can it be?

Three. It's not a big number. Only one more than two, and a tad bit more than one. In toddler years, three is huge! Three certainly seems to be the magic number around our house, because we have a big boy on our hands. "I'm a big boy," Sam declares multiple times daily. After all, he's using the potty, making good choices (some of the time), gave up the paci and said goodbye to the crib this month too.

I remember my oldest turning three. It was a red fire engine party complete with a happy 10-month-old exploring the giant inflatables, red and yellow balloons and dozens of preschoolers. That same little one is now the one celebrating his third.

Three wasn't as big a deal last time around. Maybe because the crib transition had taken place 11 months earlier in anticipation of his little brother's arrival. Potty training had been mastered for a solid six months by the time we celebrated the big three. There weren't quite so many changes at one time. The biggest reason was probably that fun toddler crawling around nearby. Yet to even walk, we had so many milestones ahead with another little one.

This time there's no other little one right behind with a list of milestones ahead. Sure, these two have many milestones ahead, but letting go of jon jons and knee socks doesn't come without a twinge of sadness. There's no shortage of joy around these parts as we countdown the days to a truly magical vacation in a couple of weeks. There's a milestone that will be an incredible memory...watching these two big boys experience the most magical place on earth for the first time. So, amidst the sadness of seeing these two grow up, there is much joy. Thankful to be on this journey.

Here's how we celebrated this little treasure's third birthday on Saturday.