A Super Birthday and Birthday Party (Nathan's 4th)

The day of Nathan's fourth birthday we let him play hookie from daycare. That morning he opened his birthday present from us (basically the whole set of DC Super Friends and assorted villains) while still in his pajamas. We had plans to go to the Museum of Natural Science but it was almost impossible to get him to leave the house (and his new toys) without major persuasion. In order to start the leaving process, we told him we were going to get a haircut then have a birthday cupcake date to celebrate. He loves going to the haircut place because there are cars and trains to play with as well as a big red firetruck to sit in while watching cartoons. The fact that they cut his hair is completely secondary.

I love Olivia's face in this picture. "How is this a big deal?"

We got him some movies and a few books that were interesting up until the point he opened the big box...

Jackpot!

Checking out everybody and deciding what to open first. Hard to decide.

A little blurry but such a great smile. I love my little superhero.

Looking sharp after his haircut.

After the haircut we went to Ooh La La cupcake bakery and Nathan picked out a super yummy looking chocolate cupcake with sprinkles. I brought a candle with us and the sweet girls there provided the fire after the lighter I brought along didn't respond.

From there we made our way to the museum district. Knowing that he would lose interest in things pretty quickly, we focused our visit on the shark exhibit, dinosaurs and butterfly garden. He wanted soooooo badly for a butterfly to land on him and sat super still (for a 4 year old boy) trying to get one to come. In the mean time, two landed on Daddy. He was pretty disappointed but still enjoyed seeing them all flying around.

The following weekend we had his birthday party at The Little Gym of Katy. We had it there the year before and I'm glad we chose it again! The staff are great and letting the kids run around in alternating organized activities and free play is genius. We picked a superhero theme and I ordered hero cake pops from A Spoonful of Sugar Sweets. I let Nathan choose between a cake or cupcakes as the main dessert and he chose a cake. I told him I would make him a Green Lantern cake, even though his vote was for a Green Goblin cake. I was pretty proud of the result. I felt so domestic! Just like last year we took a bunch of pictures and 98% of them are blurry because the kids didn't stop moving. He got a ton of superhero stuff and some other cool transforming dinosaur-car things. He had an amazing time with his friends, including his best friends.

Andy, Caitlin, Leah and the birthday boy!

Aaron, Nathan and Michelle

Nathan - 4 years old

On April 6th my first born angel turned 4 years old. How did this happen?!?! Even now, a mere four month later, I can't believe how big he is and how much he can do for himself now. Didn't I just meet him for the first time six months ago??! My once perfect little armful is now my perfect big lap full (and then some). Fortunately, my precious boy still loves to snuggle with his mommy. If he didn't I think my heart would be broken. The last time I did an update on him was when we started potty training a full year ago, so quite a bit has happened since then. Let me start out with the classic metrics from his 4-year well-check:

Height: 40.4" (52nd %), Weight: 36 lbs (52nd %)

Size 5-6 pull up, only at bedtime 
Size 5-6 undies, dinosaurs and superheros of course

Size 4T pants and shirts

Size 10.5 shoes

He put on a growth spurt a few months after his birthday and is now in 5T pajamas and some 5T shirts and shorts as well. Here are some other things that he started doing in his fourth year and memories from around the time of his birthday: 

• He bites his nails to the quick and sometimes makes them bleed (author's note: I think this was a manifestation of stress and he stopped doing it a few months later.)
• He started telling me "I love you" spontaneously on a regular basis. Oh, my heart!
• He still enjoys cooking and helping me in the kitchen. He continues to enjoy his play kitchen and making everyone snacks or coffee/tea, etc. Sometimes we will play "school" and he will sit all of his superhero figures in "circle time" and I'll be the teacher and he will be the "cooker" and bring snack in. Unfortunately, Mr. Freeze usually freezes everyone's snack, unless Green Goblin gets to it with one of his pumpkin bombs first. School for superheros and super villains is a challenge. Just be sure you ask what Nathan made for you in the kitchen. That pretend triangle of cheese might actually be representing ice cream...you never know. 
• He likes to help with Olivia a little more (including bossing her around like mom or dad). When he's in a charitable mood he'll get her cup from the refrigerator or go find her lovey rabbit for us. Usually though they are picking at each other and driving me crazy.
• He is sleeping through the night (in how own bed) sometimes. I managed to get him back into his own bed before last busy season and we didn't back-slide too badly. Typically he wakes up once in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom (even if we limit liquids) but several times a week he will also sleep all the way through. Of course he still wakes up at the crack of dawn in hopes that I'll still be in bed and we can snuggle under the covers. I love that morning time together and wish we could do it more often than just the weekend. The day he decides that he's too old to snuggle in bed with me will be a sad day indeed.
• We got rid of naps in sometime last November (ish). I just got tired of the fights every weekend. Up until very recently he would fall asleep on the couch spontaneously in the late afternoon (if we could get him to sit still) and get a little cat nap. He still takes a nap every day during the week at school. Honestly, I love the no nap era. His behavior doesn't get too much worse than if he had a nap and he goes to sleep sooooo much faster at bedtime. That alone is worth it!
• He can get dressed by himself, including putting on his tennis shoes. This happened before he turned four, and it has been so great! I can lay out his pajamas or clothes and he'll get himself put together while I practice my court room negotiation skills with his sister. 
• We started brushing teeth with toothpaste (instead of just water) because he showed me he could rinse and spit. I'm not sure why little things like this seem significant, but when your baby goes from being able to do literally nothing for themselves to brushing teeth, it seems like kind of a big deal. 
• Santa brought Nathan a bicycle for Christmas and he got pretty good at riding it in the spring. Then summer came in all its glory and it has been too hot (still over 100 degrees) in the afternoons for us all to go outside and ride bikes in the sun. If Bubba is going outside then Olivia has to go too and she's still too little to take that kind of heat. So we'll see how much of his skill he has retained after a several month break from practice.
• He has a fascination with my makeup, and now gets it out for me (in order) every morning. Sometimes he preps my eyeshadow brush and powder and he usually opens the eyeliner and mascara for me too.
• He still loves villains. Around the time of his birthday we were watching a LOT of Disney's Hercules and he would stomp around pretending to be one of the titans or Hades. He still loves Sleeping Beauty and Maleficent. 
• He has a fascination with fire. I'm not sure if this is a normal boy thing or if I need to be worried (see love of villains immediately above). I guess time will tell.
• Coloring is an event. I don't know how else to describe it. Whatever he is drawing is accompanied by sound effects and action. Usually he's drawing some kind of monster/dragon/robot shooting fire/lasers and that takes a lot of dynamic coloring skills.

Oh the things this boy says! Every day I think, "I should write that down," when he says something nutty. Here is a little gem I saved because it is a great example of his matter-of-fact responses.

Me: (seeing his fingers in his mouth) Nathan, stop biting your nails.

Him: I'm not biting my nails, Mommy. [pauses] I'm eating a booger. 

What he's good at: Imagination! Articulation! Explaining himself in different ways. Taking turns (most of the time). Affectionate and sensitive. 

What we're working on: sharing with sister, listening to other adults (although listening to Mommy and Daddy is still a work in progress), and whining.

Favorite food: chocolate, blueberries, chicken strips (Chuy's or Whataburger)

Favorite colors: purple and pink

Favorite books: A Halloween Scare in Texas and the Bible (back in April)

Favorite toys: pretend kitchen, superheroes 

Favorite movie: Finding Nemo, Three Musketeers (Mickey), or Tangled (back in April). You win, Disney. You win.

Future occupation (per mommy): Evil genius (complete with cat)

Future occupation (per Nathan): Police officer "So I can take bad guys to jail."

Being super awesome is hard work. 

Playing in the kitchen with sister the sous chef.

A pretty typical breakfast of cheerios, milk and yogurt. Thankfully, my boy is a morning person (usually) like his mama.

This must have been taken on a single parent night. If Jimmy or I are not home at bedtime, we will let Nathan watch the iPad while we put Olivia to bed. Tonight's choice appears to have been Veggie Tales. 

Nathan loves to be outside for any reason. On this day he asked to eat his snack outside on a pretty early spring day.

Making artwork for Grammy to put in her office. This must have been early in the process because he's not covered in paint quite yet.

Switched to the brush. Nathan loves to paint, but most of the things he makes end up looking pretty muddy because he enjoys mixing colors together on the canvas/paper.

Muah!

On an 'ice cream date' at Tutti Frutti with Mommy in early March.

Those sweet smiles melt me every time.

Nathan and Lolo reading books. He still loves to read and we read every night at bedtime together.

Favorite superhero: Green Lantern

This is Nathan's favorite sword/wand/shooter. Daddy made it out of cardboard, a wooden dowel, duct tape and spray paint for Nathan's knight Halloween costume when he was two. It has held up to a lot of abuse and is missing one of the cross guards. Ignore Olivia body surfing on the ottoman...

I went to Denver for work in March and brought back both kids place mats with their name on them. On the back are a bunch of activities and Nathan is practicing drawing his letters here.

My boys vacuuming! Nathan loves to help Daddy with pretty much anything, including using cleaning machinery (using the word 'machinery' makes it sound more manly).

Nathan and Popo playing in the front room. I'm not sure how Popo got through that tunnel. He's evidently in better shape than I am! 

Nathan, my precious angel, I am so proud of you and the young man you are becoming. I love your imagination and love of pretend play. I love that you ask to say our prayer before dinner and are learning what God says about how you and our family should behave. I love the hugs and spontaneous kisses. But most especially, I love you. Even when you are in full blown yelling, screaming, throwing tantrum mode. No matter what, angel. No matter what.

The Big Hop - 2015

On April 5th, we spent some special time remembering the sacrifice Jesus Christ made for us on the cross. Yes, it is true we technically do this every Sunday when we take communion, however it has special significance when it is the actual anniversary of His resurrection all those years ago.

This Sunday, like most Sundays, was not initially filled with tranquility, meditation and reverence. As per usual, the realities of having a four year old and 20 month old prevailed and I barely remember actually seeing the kids look through their Easter baskets. A special thanks to Lolo for getting adorable clothes for the kids to wear. Olivia's dress was gorgeous and I spent all morning trying to get a perfect picture of her in it. Spoiler alert: no luck.

Ironically, she found "big hop" that morning. This is Nathan's very first Easter bunny.

Evidently big hop was thirsty. 

The Easter miracle picture: everyone looking with a pleasant expression!

Little did I know that the first attempt at getting their picture together was going to be the "best." Below is what followed:

After lunch at Chuy's we came home for a short rest before it was time for my favorite Easter tradition...cascarones!! This was the first time Olivia was really able to participate, and she took it very seriously. Once again, I didn't buy enough eggs, but they were so much fun while they lasted. Eventually, when the kids get old enough we'll make our own (at least some of them anyway) but for now we go with the ease of store-bought.

We didn't actually hide eggs this year because of the weather, but the kids didn't seem to notice. Before you think I'm completely un-American, rest assured they were able to hunt to their heart's content at school a few days before. Jimmy was able to make it to Primrose in time to see Nathan's class hunt and managed to snap a few pictures.

Before school picture of the kids in blue in honor of autism awareness. I didn't actually remember it being egg-hunt day, but Olivia looks appropriately springy for the occasion. 

For dinner that night I made bunny pancakes with fruit (and a carrot for Nathan). They turned out pretty cute, although the kids were totally unimpressed. Olivia was just happy to get "mee-noes" (aka marshmallows). Afterward, the consensus was general exhaustion and we ended the day with bedtime prayers thanking God for the beautiful day and Jesus for his sacrifice.

Why, yes, she does have on Bubba's Spider Man mask (backward).

And I'm spent!