Almost 4

As we look forward to my 4th birthday, Mom wanted to write down some things she and Dad love about me lately:

• My excitement and facial expression when I have an epiphany: "I have an idea! We can take our candy and go to the beach today!", with both hands raised out at my side.



• Honesty: "Mom, you look a little bit yucky today"; "I don't love you and Dad when you throw away my candy"; "You're the best Mom ever, but sometimes I am cranky at you".
  


• Frequently using "Actually..." in a sentence: "Actually... you should turn on the wiper wavers when it's raining."



• Music preferences: "I don't want the Mom songs. Is your iPod charged?"
  


• Singing. Constantly. Even in bed at night, I sing myself to sleep.

I am developing an acute sense of right and wrong, and consequences:

• "Isn't it ridiculous when someone wears a dress with their big girl pants showing?"



• "We don't say booty butt, because that's a bad word. If you say booty butt, you get in trouble. I don't say booty butt because it's bad. Tate says booty butt, but I don't."



• Fear of Discipline by Tate. Tate was a terror from school who scared me in the 2 year old room. He was taken to Montessori school last year, but remains in my mind as the ultimate Bad. If kids do really bad things, Dad says they skip jail and go straight to live with Tate. I try to be very good.

There are a few things that make Mom giggle:

• I named my favorite stuffed puppy "Bustard".
  


• Our game when Mom says "Who loves you more than the moon loves the stars?", and I reply with "Who loves you more than Ryan loves to rip up magazines?" or "Who loves you more than Moxie loves to eat his own poop?"



• I can count to 100: "37, 38, 39... 100" (means Mom is going to be really old soon!).



• One time an ant bit my wrist and when I showed it to Mom during my bath, I said "F#@ing Ant". Mom scolded me and got really mad because that's an awful word. Then she hid her face and laughed so hard she cried.

We are starting to see an end to my Terrible Threes phase. My moods are swinging to sweet more often, and I have embraced the family rule that we should always be nice to each other. I am also more sensitive to getting in trouble. Recently I asked Mom the heartbreaking question: "Do you and Dad not love me when I am bad?". Actually... they always love me, no matter what. And Mom said I never, ever, have to go live with Tate.

Cheerios

Little Man has mastered the art of eating Cheerios. Next up: chunks of Big Kid food! The tricky part is keeping him from stuffing 5 Cheerios in his mouth at once. He is using his left hand for his new eating adventures, raising our hope that he will be a Lefty like Dad, Poppy, and Mawmaw.

Luckily, when he makes a mess, we have very good furry vacuums to keep his highchair clean.

Aunt Julie and Cousin Kalyn 2

We spent our last day together at the zoo, enjoying the freedom of vacation before heading back to reality and school next week. One of our favorite parts was the manatee pool.

Did you know that Christopher Columbus and early sailors thought manatees were the legendary "mermaids"? That does look like a mermaid tail in the middle of the picture:

These guys were amazing, but not as beautiful as Ariel.

Forget the manatees, we also got to feed some friendly goats!

And get snow cones!

But the best part of the day was our pony ride.

Ryan was a great sport.

He tried to keep up with all of the annual Spring Break basics: Japanese Steakhouse dinner, ice cream nights, game night with Operation and Candy Land, Chik-Fil-A every day (they don't have one near Kalyn's house, can you imagine the deprivation?!), The Disney Store, and constant replays in the car of songs from the play, Wicked.

We love Julie and Kalyn and hope they come back every year!

Aunt Julie and Cousin Kalyn

My Aunt Julie and Cousin Kalyn came back to see us for their annual Spring Break trip. Fun In The Sun 2012!

It was Ryan's first Spring Break with these crazy girls, so he didn't know all of the inside jokes and traditions.

He just knew it was awesome.Our day at the beach was very relaxing. Since I have been obsessed with Ariel (The Little Mermaid) lately, we stayed with the theme of mermaids. Mom even helped us make a sand mermaid with shells and seaweed.

In hindsight it really looks more like a sarcophagus.

Kalyn was the best big cousin, ever. She was so fun to be around, and a natural entertainer with me and Ryan. She read books to me at bedtime, taught me to play Hangman, and always gave Ryan new toys in the car when he started fussing. And thanks to her great ideas at the beach (hello, brilliant bucket of water), I even had fun with Little Man!Mom loved our day at the beach because she got to laugh at Dad and Julie focused on their phones, and had some good snuggle time with Little Man.

I didn't mind sharing Mom with Ryan this week, Aunt Julie and Kalyn were way more interesting.

Especially Kalyn; I wanted to do everything just like she did. If she ordered Coke at a restaurant, I ordered one, too (hated it, but everybody liked watching my hilarious sour face as I drank it to prove that I was a big girl like her). She braided my hair, and let me tie her hair in knots (I'm still just learning to twist the rubber bands correctly). Mom and Dad loved seeing me so happy... and so tired!

Irish Dancer

Mom signed me up for a super fun dance class, which means I get to wear my new tap shoes all the time (perfect accessory to Blue Sparkly Dress, unless it's Ryan's nap time). They make me feel like a natural member of the Riverdance Irish Step Dancing Company:

K Irish Dancing

Just Another Trip To The Grocery Store

I got ready to go to the store all by myself, just like a big girl. So, I don't know why Mom and Dad were smiling and taking pictures.

Easter Weekend

Mom and Dad decided to take off work for Good Friday and Easter Monday to make this a long weekend family staycation. It was the perfect chance to spend the day at Busch Gardens and get my face painted! We had a great day, especially at our close encounter with the tigers. Yikes. This white tiger came right up to me at the window and I didn't even flinch. Tigers, I can handle. It's the Daddy gorillas that freak me out. Ryan missed all the tiger fun because he was exhausted from Sesame Street Safari. One of the coolest things about this day was how I was brave enough to go on the big kid rides all by myself! Mom and I even rode the kid's roller coaster. I held up my arms and screamed the whole time. It was awesome! This is our fourth spring down here, and we've learned that April is the sweet spot before May brings in the sweltering summer. So, we spent one day at the beach, but Mom didn't bring the camera to capture my sand castle/"shell cake", or Ryan's sweet nap on Dad's chest.
We did capture Ryan's first trip to the fountains. He liked splashing around, but was more interested in practicing his walking skills.It was the best weekend!

Happy Easter!

We hope you and your family had a wonderful Easter! Mom forgot to bring the camera to church, so we don't have any shots of the whole family together. We did have fun trying to get Little Man to pose for a couple of shots... you can see how well that went.

Sick Day

Mom and Ryan were home sick this week with the stomach bug. They spent the first 2 days literally sitting here in the floor, with Ryan napping on her chest like he did as a tiny baby, and Mom sipping her 5 Sprites. By the third day, they were ready for real food again, and Ryan had regained his mischievous sense of adventure. During their time at home, Mom noticed that Ryan seems to have a secret way of communicating with the dogs...Specifically, the alpha stare he gives Maggie that stops her in her tracks (he must have realized that she is the one who eats his toys).Then there is the deferential booty sniff that Mag gives Ryan when he is motoring down the hall.Moxie just lays there like a speed bump, waiting to be steamrolled. Ryan wastes no time on the way to his new favorite chew toy...It's good to feel normal again!