Arthur Barthur

Round two of Aunt Bev's pictures: my sweet and silly Arthur. You may not know this, but Arthur has an alias. Arthur Barthur is the world's most courageous and helpful super hero. He is frequently called upon by the mayor of our city to drive his snowplow through snow piled streets to make the city safe for cars, or to unearth dinosaur bones in his excavator in the desert, to drive his bulldozer through the mountains to save animals that are stuck on the other side, fight fires in his fire engine, rescue people in his ambulance....his hero work is never done!
Chris started telling Arthur a story one day starring a boy named Arthur Barthur and Arthur was entranced! Now he requests tales of Arthur Barthur's adventures almost daily. They always include some kind of machine or vehicle and always end in Arthur Barthur saving the day with courage and hard work. My favorite thing about these stories is when Arthur jumps in while we are in the middle of the tale and begins to weave in his own details and events. It is so fun to hear his imagination take voice and his gift for story telling take shape. Lately Arthur's favorite pastimes include fighting fires and digging for dinosaur bones. He still loves cars and trucks and will stay entertained for hours with just one little matchbox car.
Having a three year old has been fun and challenging. It seems like we on teetering on the edge of a threshold- independence vs needing help, initiative vs needing constant directions. I can't wait to enter a new phase with him of preschool, reading, writing, swim lessons and friends coming to play. And yet, as always, I feel compelled to hold on to each moment of cuddling before bedtime, running into my arms after an owie, and wanting to be held.
Arthur has really found his rambunctious side and loves to play, play, play. But, he will still sit for hours and want me to read him story after story as often as he can. He loves family home evening (or "hammy phone evening" as he calls it) and is always an eager participant. I love that he won't go to bed each night without reading a scripture together and he asks Heavenly Father to bless each of us by name whenever he prays. He is learning every moment and I am constantly amazed at his recall of something he heard me tell him weeks ago and suddenly he is explaining how the earth spins slowly around the sun.
His sweet tender nature always shines through, even in his silliest and loudest moments. Throughout the day he will look into my face intently and ask how I am feeling based on my facial expression, "Mommy are you happy?" "Mommy are you tired?" "Mommy are you sad?". I love that he cares about how I feel and although sometimes it is easy to get caught up in feeling frustrated as I juggle Stella's needs, errands, meals, and helping Arthur I am trying to remember to smile more throughout the day so that Arthur knows how much I love being a mom. I want him to see and always remember how special this time is for me that I get to spend with him each day and how happy I feel to be the mom of such a special little boy!
I love you my little fireman!