Halloween

Halloween Time!!! This year you had a really hard time choosing what you wanted to be. You said T-Rex, Mario, Bowser from Mario, but finally settled on a ninja turtle...again. :) You were Michaelango when you were two years old so Mama tried to talk you into doing something different...but you just did not budge. However, you decided that you wanted to be Leonardo this year.....so for the second year, you were a Ninja Turtle for Halloween.

Mama had to teach in the morning but you had your Halloween party at school anyhow. Daddy picked you up from school and then killed time until I could come meet you guys. We went to Great Aunt Theresa's job because they always give out SO much candy... we walk from cubicle to cubicle and leave there with a ton of candy! Aunt Sheena's mom Nancy painted your face for you again this year...she is a face-painter and does amazing work. Although your costume came with a mask, you were much happier to not have to wear it and have super fun halloween make up instead.

We met up with Tee and the girls and did some local Trunk or Treat's, went to the church to trick or treat, and then went to Poppy's neighborhood once it got dark. We walked several blocks and trick-or-treated. Mama's friend Kate and her daughter Ava walked around with us. By the end of the night, we were all exhausted, full from snacking on candy, and your bag of candy had more candy than you certainly needed. It was a successful night!

Basketball!

You had your first basketball game yesterday!!! Daddy is your coach and holy moly...Mama could not love the two of you guys anymore than I do. I love watching the two of you interact with one another. You are playing basketball with your two buddies - Elias and Liam. These are the two boys that you met in preschool last year and have remained best friends with. You three played baseball together last summer and have started to play basketball together this year. We bought you the cutest basketball shoes EVER! Little grey Jordan's...of course you had to show us how fast you could run and how high you could jump.

Your team name is the Lions!

Your first game was the cutest thing EVER. It is 4 and 5 year olds...so of course it is more about enjoying the game than competitively playing. Daddy had instructed each of the team to "Guard your person" (the person on the other team) and you took that very seriously. You would not take your eyes off of your "person" and would not let them get past you. Tee and the girls came to cheer you on. At one point, you left the court to come give all of your "fans" a big high five... in the middle of the game! HA! We laughed and laughed. Daddy just hollered for you to get back in the game. ;) Another point in the game, you left the court to come give Mama a big hug. In one of the huddles, you made Daddy stop talking to give you a big kiss. You are such a sweet little guy.

Although you did not score any baskets in your first game, you were awesome on the defense and even had the opportunity to take the ball to the basket a few times! You did fantastic dribbling and seem to really understand some of the fundamentals of the game.

Immediately after, Kassidy had her first basketball game. We were so proud of her too! We couldnt' stay for the whole game but we got to see four of the six periods of her game. We had to leave to get you to your friend Beck's birthday party. It was at PetLand... you really enjoyed playing with the puppies. I know in my heart that we are going to have to get you a puppy sometime soon...all little boys deserve a dog. Even if Mama doesn't want another one after Rocky, my little Lathan deserves one!

The Holidays

Another year of Holidays have come and gone. We were hoping to spend Thanksgiving in St. Louis with Uncle Dave and Aunt Sheen but David had to work so we stayed in town. We celebrated at Tee and Uncle Ezra's house with everyone in the family. So much food....but you ate a lunchable. Typical Lathan!

With every year, Christmas becomes more and more magical. You were amazed by the christmas lights this year - If someone did not decorate their house with christmas lights, you would say "They are not in the christmas spirit - Santa Clause will not find their house." Good thing your Daddy is completely obsessed with Christmas lights so we certainly did not have to worry about Santa Clause finding our house...our house lights up the whole neighborhood. The lady across the street tells us that she does not need a porch light this time of year because of house ;) Every year we add more and more Christmas decorations too...enough is just never enough!

Boy did Santa Clause take care of you this year!!!! You have more toys than we have room for actually.... lots and lots of Hot Wheels tracks, lots of toys, even more toys, and even more Hot Wheels tracks. Good thing we have the room in our basement to set them all up. Uncle David had to work on Christmas so they were not going to make it back until the day after Christmas, so our Christmas Day was pretty relaxing. We woke up and opened Christmas presents at our house - It was such a wonderful morning to see the happiness in your eyes. You ran from your stocking to the presents, from the cookie plate to see if Santa had eaten them to the chimney door that Santa had left over when he came inside. You were amazed by all of the presents and everything that Christmas morning had brought. After our Christmas morning together, Tee, Uncle Ezra, the girls, and Poppy came over to our house for a Christmas brunch. Mama had made an overnight breakfast casserole and crock pot hot cocoa, Tee made biscuits and gravy, and Poppy brought huge cinnanom rolls. So much food. We sat around and ate, played Christmas bingo for lots of Christmas prizes that Poppy had bought and sang a lot of Christmas karaoke. Around 3:30 we went to Grandma Bye's house for the Rodriguez Christmas gift exchange. It was the first Christmas without Poppy's mom - Grandma Kathy - GG so it felt kind of strange not celebrating there but I know that she was with us in spirit...just like my mama, Poppy Tino, and Rocky and Macoy always are. We spent the night relaxing at home and playing with your millions of toys.

The next day, Uncle David and Aunt Sheena finally made it to town! We got to celebrate Christmas at Poppy's and holy moly....were you spoiled AGAIN! It is always so great to have the whole family together (plus our guardian angel, Ma.) You got so many super awesome gifts including a HotWheels Ultimate Garage to hold your million cars, the fastest remote controlled race car EVER, and these amazing shoes that light up. Poppy found them on the internet - They are not like the normal light up shoes that light up when you step down....these are crazy colored shoes that are always lit up and need to be charged through a USB cord. I can not even tell you the number of people that have stopped us and asked where your shoes came from. They are quite the hit!!!

Over the next week, we spent a lot of quality time with Uncle David and Aunt Sheena. We had not gotten to see them since August so we certainly took advantage of the time that they were here. Mama had two weeks off from work, so we had lots and lots of cuddle time, snuggle time, play time, and rest and relaxation.

We ended 2016 at Tee's house - We thought since it was a special night, you could stay up later than usual. I could not believe that you were not even tired come midnight!!!We came home right after midnight but you did not want to...you wanted to stay even longer. Party animal. 2016 was a good year...you started your second year of preschool, you learned so much and have excelled so much in school, you became very active in church including singing in the children's choir. I'm interested in seeing what 2017 brings for us! :)

DISNEY

We just got back from the most amazing trip imaginable - Daddy and Mama took you to a week at Disney. This was a trip that has been planned for almost a year - Mama researched and researched and researched to make sure that we were prepared and everything had been thought of - (I think I needed a vacation after planning a vacation! Ha!)

Mama made a Mickey countdown poster where you would remove a Mickey every single day so you knew how many days were left until you got to see Mickey  Mouse. Nancy at daycare said you would update her everyday how many days were left. Saturday November 12th you removed the LAST Mickey Mouse which meant we were out of there! You had helped pack your little big - You grabbed your shampoo, your underwear and your socks - Mama got the rest ready ;) You pulled your bag down the hallway and helped Daddy load the car. Poppy drove with us so he could take our car home so it wasn't left there - You were so excited! We loaded the plane and you sat by the window - You were all set to go....until the airplane started to take off. Airplanes are loud and it can be a little bit scary as the plane starts down the runway and gains speed to get in the air - your eyes got really teary and you started to panic but as soon as the plane started to lift off the runway....you were fine! You loved watching us get higher and higher until we were above the clouds.

Once we landed and got situated in Orlando, Florida - it was about 7:30 and already dark. However, because we were in Florida and the weather was gorgeous....we checked into the resort and then walked around to explore. We stayed at Disney All Star Movie Resorts which was adorable - It had themed areas (Fantasia, 101 Dalmatians, Mighty Ducks, Love Bug, and your favorite...Toy Story!) The resort had HUGE toy statues that you really enjoyed. We ate pizza and then got ready for bed - You had a big day planned for the next day!

Sunday
The first day of the trip was Disney Hollywood Studios! Even though you are a big boy that does not need a stroller anymore, we had bought a stroller specifically for the trip. Everything that Mama had read in her research said to definitely plan on having any younger children ride in a stroller as the parks are so huge and require a great deal of walking. It just so happened that the only lightweight stroller that was available at Walmart was MICKEY MOUSE! (worked out perfect!) So we packed our water bottles, the stroller, and took off for the Disney shuttle in our Mickey Mouse shirts. Disney Parks are massive and the intricate fine details all over the park is just amazing. We really were overwhelmed when we walked into the park - Mama had went to DisneyLand in California many many many years a go but never to Disney World... It is gigantic!

We utilized a service called "FastPass" which meant that six months prior to your trip, you are able to choose three rides to "skip the lines" at certain times throughout the day. Once you use those three passes, you may add another, then another, etc. etc. The very first ride we went on was called "The Great Movie Ride," it took us a "tour" of old movies that "came to life" The only one that you really knew was The Wizard of Oz but you still enjoyed it. After that we rode ride after ride after ride - Thank goodness for the stroller because you sat in it the entire time.

The highlight of your day was dinner at Hollywood and Vine. Little did you know that this was a character dinner...as soon as we entered the restaurant...there stood Goofy. Your eyes just lit up. It was a buffet style dinner (of course you took two bites of your food) but that was just fine because the way you looked when you saw Mickey Mouse was absolutely priceless. The characters all came up to our table and you got to hug them and then pose for a picture - Mama and Daddy had to hold you for all of the pictures EXCEPT Mickey Mouse. You ran as fast as you could and wrapped both of your arms around him for the biggest hug... I felt that my heart was going to burst.

Monday
Monday was MAGIC KINGDOM! The biggest and the most amazing Disney park of all. I could not even tell you how many rides we went on that day but we were there until it was way past dark...one ride after another. We utilized the Fast-passes again which really are lifesavers - I believe the longest we ever had to stand in line was 45 minutes and that was because we were in between our scheduled rides and had the time to waste. On our way to one of our scheduled rides we happened to see a crowd gathering near the street - turns out, there was a parade that was scheduled to start in about 20 minutes. We were almost the front row for it! Daddy put you on his shoulders and you oooohed and ahhhed at all of the Disney characters and the gigantic floats. Mickey and Minnie were the last ones in the parade and Mickey waved at you - You could not believe it! You said after meeting him the night before, you two were best friends! :)

You rode on your first rollercoaster and had a BLAST! In fact, we had to ride it two more times. I was so scared for you but I should have known better....you are all about speed! :)  Of course it was a very small rollercoaster that was designated for small children...but it was definitely fast enough for you!

The Disney Castle was completely decorated in Christmas lights - We stood and stared at it for the longest time because it was probably the most beautiful and amazing thing we had ever seen. We tried to take pictures of it but they just didn't do it justice.

Tuesday 
After all of the fun of the past two days, we had a scheduled rest day planned. We just hung out at our resort and relaxed for most of the day. We had a big evening planned but even we didn't know how BIG it would be! We boarded one of the shuttles that took us to our scheduled dinner at one of the surrounding resorts. Mama had signed us up for Mickey's Backyard BBQ but of course did not tell you anything more than we had a surprise coming. When we checked in, we found out that we were VIP's. You heard a band playing and immediately told us that you figured out your surprise - you said we were bringing you to listen to a band. Of course we went along with it and told you Yep! That's your surprise. You were excited. HOWEVER, once we got inside the restaurant you saw the truth... In walked Mickey and all of his friends (Minnie, Goofy, Chip & Dale, & Donald Duck!) We had thought dinner at Hollywood was fun but it turns out that we got to hang out and dance with Mickey and the gang! Seriously, this was the greatest night ever!!!!

We had a lot of food to eat, there was a band that was playing, and all of the kids got to have a dance party with Mickey and his friends. The whole dinner lasted about three hours... I had no idea what I was signing up for when I chose that dinner but it turned out to be the most magnificent and spectacular evening EVER!

Wednesday
Today we went to Animal Kingdom! This park is not nearly as large but it was still very neat. We started off by going on an animal safari - We go to drive through and see man different animals up close. Giraffes were right beside us! The best part of this park were the shows - specifically the Lion King Musical. It was something right out of Broadway! You loved it - You danced and sang along as you sat on my lap. At one point, one of the "monkeys" came off stage and tried to give you a high-five but you panicked and refused to. Ha! Mama gave him one for you. The show consisted of acrobats, fire dancing, music, huge animal floats, and overall...one heck of a performance! We also went to "Finding Nemo" the musical, which you really enjoyed. I'll tell you what you did NOT enjoy...the Bugs Life show. It was supposed to be a child-friendly 3D show...however, it became pretty intense and we quickly realized that it was probably a little too scary for you. We realized this when you started bawling and we had to run out of the theater.... :( Sorry baby. We had no idea. A grasshopper decided to come out and pretend to spray pesticide over all of the humans so we would know how it felt....then pretend spiders dropped from the ceiling and we were "stung" by bees. (The stinging was just a little painless poke that came out of our chair but just was supposed to make people jump and laugh.) However, for a 4 year old...all of that is very traumatic. So we ran out of there and did not look back!

Thursday
We finished the three Disney parks that we were scheduled to visit and spent today at Sea World. It was a very nice change of pace after the hectic crowd-packed Disney parks...Sea World was not very busy at all. We got to see the most amazing shows with sea lions, walruses, dolphins, and killer whales. Each show you wanted to sit in the "SOAKZONE" however we were lucky and never got wet at all. There were definitely people that left completely soaked though so we were lucky. Depending on what show we were watching, the whales would soak the audience, the dolphins would splash, or just the arena itself shot water out at certain areas. The shows were all so funny and you really enjoyed them.

Sea World also had several rides including another small rollercoaster that we rode over and over and over. Since there were no lines, there was one time we rode it 4 times in a row without ever having to get off! Ha!

Friday we had to say goodbye to our Disney Dream vacation and fly home. I will never be able to put into words how fantastic of a week it was...everything went perfect and went just as planned. The way you laughed and smiled non-stop was just priceless.

Pre-k

You returned to preschool this week - this will be your last year before you start kindergarten. I'm really having a hard time with it - I know my time if snuggles and cuddles will come to a close. I know that my days of holding you and carrying you around are limited - I am literally in tears as I write this. I never understood why my mom was so sappy and enotional when she talked about us growing up, and you won't understand until you have children....but it is really hard to let go. Yes, you're only four...but you'll never be this small again! 

Your teacher's name is Mrs. Voight - She seems to be really great and you said she's "so funny."  You go during the mornings on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday's. They said they're really focusing on getting you prepared for kindergarten so you'll be focusing on letters. Numbers, days of the week, etc. I have such anxiety when it comes to those things because I do not want to fail you as a Mama, I don't want to not teach you things and have you start school behind. You are so smart though and I know that you'll do great...its just something else you'll understand once you have kids. You worry about EVERYTHING! I try to enforce school time at home but conveniently you're always "too sleepy" or tell me you can't move off the couch because you're "stuck in glue." Little stinker. 

You have one of your best buddies Elias in your class again this year. You had him in class last year and played baseball with him this summer. You were so nervous at your Sneak Peek- you wouldn't let me put you down at all- you had your arms and legs wrapped around me like a little monkey. However, when Elias got there you were excited and started to feel more comfortable. We played in your classroom, went and had a snack, and then played on the playground. There was a younger boy running around (maybe 2 or 3?) and you and Elias created a game that he was chasing you guys (he wasn't...ha) so you stood and yelled "come get me, you stinky baby!" His mama said "his name is Alex..." Mama was mortified! We had to have a little talk about what is nice and what is not nice to say to people! Haha. All in all, the sneak peek was good! You wee sad to hear that your other best buddy, Liam was placed in another class. I hope you get to see him sometimes on the playground because you three really enjoy each other. 

In fact, that's where we were tonight. Liam's parents had us over for fishing and smores. You had so much fun!!! Typically you don't like to fish (we were actually fishing this afternoon too- Uncle Dave surprised us and came in town!) however, you loved fishing with your buddies. The three of you ran, wrestled, giggled, laughed,and  ran some 

more! Liam's daddy took you all on a four wheeler ride - I kept having o remind myself to not panic and freak out since the other mama's were allowing their son to go...I'm just so crazy protective. The whole time you were riding around with him, I was watching you like a hawk... In fact, I don't think I actually breathed until we were in the car on the way home. It was such a fun night but I was worried about the pond, the bonfire, the four wheeler, etc etc. come on mama! Let go a little!!!! 

You are absolutely obsessed with Bolt (a three time Jamaican Olympic gold medalist for track  - the fastest man in the world!) We watched all of his Olympic races - you call yourself Tiny Bolt. We have had to run up and down the yard racing you a million times- of course you win and of course we interview you afterwards. "Bolt! You win again!!! How do you run so fast?!?" "Well I'm

A slow starter but I have rockets in my feet and you just can't beat bolt!" "Bolt! Are you going to hug or kiss anyone after you won your gold medal?" "Yes! My mama and daddy! I'm ready to race again!" Soooo we race again, and again, and again! ;)

You told me "mama, when u get big....I'm going to wear that green and red outfit like bolt(his Jamaican Olympic 

uniform) and I'm going to run with bolt! 

"So we have to move to Jamaican then!"

"Yes, want to come with me mama?"

"Sure! I'll come run with you and bolt!"

Hesitation...."ummm mama, you're not that fast. You can't run with bolt - you run like this..." (Proceeds to run in slow motion) "but you can watch me!" 

Thanks Lathan. 

We had to take his picture out of the sports illustrated magazine that grandma bye gave you and tape it up on your bedroom wall. Your first poster! As much as you love running...it doesn't surprise me that's your current little hero! 

The other day we pulled into the grocery store and there were a few people outside standing by their cars talking ... Uh very seriously said "what are those weirdos doing?!?" Oh Lathan...another time we had to talk about saying nice things (after I secretly died laughing inside.)

Kambree started at your daycare a few weeks a go - she is there three days a week. I think you love getting to play with her at Namcy'shouse! 

Your favorite color is blue - favorite food is pizza- you loooove grape juice and chocolate milk. It's torture trying to get you to eat anything of any sort of nutritional value...you choke down baby carrots and corn but very very rarely. You always tell me "no! Vegetables aren't good for me! They make me gag!!!" You told me your favorite book is Pete The Cat. Movies: you love Big Hero 

6 movie, Space Ham, Angry Birds. You still love Mickey Mouse, anything superhero, and anything dinosaur (T-Rexis your favorite.) song: Fall out boy - Immortals (song from big hero 6)

Best friends: Kendalyn, Kassidy, kambree, Elias, and Liam (and mama and daddy of course!!!!) 

Loooooves hot wheels cars!!!! You line them

All up, race them, crash them, hide them...you're just all boy! ❤️

 Well another summer is coming to a close! It's been such a busy one but good grief, it flew by so fast! 

You will start your last year of preschool in a few weeks - It literally brings tears to my eyes at the thought. I love you so much and I am so happy that you are growing and maturing but I just am not ready to have my baby boy be so big. You've really sprouted up in height over the summer - you are so tall! 

You finished your first baseball season - that was probably the cutest thing in the world. You and your little buddies had such a great time together! 

Since Mama has her job at Washburn, I had a lot of flexibility so I got to spend so much time with you this summer. I took off 1-2 days a week to work from home and we just hung out and did fun stuff together! We did some swimming, went to summer movies, and just spent a lot of time hanging out. I still thank the lord everyday that I was blessed with this job opportunity because my mama time has increased SO much. 

We spent last weekend in 

st Louis and did so many fun things! We went to the arch and then to grants farms where you rode a camel for the first time! This is such a brave move for you because last year when we were in Wichita, you were so terrified and refused to. You've really grown and were so brave! Auntie, Uncle Ez, the girls and poppy arrived a day after us and we went to a Cardinals game (you're a big cardinals fan now...you want to wear your shirt and hat all the time.) that was your first baseball game! You weren't that into it but it was still fun! We also went to the city museum which is basically a huge obstacle course. Again, you weren't scared of anything - you climbed through dark tunnels, climbed through cages hanging way in the air...I was so proud if you and your bravery. You really overcame a lot of fear that weekend. We ended the weekend at a big arcade - your favorite part of that was playing laser tag. :) You and Kam chased everyone around and tried so hard to shoot us. It was a blast and so nice to all be together again for the first time in a few months. 

We continue to try and teach you new things - You hate doing "schoolwork" so it's a huge struggle. Right now we are trying to work on recognizing the sounds associated to the letters but you aren't very interested. We are also really trying to help you write your name - you do it, but sometimes it's a little hard to read :) 

So much has happened lately and we have done such fun stuff! 

You finished your first year in preschool a few weeks a go- it's hard to believe that you only have one more year left before you go to preschool. Mama got to attend your last day of preschool where we sang songs, had ice cream sundaes, and played outside with all of your friends. You formed a great friendship with two of your classmates- Elias and Liam. In fact, you started playing tball with them this summer so you get to see them even more! :) It's so neat to see you really start to form friendships and have so much fun with other kiddos. You always say that they are your best buddies or your best friends. When Mama was unloading your backpack on your last day of school, I will shamefully admit that I did cry at the thought of you growing up! You saw me crying and told me "I will always hold your hand, Mama!" 

Like I said, you started playing baseball with your two best buddies and are really loving it! It's four pitches by the coach and then off the tee if necessary. Daddy helps out and it makes my heart so happy to see two of my favorite guys out there together. You are at that age where you don't really understand the rules but really have a blast trying! It is quite possibly the cutest thing ever watching the games! 

Uncle David graduated from medical school and we could not be any more excited for him or proud of him. You attended his hooding ceremony and his graduation and cheered 

him on so loud. You had a blast at his graduation party where you played so hard with the girls. You just cannot get enough of your girls. 

Sadly, Gigi (poppy's mama) passed away 

- she had been in and out of the hospital so I know she didn't want to live that way but it is always so hard to lose loved ones. We spent a lot of time trying to cheer poppy up - he had rotator cuff surgery the day before she passed away so he has really been down in the dumps. 

Me, you, and Daddy moved uncle Dave and aunt Sheena to St. Louis this week. What should have been a 4 1/2 car ride turned into a nine hour trip. Ain't Sheena had a tire blow out so we waited to fix that, there was a wreck on the highway, and rush hour traffic caused us to be at a stand still... But you were the most amazing little boy! Daddy drove the ugly so ur was just me and you in the car but you were so great and patient despite the long time. You didn't fall asleep at all but also didn't whine or fight me for it being so Long. When we got to dave's and started unloading the uhaul, you were such a big help! You carried in so much stuff for them- they definitely couldn't have done it without you :)

Spring is starting to arrive - The trees have started to turn green, the flowers are starting to bloom, and Lathan is starting to get spring fever! I have always said that you are such an outdoor boy and it is so true - the minute it starts to warm up, you are ready to be outside. You want to be at the park, on the swing set, on a nature walk, riding your jeep, playing basketball, and playing baseball. I am really happy to see that and we definitely encourage that also - there is no reason to waste beautiful days by being indoors watching television or playing on the iPad. You will be playing t-ball with a few preschool buddies this summer (Oh my gosh, I CAN NOT WAIT to watch you out there playing!!!!! I am SOOOO EXCITED!) Anyhow, you will be playing t-ball BUT you think that you are too big to hit off a tee - you always make daddy pitch to you. You are really good though and can usually always hit most of his pitches - we keep trying to explain to you that "Tball" isn't for babies and you will have to use the tee when you play this summer. We also have tried to explain that you do not throw the bat as hard as you can when you hit AND you do not throw the ball at your friends as an attempt to get them out. (This should be an interesting t-ball league.) :)

Spring Break was last week and your daycare and preschool was closed; you did not seem to mind at all though - that just meant a whole lot of time with Mama! The Monday of Spring Break you actaully woke up with a fever and a bad cough so I stayed home from work with you, the next two mornings you came with Mommy to work and then we went home in the afternoons, and Thursday and Friday - Daddy and Mama were both off and we did fun things! Thursday we went to the Zoo and played and then went to Potwin Pottery. That is a pretty cool place - you choose the ceramic that you want to paint and then you decorate it however you'd like. A week later, you get it back and it has been glazed, baked, and polished. You (of course) chose a T-Rex; we spent a lot of time painting it blue, re-painting it green, giving it spots, painting over the spots, and giving it spots again. At one point, Daddy got a little frustrated and told you that we were not going to paint the entire dinosaur again.... "Daddy, this is my day." HA! You told him! Daddy just laughed and said "You are right - let's paint him again." Friday of Spring Break, we headed to Wichita! It was Uncle David's "Match" ceremony - this was the day that he found out where he will be headed for his residency. During the ceremony, Daddy took you and the girls to an Exploration Museum- he said that place was AMAZING and so incredibly huge. While you were there, we found out that Uncle David made his number one match at Barnes-Jewish/Washington St. Louis for anesthesiology. Although I am so sad to see him and Aunt Sheena move farther away - this is an amazing opportunity for them and St. Louis has a lot of really cool things for us to do when we visit. We spent the rest of the day just hanging out at their apartment - you were exhausted so we headed home around 6.

Another really fun thing we got to do recently was to go to The University of Kansas Natural History Museum - Poppy and Auntie have taken you there before but Daddy and Mama had not gotten the chance to go. That place was amazing too! They had a lot of dinosaur fossils - you were in awe of them. It is still so shocking to see how much you know... you were telling us about all of the dinosaurs and you know SO much about all of them too! Speaking of that, you also surprised the heck out of Mama the other night....you started talking about the solar system. "Venus is the hot planet, it has volcanoes on it." "Mercury is the smallest." "Mars is the red planet - It has two moons." " Uranus lies on its side." "We live on Earth." "Saturn has rings." "Jupiter is the biggest planet." I am ashamed to admit this but I did have to google these things to make sure you were right...AND YOU WERE! Good Lord, you are a GENIUS!!!

Last night Mama was trying to get you to eat your vegetables and I told you that if you do not eat them, you will never get big. Without missing a beat, you said "That's fine...you want me to stay small anyhow." Dang kid, you out-smart me every time.

Oh Dear Lathan.... You can be quite the confusing stinker sometimes. Let me explain.....

Every morning you help make Mama's coffee for me - you pick out the K-cup for Mama's Keurig, place it inside, and press the start button. Well, earlier this week you told me that you wanted to have Leonardo the Ninja Turtle make Mama's coffee instead. I said OK and sat you and Leonardo on the counter top to get the coffee started.... you take Leonardo's turtle finger and press the "Start" button on the coffee pot....and then you IMMEDIATELY begin to bawl. "I wanted to make your coffee! Not Leonardo!"

????

I was dumbfounded, I had absolutely no idea what to say or do. You were completely hysterical. I tried to explain that you were the one holding Leonardo and you were the one that made him push the start button?

After several minutes, you finally agreed to help Mama get a glass of ice water instead. I will never fall for the Leonardo trap again...that Ninja Turtle is NOT allowed to make my coffee! :) 

 Four Years Old!!!!!!


My little four year old boy - perfect in every single way. You no longer look like a baby, you no longer look like a toddler - you are such a little man these days. Your 4T clothes are already too small for you - you certainly have your daddy's height and body structure. Your arms are very long so a lot of your shirts no longer fit in them... You are going to break the bank if you do not stop growing soon!

The day before your birthday, we celebrated at your preschool! They have very strict rules as to what you can bring as a snack - you chose to bring Lightning McQueen gummies! Mama snuck out of work and came for the birthday celebration - you had a birthday crown that you were wearing, you were the leader of the class, everyone sang you happy birthday, and then you got to share your yummy gummies with all of your friends. You were certainly feeling pretty special :) Your actual birthday, Mama took off work and we just hung out together! We met Auntie and Kambree at Pizza Hut so you could eat your favorite lunch (DUH! PIZZA!!!) and then the two of you played in the play-place for such a long time. You crashed when you got home....of course Mama laid with you because I just cannot get enough of the Lathan sleepy snuggles. You still rub my cheeks as a way to put yourself to sleep. :) Your spiderman birthday party was so the day after your birthday and it was perfect! The living room was packed with your most favorite people and you got SO many cool things!!!! There were spiderman decorations everywhere! (Mama had thought she was cutting back this year but as I started to decorate more and more, I realize that was not actually the case at all. OOPS!) You had a blast though!

My four year old baby boy, Everytime Mama looks at you - you make my heart melt. You are as sweet as can be... you tell Mama how beautiful you think I am and how I am your girlfriend. One day you put both hands on my cheeks and told me I was your most favorite girl ever. Those are the moments that I will forever lock away in my memory bank...someday I will no longer be your number one girl, you will be too big for cuddles and snuggles (Yes, I am crying as I am writing this...) but it is true. Someday you will outgrow Mama..I will treasure every moment I have with you as my sweet little boy. Although you will always be my baby, reality is that you will stop cuddling, you will become more independent with every passing day... I love you Lathan Rush. Words cannot even describe how much.

Christmas is so magical with you. We spent so many nights driving around looking at Christmas lights- your eyes would just light up, even if the house had a simple strand or two- you loved seeing any lights at all. We spent so many hours singing and dancing to Christmas music (your favorites this year were I want a hippopotamus for Christmas, The little drummer boy, frosty, and Rudolph.) mama and you had several baking days and you would always suggest turning in Christmas music, then you would say "that'd be a good idea." So mama would turn on kids Christmas station and we would laugh and sing along. Making memories like that are so important - I have so many wonderful memories from my childhood and I want you to have the same. My parents didn't have the most money growing up but that never mattered to them or us- we had such a happy home and I want you to look back and smile about your childhood like mama does hers. You had a lot of fun making sugar cookies- you never took a bite of one (neither did mama, I don't like sugar cookies either) but you loved using the cookie cutters, helping me frost them, and pouring ridiculous amounts of sprinkles on each one. We made Nancy (your daycare provider) two large containers of goodies...when we were making the Reese's cookies (that you love) you told me that maybe nancy could make her own Reese's cookies and you would keep these. Ha. You kept some but nancy definitely got her cookies too.

You helped mama wrap a million presents - I smiled when I remembered how my Mom would corral us when we were trying to help when she wrapped. She would fold the paper and give us the important job of holding it down

So she could tape it. Thanks for the tip, mom. That was your super important job this Christmas too ;) 

Every year, Auntie takes the girls shopping at the Dollar Tree and they choose our presents for everyone. This was the first year I took you to do the same. Mama has two weeks off of work for the holidays but Daddy does not- so sadly, he missed out on this adorable shopping trip! You chose Planes wrapping paper and Ninja Turtle name tags that way everyone knew they were your gifts. You were so excited to shop- you were adamant that you were going to carry the shopping basketball by yourself, but that lasted about twenty seconds ;) I had the greatest time doing this with you- I think some of your gifts were so incredibly random but you were so proud and excited of each one...the randomness made them that much more special! Daddy got a blue loofah...when I asked if that was for a girl or a boy...you said "that's for a man!" Poppy got shampoo (the fact that poppy is bald made mama laugh inside.) Uncle Ezra got a large mirror, Auntie got a green bird, Kendalyn got a toy guitar, Kassidy got a rhino toy that makes sounds when you too it over, Kam got the same thing but in a tiger form, Aunt Sheena got a yellow bird, and uncle David got a green cup. "Uncle Dave will really love this." Was what you said as you chose it. In line to pay, you decided you needed to get mama "hand polish" so you chose a bright pink polish for me and a toy motorcycle for yourself. We came home and wrapped them up immediately :) 

Daddy did hi infamous Christmas Eve shopping, so you and me went to Grinchmas" with auntie, uncle Ezra, and the girls. It was a church program that was based around the grinch ...absolutely adorable! You were in awe! I so wish our church did big productions like that...it was definitely amazing. 

Christmas morning, we woke you up and you were so excited to see if Santa had came! You had set out cookies and milk for him the night before and you said you were going to try and listen for him. When we woke you up, you told us that you didn't think he had came because you dint hear him. However, when you made it to the living room and saw all the presents under the tree...you could not have been anymore excited! You ran to see if Santa had eaten your cookies- which he had! Dusty was also sitting there in he cookie plate so in sure he helped Santa eat the incredibly sprinkled sugar cookies ;). Our fireplace doors were still open from Santa coming down the chimney and get this... There was a piece of santas coal that must have gotten snagged and was stuck in the door!!! You were just certain he was going to come back for it. Santa had also left his magic Christmas glitter on the fireplace. Amazing!!!!! 

You were definitely spoiled this year - not just at our house but everywhere!!! At our house you got a big slide for the basement, lots and lots of toys, puzzles, movies, books, your stocking was over flowing with candy! We had a brunch at poppy's house which was so nice and relaxing. There was a million presents there for you too- talk about sensory overload. We joked that you were going to have a heart attack if you didn't slow down a bit, I had to tell you a few times to sit down and take some breaths. You were so cute! You did not quite understand that other people had presents to open too though...you were just running around trying to help everyone open their presents, you wanted to here every one of your presents out of their boxes and play with everything immediately. ( Poppy bought you a big batman play set which seems to be the Christmas hit this year. We have spent many hours playing with it since.) after Poppy's, we went to great grandma kathys where you had even more presets, and then great grandma party's for EVEN MORE!!!! By the time we got home around 8, mama and you were easy to crash. Which is exactly what we did. What a long but wonderful day!  

The Adventures of Dusty

Day 1: Toilet Papered our Living Room
Day 2: Dusty was sitting out with a tea cup full of milk and opened up your favorite breakfast - chocolate chip muffins. You caught him just in time though before he was able to eat anything!
Day 3:Dusty was fishing goldfish crackers out of the bathroom sink - he caught three!
Day 4: Dr. Dusty had a stethoscope on and was checking Mickey;s heart.
Day 5: That ornery little elf was sitting in the bathroom on the christmas tree - he had put christmas bows all over the bathroom mirror!
Day 6: Listen to this! Dusty colored, cut, and pasted a mustache onto your picture!
Day 7: Dusty put streamers across the hallway entrance so you had to break through them to get into the livingroom - SILLY DUSTY!!!!

Day 8: Buzz Lightyear and his Army-Men friends must have gotten tired of Dusty's ornery shenanigans - we found him taped to the wall while Buzz and the Army Men surrounded him. You were not very happy - you kicked over the army men and threw buzz on the stove to "cook" him. YIKES!
Day 9: Dusty turned our bananas into MINIONS!!! We found him sitting on top of them holding the permanent marker.
Day 10: We found Dusty sitting on top of your Woody remote controlled racecar - he apparently was racing Lightning McQueen last night and WON! Buzz and him must have reconciled their friendship because he was controlling the remote control and helped Dusty to win! :)
Day 11: We found that bad little elf in the bathroom with shaving cream on his face and your Daddy's razor - oh my!
Day 12: Every morning, you help make Mama's coffee. Dusty was trying to steal your job! We found him by my Keurig trying to make some coffee!
Day 13: Dusty was in the bathroom sitting on your Lightning McQueen potty...he had pooped marshmallows!!!!!!!
Day 14: Dusty decorated the dining room with christmas lights! They started on the kitchen floor and we followed the trail to the dining room - they were wrapped all around the table, chairs, and chandeliers! You loved it!!!
Day 15: Dusty and his friends (Mickey Mouse, Kitty Kat, and a Snowman) were playing Candyland this morning.
Day 16: Dusty tried to rob your piggy bank. We found him in the living room with your blue piggy bank and he had gotten some of your change out - we caught him just in time! We put it all back in your bank. Bad Dusty!
Day 17: Dusty cornered Rudolph with your marshmallow gun.
Day 18: I woke up and could not find my glasses anywhere - I woke you up and told you that I had lost them. You said "Mama, you need those!" So we woke up and walked around the house to find them...DUSTY had taken them and was wearing them as reading glasses! He was reading a book to all of his friends. You were so happy to have helped find my glasses.
Day 19: After waking you up, you told me that I had something all over my face. That bad little elf had drew ALL OVER Mama's face - he put spots all over my face and gave me whiskers. I looked like a cat!!!! You laughed and laughed!
Day 20: Dusty turned three rolls of toilet paper into a snowman! Dusty the Snowman!
Day 21: We found Dusty in the living room riding your bike!!!!
Day 22: OH MY GOODNESS! Dusty took all of your underwear and decorated the Christmas tree with them!!!!!!

Day 23: Dusty made you cinnamon rolls for breakfast! He said they were from the North Pole! 

Day 24: Silly Dusty crawled into your race car bed last night- we found him all warm and comfy under your covers and sound asleep on your pillow. (You were comfy in mama's bed) 

Day 25: Dusty bought you pajamas to wear and he wrapped them up for you! However, he must have gotten a little too excited bc he started to unwrap them himself- we found him halfway inside your present! 

Day 26: He was sitting on the milk and cookies plate you left for Santa. He must have helped Santa eat all those delicious sugar cookies you made him :) 

Winter is here! Not officially - that is not for a few weeks - but the winter cold has certainly arrived. 

Daddy and Poppy went on a hunting trip a few weeks back - we had a fun weekend just the two of us. We spent a lot of time with your girls and a lot of time lounging around together. Also, while he was gone - we celebrated Kassidy's birthday party with her friends at the skating rink! Daddy was upset that he was going to miss your first time skating - and I will be honest...he certainly missed something special. I find myself thinking of you on that day and I still cannot help but smile to myself. You had the time of your life. You spent most of your time chasing Uncle Ezra and Kambree around - you sure love them. You had on little fisher price skates and the skating rink has little "walkers" that are to help little one's skate - they are just made of PVC pipe but they worked wonders for you. You skated your little heart out - I have this image of you "skating" around and dancing to the music - it was obvious that you felt like such a big kid out there. It makes me smile but it certainly makes me sad to think about - time has really gone by too fast. I cannot believe you will be four next month - it just truly feels impossible. Anyhow, back to our solo weekend.. Another thing you really enjoyed was baking! Mommy and you decided to surprise Daddy and make him his favorite cookies. You are at the age where you just love to help so you helped with every single step and we ate a lot of the dough in the process... You could not have been more excited to give Daddy his Resses peanut butter cup cookies though as soon as he got home. 

We celebrated Thanksgiving with the whole family - you (of course) helped Mama make a peanut butter pie and Daddy and Mama made the other dishes. Might I say, we brought baked corn and macaroni and cheese and everyone raved about them - we gave ourselves the "Best dishes of the day award." Ha. Naturally, you did not eat anything at all but a Lunchable...but there was SO much food there. We had it at Auntie and Uncle Ezra's house. 

You continue to thrive in preschool. We catch you singing songs that you have obvioulsy learned there - we love listening to you and watching you learn and grow so much in such a short amount of time. I love going through your backpack when you get home so you can proudly show us all of the artwork that has been sent home for the day. You do so many crafts there!! I had to buy a three drawer storage bin that will be used for all of your artwork. I am just a hoarder and want to keep EVERYTHING! EVERYTHING you do is just too perfect and too cute! I want it all! Your last day of preschool for this semester is the 17th and that will be the day of your Christmas Program - I am so excited. I have always gone to Kendalyn and Kassidy's programs and finally I get to see my little man up there! 

We have been going to church a lot - Mama is serving communion and I now help teach Sunday School. It has always been so important to me for you to be an active part of the church so Mama is really trying to encourage that. You have been doing fantastic in Sunday School, you run right up to the front of the church for "Children's Moment" and you happily go up to "Worship and Wonder" during church. The church program for our church is this Sunday - it is the 50th anniversary of the "Peanuts" movie so that is the theme for the program - I am interested in seeing how you participate in that ;) 

We decorated for Christmas this past weekend. Christmas is a hard time for Mama - I just miss my Mama so much, I miss my Grandpa so much. As I have told you so many times - YOU make my world happy again. YOU make my Christmas special. Every time I look into your eyes as you see Christmas lights or you help decorate the tree - I see the magic of Christmas. It is just so special. You loved helping Daddy put the Christmas tree up and then we put all the ornaments on it. I showed you the ornaments that Ma bought you - she bought you two "First Christmas" ornaments and I told you that. After you saw your first christmas ornaments - you could not stop talking about how this was your first christmas and you were just so excited for it. Ha - so you misunderstood a little bit but you were certainly a blast. We put out our christmas houses, set out our christmas calendar, and put out tons of decorations everywhere! We have so many decorations that we actually had to put a christmas tree in the restroom...Mama might buy a lot of stuff...again, I say...I am a hoarder.

With the christmas decorations came your new friend DUSTY!!! One day we woke up and found the elf on the shelf book - we read the book which explained that an elf might be coming and that he or she would be Santa's little helper. The book explained that he would report to Santa if you were bad. Your rseponse was "I dont want that elf here... I want to be bad!" Well...you did not get your way because the next day we found the ELF! He had toilet papered our living room - that ornery little elf. You laughed and laughed and named him Dusty! You explained to Mama and Daddy that you could not touch the elf because it would make his magic disappear. Christmas will be so much fun again this year - every year you get more and more excited about it. :) 

We have had an exciting week! Halloween was this past weekend - you were one super awesome SPIDERMAN!  We had bought you a costume with a mask but you refused to wear the mask - it actually worked out perfect though because Sheena's Mama owns "Aunt Nancy's Face Painting" so we just went to her house and she had her employees get you and the girls all painted up perfect.  Your face looked AMAZING!  Kendalyn and Kassidy were zombies and talk about creepy - they really enjoyed playing that role. When you looked in the mirror after seeing your face - absolutely priceless.  You were so excited! We went to Trunk-or-Treat at our church, stopped to eat Taco Casa (just like last year) and then just did some trick or treating around the neighborhood.  Uncle David and Aunt Sheena were in town so we all walked as a big group and then went back to Poppy and Ma's house to watch the Royals game.  We let you stay up late to finish the game and watch the boys in blue win the 3rd game of the World Series.

WELL....just a few days after Halloween the Kansas City Royals won the World Series - first time since 1985!  I woke you up the morning after they won and told you that the Royals were World Champions - you said "Yes! Yes! Yes! The Royals are my team!  Not the Mets!!!!" (which is who they were playing.)  Daddy convinced Mama to take off work to go to Kansas City for their "welcome home" parade. So we surprised Kendalyn and Kassidy and took them with us - we also took Nancy's son Zack. Talk about INSANE!  We were a small group amongst the other 800,000 people that showed up in downtown Kansas City to welcome the Royals home - needless to say, we could not see a single thing. We could not walk, could not move, could not breathe - but you will be able to say that you a part of what is being called the "biggest celebratory parade in history." There was a moment when Daddy had Kendalyn on his shoulders, Kassidy was on my shoulders and I was holding you as well - talk about a sore back afterwards!

Yesterday, you were scheduled to get a flu shot. Mama had been trying to prep you for it - we talked about being brave and how it will be just a little pinch for a really quick second. Poppy picked you up from daycare where you told him repeatedly "Daddy is picking me up from daycare to take me to the doctor - I am NOT getting a shot." Uh-oh. We were a little concerned how you would act when Daddy actually took you to the doctor for it - but you were so BRAVE!  Daddy said the nurse told you to look at the wall and count to 5 - you made it to 3 and she gave you the shot and Daddy said for a minute your eyes got big and a little watery like you might cry but never did. Daddy told you we were going to go to Orange Leaf and then that was all it took- you were completely fine!

On the way to daycare today you told Mama "Mama...I have BAD news!"
"What's wrong baby?"
"The doctor told me bad news.... doctor doctor gave me the news. I got a bad case of loving you!"

Oh my goodness....I about died laughing. I reached back and grabbed your hand and we laughed and laughed. I do not think that you could be any cuter.

Mama just got back from San Antonio, TX. I was there for a work conference - what a long four days without my little mister!  I called and face timed you multiple times a day but it just wasn't the same - I missed you so much. Daddy told me that you were having a hard time when I was gone - you would cry a whole lot and just really clingy to him - I think it was because you were afraid he would leave too. It broke my heart - one night, I guess daddy bought you a pizza to try and lift your little spirits. You sighed and told him, "I'm just not hungry daddy."  Daddy kept asking why you were so quiet, why you were so sad, why you wouldn't eat - finally after enough prying from Daddy, you said "I just miss my mama."  Just about ripped my heart right out of my chest when I heard that!  I couldn't get home fast enough!!! I was dropped off about 20 minutes before daddy and you came home from daycare - I was hiding and when you walked in, I stepped out. I have never seen your eyes light up quite like that - you really made Mama feel special. You ran as fast as you could and jumped in my arms. Over the course of the night, you wouldn't leave my lap and would just randomly lean up and give me hugs and kisses. I got so many "I love you mana's" and "I missed you so much!"  My favorite job in the world is being your mama - there's really nothing like it. When it was time for bed, you told daddy "you can sleep downstairs tonight." I just cracked up. Daddy said he loved the boy time while it lasted but knew it would end as soon as I returned. That's right Daddy, Lathan is a mama's boy and I am certainly a Lathan's girl! ;) 

Mama stayed home the next day from work and just worked from home. I needed some special Lathan time. We had your parent teacher conferences with Mrs Dreher for preschool - she had nothing but AMAZING things to say about you. She said her and her assistant are very impressed and pleased with your capabilities - you are one of the only ones that can recognize and spell your name. (Mama made up a song as to how to spell it for you - it really worked! L-A-T-H-A-N. That's how you spell Lathan!  That's me!!" She told us that you really are such a sweetheart- you play really nice and share with everyone. (That actually kind of surprised me because you really struggle with sharing with the girls...) She also said that she can tell you really love to learn - you always follow directions and are right there ready for 

"circle time" and "group time" waiting to see what the next thing you will be doing is. She also told us that you are very helpful - in fact, you are a leader when it comes to cleaning up after yourself and picking up all the toys that are out.  (Sometimes you will help clean at home but most of the time you find excuses not to.) So in summary, you're still a little sweetheart genius - DUH. 

We went to visit Grandma Bye and Aunt Theresa the other day after I picked you up from preschool.  They asked where Daddy was and you said "At work."  Theresa asked why he had to go to work - why did he have to pay all of those bills?  You very quickly responded "He has to pay for all of his speeding tickets!"  We all about died laughing - I immediately texted your Daddy and told him that was why you said he had to go to work - let's keep in mind that he has gotten ONE speeding ticket! Haha!  It is not like he has gotten multiple tickets or is this crazy speed racer! :) Hilarious!

Poppy was over Monday night and was telling us a story - you interrupted him and said "I was not done with my story yet."  (You were not telling a story at all, you hadnt been talking one bit.)  I said "No poppy, is talking.  You were not telling a story Lathan."  You looked at Poppy and said "Poppy, say 'Go ahead Lathan.' " Poppy cracked up and said "Ok, go ahead lathan."  You very quickly looked around to try and come up with this so-called story you needed to say.... your story was "My toe-nails are growing, I am going to eat chicken and drink water.  Go ahead Poppy."  Oh good grief child, you are hilarious. 

You are really enjoying both daycare and pre-school - you will randomly start singing songs and saying expressions that I know you learned at school.  You do not really talk a lot about Children's Day Out though - little bits and pieces of information come out at various points throughout the day.  Nancy drops you off and Mama picks you up every Tuesday and Daddy and Poppy take turns picking you up on Thursday's.  On Tuesday's, Mama takes the rest of the afternoon off and we hang out at home - on Thursday's, Daddy and Poppy have to take you back to Nancy's to finish the day there so they can get back to work.  When I pick you up, your teacher always has fantastic stuff to say about you - "He is such a sweetheart."  "He really behaves great."  "He does perfect!"  That makes me so proud of you; sometimes you can be a little stinker, so I was a little worried.  Ha! ;)  On the drive home, I always ask you what you have for snack, what songs you sang, who you played with, what books you read...you typically only answer the snack question and then answer the rest with a "I don't know."   It really is the same for daycare too - I ask what you ate for lunch, "I don't know. Nothing."  Who did you play with today?  "No one."  You are just stubborn!  :)  Like I said though, then there will be moments when you will start singing an adorable song, or you will tell me about the dinosaur picture you painted, the yummy graham crackers with frosting that you ate...it lets Mama know that you are enjoying yourself.

This past weekend, most of the family went to Wichita to visit Uncle Dave and Aunt Sheena.  Daddy could not be there because he was playing in a softball tournament, Kendalyn could not be there because she had a friend's birthday sleepover to go to, and Uncle Ezra had to work.   We got there about lunch time so we started our fun day eating a lot of pizza at CiCi's - YOUR FAVORITE!!!!!  You ate three pieces of pizza and a cinnamon roll - little piggy.  Aunt Sheena had a surprise planned - we were going to Tynaknaga Wildlife Park - Talk about AMAZING!!!!!!  It is an interactive zoo about fifteen minutes outside of Wichita.  I bought you a wrist band which allowed you some of their "premium experiences."  You fed a giraffe; talk about neat.  Mama held you up so you could pet her neck and the giraffe licked your head; you laughed and laughed.  We then fed lemurs - the monkey grabbed your hand and pulled it closer to take the food out of it; we fed lorikeets - one landed on Kassidy! You were all set to go on a camel ride with Aunt Sheena, but in typical Lathan-fashion.....you panicked at the last minute and cried!  So Mama and you just watched Kassidy and Sheena go for a ride on Charlie the Camel!  You got to pet kangaroos - and we even saw two mama kangaroo's with their babies in their pouches!  All of you kids really loved feeding the bunnies and the gigantic tortoise's; the tortoises got a little aggressive though - they kind of worried Mama, so I had you stand outside by me.  They were climbing on top of each other and using their fins to hit one another...seriously!  Kind of nuts! :) You fed and pet llama's and also went on a little train ride pulled by a llama.  It was genuinely a perfect day!  Daddy was very sad he missed it though - but we sent him lots of pictures (to make him even more jealous!) :)

You are in a really clingy Mama-Boy phase right now - Mama does not really mind AT ALL!  Every night you want me to put you to sleep and cry and cry if Daddy wants to lay down with you, I am the only one that can brush your teeth, get you dressed, take you potty, etc.  "No, Mama do!" or "Mama's turn!"  You always tell Daddy that you want to "take turns" with who puts you to bed...but somehow it is always "Mama's turn." Breaks Daddy's heart....but makes Mama's heart smile! Hehe.

When you grow up you want to be a race car driver.

Your favorite colors are blue, orange, and green. 

You are going to marry mama someday in our church (when asked where daddy would be...you told him he could go to Wichita.) 

Your favorite food is pizza!

Your favorite tv show is Dino Dan!  (T-Rex is your favorite dinosaur.) 

Your favorite song is the Planes themesong. 

You say your best friends are mama and daddy. 

Your favorite toys are cars - especially remote controlled cars. 

"I love this fruit cockatoo!" (Fruit cocktail) 

While holding your finger under your nose "I have a mustache question." (I mustache you a question...)

You wanted to wear a certain pair of Lightning McQueen underwear to bed. I found one but apparently they weren't the right ones:

"Mama, those are really really great and I love those a lot...but I don't want to wear them tonight."

"I have a lot of trigger bites!" (Chigger bites)

"Someday I'll be big like daddy - and then I'll be bigger than you Mama. That means I will be your big brother and I will protect you."

"Kambree sure is beautiful...especially that day in the church!"  (David and Sheena's wedding.)

You are obsessed with dinosaurs right now...when telling Mama about a Dromaeosaurus, I tried to repeat it and could not pronunciate it.  "Mama....say DROMAE (Pronounced like Dromey) now say ASAURUS."   I could not help but crack up inside at my little three year old teaching me pronunciation of dinosaur names. 

You run really fast because you have rockets on your feet.

Nancy has a stuffed giraffe at daycare with a long tail - you told Nancy that she had to cut that off because you could not teach Bristol (a 5 month old little girl at daycare) that giraffes have tails when they really do not.  Nancy told you that giraffe's do have tails and to look for them at the zoo.  When we walked up to the giraffe's at the zoo you said "Ugh, I messed up!!!!"   :)

You went to a workout class with Mama the other night - you sat and watched for about 25 minutes. The other 45 you were participating beside me - you sat on my workout bench and attempted tricep dips with me - you very loudly told everyone that "you were my BEST FRIEND!"  :)  Yes, little man.  You certainly are my best friend. 

Dromaeosaurus

 

Today was your FIRST DAY OF PRESCHOOL!!!!!!  So proud of my big boy!  Tuesday was your sneak peek - that was when daddy and I went with you to your school for an hour. We met your teacher, had a snack, played with your friends, and went outside and played on the playground equipment. You wore your Lightning McQueen backpack and couldn't have looked any sweeter. Your teachers name is Mrs Drehere and her assistant is Mrs. Stewart. Afterwards, mama and daddy took the rest of the day off and we went out to lunch with you and then bought all of the school supplies that you needed. We spent the rest of the day cuddling and playing. 

Today was your first day without moon and daddy there. We were pretty anxious about dropping you off - I didn't know if you would cry...and honestly, I didn't know if I would cry too!  However, you and I were both very brave and no tears were shed. We dropped you off at nine - we walked you in and gave you the biggest hugs. You then said you were ready to play with your friends and teachers... So off you went. There's "observation windows" where we can watch you play and you can't see us ... So we stood there and watched you play at the sensory table for a while.  I am just so proud of you and the big boy that you are. Although it is every parents goal to raise successful and well-adjusted independent children, the fact that you are so grown up does break my heart a bit. 

Daddy and I picked you up at 1130 and you were all smiles. You told us that you played outside and are frosted graham crackers. We took you to Toys R Us to get the remote controlled car that you've been begging for a while and then met Poppy for pizza.  I would say you have had a pretty special day!  :) 

I'm so thankful that I have the job that I have now bc I do not have to miss anything in your little life anymore. God has truly blessed us with you and I am so thankful everyday!  We are so proud of you my darling!!! 

A lot of big boy changes are coming your way!  :)  One exciting thing that has happened within the past few weeks is that you have a BIG BOY BED!!!! Daddy and I (Ok, Daddy did all the work, Mama just came up with the ideas and bought the stuff) worked really hard on a Lightning McQueen Room!!! You have a big Lightning McQueen bed with headlights that actually turn on and off, you have fun signs everywhere (Stop signs, caution signs, route 66 signs) you have a traffic light for a lamp.  Daddy painted a new dresser for you red and black to look like a Craftsman Toolbox, and Daddy painted your white pocket book shelves to look like checkered flags!  You have checkered flag curtains in there too.  When you saw them you screamed "Checkered flags - here I come!!!" (What McQueen says when he's winning a race.)  You were SO excited about your big boy room.... Mama and you took a nap in your bed....once :)  Haha.  We kind of expected that you wouldn't be quite ready to leave Mama's pillow and Mama and Daddy's bed...but at least you have your own special space for whenever you are ready.

Daddy and I went to your preschool orientation last week to over the policies and the handbook.  Then the three of us go on September 1st for a sneak peek and then on September 3rd will be your first day!!!!  I am so excited for you.  You will only be going Tuesday and Thursday from 9-1130 but I think that will be perfect for you to get a taste of school and really enjoy yourself.  I find it so hard to believe that my baby boy is starting preschool.  I am just not ready for you to grow up.  I find myself looking at you all the time in awe at how tall you have gotten or how you don't look like a baby anymore.  You look like a little boy.  Breaks my heart but happy for you to be so healthy and thriving as well.

You continue to melt our hearts on a daily basis.  You will randomly tell me "Mama, you are my best friend EVER!"  Or you will just say "I love you so much."  for no reason at all.  Well today, you had spilled your water over on the coffee table - Mama told you that you needed to go grab a towel and get it cleaned up since you made the mess.  You got one and wiped the table off completely.  I told you what a great job you had done!  You ran back into the kitchen and said "I would do anything for you guys."  It was just one of those moments when I know Daddy and my heart melted completely - we just looked at each other and were speechless.  We grabbed you up and gave you lots of hugs and kisses when you came back in the living room... you are just so special baby boy.