Palmer at 3.5 Years

I had to disappoint Mr. Palmer this week when he learned he wasn't getting a "3.5 birthday party".  Ha.  Sorry, dude.  Just half a cake for you:

(By the way, I've been on a "ugliest cake ever" roll lately.  My sister is the baker of the family, not me.)

Still, I did want to take the time to reflect on our 3.5 year old...

Physically, Palmer has recently shot up a few inches and his feet are embarrassingly large at a size 12.  I just had to toss a bunch of almost brand-new shoes.

Also, Palmer's hair might have the same brunette fate as Rick.  Rick and I noticed that Palmer's hair didn't whiten up this summer like it did last summer.

I made a comment to Palmer that his hair was getting darker and he said, "Good.  Then, I will look like mommy and daddy and Grace!"  Aww, poor guy feels left out.

Palmer has always been "all boy", but now seems to really care about his gender.

Lately, he adores playing with his male friends more than his female friends and has said a lot of things like, "Girls can't play with us boys."  He went to a princess party a few weeks ago and was completely overwhelmed and has since informed Rick and I that he "doesn't go to princess parties anymore.  (He's) not a girl!"  Whew.

Palmer has made me so proud lately.  Always independent, Palmer has taken that initiative to a new level.  The other night, I was putting Grace down and Palmer knew we would eat dinner after she was asleep.  I came downstairs to find the table completely set without me asking.  I wanted to cry.  THEN, after dinner I went to take a shower and came out to find Palmer standing on a chair at the sink washing the dishes (again without asking).  Although he has his moments of challenge, times like these make my heart so full. This boy is a keeper.

Palmer is really into imaginative play.  I love to hear his little world at the train table or when he sits and plays with his fire trucks.  His back-and-forth dialogue is hysterical.  I sometimes feel bad that we are a little more home-bound these days with Grace's infant nap schedule.  But, I know that Palmer playing alone with his imagination is a great skill to practice.

Palmer has an interest in learning to sound out letters.  He recently noticed a "PARKING" sign and wanted to know if the sign said his name.  I also taught him how to sound out the word "NO".  We are currently working on all the sounds for each letter. However, Palmer's eagerness in phonics does NOT translate as much to writing.  He has little patience in sitting down and practicing his skills...

We still have Palmer signed up for karate and although he loves it, he has made it known that he would "really really" like to play soccer.  Dang it.  Rick and I tried to hold off on being soccer parents as long as possible.  It looks like we might trade in karate for a soccer fate in the spring.  We hope Aunt Amanda's soccer skills (full-ride to SMU on a soccer scholarship) will come into play.

Palmer, you are a light in our world and we couldn't be more proud of the little boy you are becoming.

-Bethany