Somebody is 3!!!

by Ted

Three years ago Michele and I made the trip to the Owatonna Hospital.  No labor pains…no contractions…just a scheduled C-section.  It was only a couple of short hours later that we met Ryan for the first time – born on 9/9/09 weighing in at 9 lbs 9 ounces (2 weeks 5 days early).  Fast forward three years and we come to now.  Ryan has grown up so fast.  He is no longer our little baby but instead he is now a BIG brother – doing so many things on his own and quickly learning how to help care for his little siblings.

Ryan wanted Noah’s Ark for his birthday and as usual Michele knocked out a killer cake.

Ryan had to work hard to get his candles out.  He blew and blew and blew.  It was so hard not to break out laughing.  But perseverance paid off and the number 3 eventually blew out.

Before having cake, we played a couple of Noah’s Ark themed game.  The funniest was Noah’s Ark tag.  The person who was “it” had to pick an animal, then everyone had to pretend to be that animal while running away.  We did everything from a dogs to lizards, to tigers and lions and elephants, to snakes and birds, as in the pictures below.

We also had our traditional pinata.  Last year, we couldn’t convince Ryan he had actually turned two until he got to smash apart a pinata.  So I think the pinata has now become a permanent staple of all Yoder birthdays.

Even the girls grabbed a bat and took a swing.  The bat proved to be a little heavy, but the girls were undeterred.

As one of the biggest kids at the party, Luke was determined to get the candy out this year.  Unfortunately, he didn’t get quite enough swings in before his turn ended.  Eventually, the honor of breaking loose the candy fell to our neighbor Elliot.

The girls were all dressed up in their matching outfits today for the first time.  And by girls I mean Quinn, Jenna, AND Bella.  They made a very cute trio!!

By the end of the day, we had sent Ryan sailing into year number 3 with lots of candy, cake, and fun.  I can’t wait to see what the next year will have in store for him.