Happy Together: Four and a HALF!

Our little guy is 4 1/2 today! He has changed so much in the past 6 months it is really pretty incredible. I want to make note of some highlights and just random things I don't want to forget about my sweet boy during this time of his life.

-One of the main things is just how much he is learning! He is a typical first child/type A in this way. I can tell he will be easy to teach when our home school time comes. He is always asking things like: what is the difference between (X) and (Y)? (stuff like a cup vs a bottle, two pictures, etc). He can write ALL his letters and wants to spell things so badly. We dictate the letters when he tells us what he wants to write, and he does it all by himself. (TO LAYNA AND KAIA FROM HENRY or I LOVE YOU GRANDPA-stuff like that). The word ocean came up recently, and he said, "O for ocean has a long vowel!" He learns this type of stuff at school!! He can't wait to go to kindergarten and says, "Kindergarten will be so much fun!!" He recently learned the interruption rule and uses it faithfully.:)

-We read our first chapter book "The Enormous Egg", and I know he'd like to do more. Our nights are so squished we can barely get books in, but we need to do better! During rest time he can look at books, and with the video monitor I can see him flipping through them. It's so cute! He also "reads" to Annie when she's feeling cooperative at night. She wants to read in the car, and he will say, "I can can't really read, Annie, but I can read it to you in my own way. Is that ok?" Then he proceeds to re-tell the story to her. I LOVE this! I need to get it on video sometime bc it is just too precious.

-ART is his primary love right now. He says he wants to be an artist someday, and he will sit at the art table for hours just drawing, coloring, cutting, gluing...he also loves to watch us draw. We worked on a drawing book of forest animals together, and he was so into it. He's so proud of everything he produces...some of his current work is hearts, rainbows, our family of 5, clowns. He is also excellent at coloring in the lines and will do stripes and create patterns. He really is a creative little guy! He gets this from Steven who loved to draw as a kid. He often does not want us to look while he is working on something...then that evening when we go to bed we will find it folded up under our pillow!:)

-Since he could crawl, he's been a collector, and this has not changed. He loves the outdoors and collects leaves, rocks, insects...you name it. I consistently have a pile of "treasures" coming in to the kitchen counter or in a bucket on his dresser. I could totally see him being a landscaper or something when he grows up bc he is always talking about what he sees outdoors and wants to know about the different types of flowers he sees, etc. While driving he told me, "Mommy, I want THAT kind of tree"...after getting him to describe it, I realized he was talking about a willow. He's a really observant kid when it comes to all things nature. Lately he's loved watching the clouds and points out all the "things" he sees. Quite the imagination!

-He's a sweet big brother. Before Ruby was born, he was so excited about her. He would pray things like, "God, help Annie to be nice to the baby. And help the baby not to kick mommy. And help the baby to come soon because we're excited to meet her." He's great at talking to Ruby and singing to her. He sits in the middle of the car seats currently and is a lot of help. He plays with Annie well (for the most part!) and they love to run around the house together and build forts. They are hilarious playing doctor together. :) He loves being faster than Annie and this works to our advantage as he rushes to "beat" her in finishing his dinner, putting on his PJ's, brushing his teeth, etc.

-Henry has a very sensitive side. He will ask me things like, "Do you want me to hold something for you? Because you look like you have a lot" and "Do you want to share a blanket?" when I was sitting beside him watching TV after nap. After having Ruby, I worn a non-maternity shirt and he was the first to notice and say, "I like your shirt, Mommy!" He has some cute little phrases he will throw out like, "Ok, so...." and "That's what I was going to say!" and "I was thinking that!" and "I can get that for ya!". He says he wants to "go on mission" so that he can "help orphans". The other night he told me ALL about the Bible story he had learned at church, then he asked me, "How was your church day? What was your story?" He is extremely sensitive to movies, and will self regulate by asking us to turn it off if there is something "bad" he sees! So funny. Not sure if we'll ever get through a Disney movie with him or not!

-Steven asked him a few months ago what his favorite 3 things to do were, and he said: do crafts, watch a movie, swim! Speaking of swimming, the boy is a fish. It's amazing. We say he is like a little otter playing around under water-it comes so natural to him now-and he prefers being UNDER the water to being above it. He does flips, twirls, and has learned to dive this summer. I'd like to get him into swimming for sport, but we will see. He has started soccer this month, and has liked it so far. He especially likes the gear-pretty proud of those cleats, shin guards, and tall socks! He and Annie do "lazy monster" together-a kid exercise app-and it is too cute. Also, he loves to tell (or trying to tell) jokes!

-He's an awesome helper. He totally unbuckles and buckles himself in his car seat now AND can help do the same with Annie (when she will let him). When we get to our driveway, I stop and he unbuckles himself, gets out to get the mail, then runs ahead down the driveway to the house. It's our little daily routine!:) He gets the dinner table set and begs to help me in the kitchen. He also unloads the laundry and is awesome at folding clothes. I didn't teach him-he just figured it out on his own. He lays the pieces flat out on the floor and then perfectly folds each one.

-He says a few words incorrectly like paul nellish (for nail polish) and popstickle (for Popsicle)....there are a few others but I can't think of them!

-I was telling Annie a while back that Daddy might be able to help her with something when he got home. Henry piped up and said, "If you snuggle him, Annie, he'll do it!"

And since I don't do monthly blogs anymore...here are a few random pictures of our boy from over the past 6 months or so. Happy half bday little man!