Our Boy is 4!!!

We celebrated Cole's 4th birthday last Monday, and it was such a fun day!!!  Gosh, we love this little guy so much, and he adds so much to our family.  He always has a twinkle in his eye and a spring in his step and just radiates love and happiness.
We started our day with a new birthday shirt for the birthday boy....then the girls were off to school and Cole had the whole day to just bask in being alone with Mom and Dad...something that isn't going to happen much when the baby comes in a couple of weeks!

For lunch, we let Cole choose the spot and he wanted Hy-vee.  It is so funny how much he loves to eat there (it is a grocery store that has an eating area).  He loves the Chinese food- sesame chicken with sweet and sour sauce all over!  Then it was on to Chuck E. Cheese where he really lived it up- playing games with dad and earning 75 tickets which he promptly used to buy some Fun Dip (basically powdered sugar that you eat with a candy stick!).

We had kind of gone the rounds about what kind of party to do for him- I really wanted to invite all his cute little friends over, but he did not want that- he kept saying that would just be "too wild".  And he is still really struggling to share...so my dear husband pointed out that maybe it would be in everyone's best interest to not force my ideas on him and instead simplify.  Good idea.  We invited our neighbors and one other family and just did a family dinner.  Cole chose a pasta bar and doughnut cake with ice cream- it was great and very yummy (the evening ended with our sink getting clogged- I guess you shouldn't really put pasta down it...let's just say we had to make a call to Roto-Rooter!)

Cole had some pretty strong ideas about what he wanted for his birthday- of course, cars and trucks were at the top of the list.  He also wanted some new tires for his John Deere tractor.  This boy also LOVES church clothes...he has wanted a suit and tie and "shirts like Dad" for a while.  He always says he is going to "work at the Church" when he gets big.

He also had his heart set on a remote control car.

The next day Cole got to celebrate at preschool with the famous birthday crown!

What a cute little fellow!  Some things to remember about Cole at age 4:
- He still loves all things construction.  He loves to play with his trucks and use them to haul around anything- coins, pieces of cardboard, marbles, etc.  He loves to go look at construction sites or new houses being built.  The sight of excavators, cranes, dump trucks, etc. is just so exciting and he can watch for a very long time!
-This kid is definitely loving his role as the youngest (for now).  He is pretty spoiled while the girls are at school all day.  He gets to go out to eat and have mom all to himself.  He often comments, "Oh the girls are going to be so jealous!"  He loves that he has run of the house- one of his favorite times of the day is when he gets to "watch shows" on my bed- his favorites include Backyardigans, Dora, Bob the Builder, Caillou and Chuck and Friends.
-  Although he likes his alone time with me, he also loves to go pick the girls up from school- he usually brings a snack in the car for while we wait for them- once they are home, he expects them to play with him- he likes to rough house and play dogs with Ashton, he plays school with Jordan, and does everything with Regan (including making messes and getting into things.)
-  He has been my real little buddy this year.  It has been so fun to go everywhere together and just spend time with him.  He doesn't ever want me to go anywhere while he is at school (just stay home and clean!) because he doesn't want to miss out.
-Speaking of preschool, Cole has a real love/hate relationship with it- he almost always says he doesn't want to go when I tell him it is a school day but then once we get there, he really likes it....especially his guy friends.  The other day I watched him from the doorway- he strolled up to his buddies- put his hand in his pocket, leaned against the book case and said, "Hey guys, I'm 4 now you know."  Then he threw back his head and laughed.
- This kid is a talker!  And some of the things that come out of his mouth, well you can tell he has been around older kids.  Some of his favorites include- Holla!, Booyah! and Awkward!.  Some times he will slip out "hate" (which we don't say) and then quickly turn to me and say, "I meant to say that in my head."  He also says "I don't care" all the time which we are working on.  He doesn't miss a beat and picks up on everything.
Oh, how I love this boy.  He is absolutely the apple of my eye and I cannot resist him.  He gets away with a lot.  I keep telling myself it is because I am pregnant but I'm not sure about that.  We just love him so much.  Happy Birthday Buddy.

Love Day

Here is a picture of me with my little "Valentines".  Of course, my main Valentine had already left for work.  We LOVE Valentine's Day around here.  It is always so much fun and a bright spot in the month of February (I do have one child that claims she doesn't really like the holiday because you have to give cards to boys in your class with messages that you don't really mean!  Good point.)

We were busy with LOTS of class parties- 4 this year!  I also got to attend a delicious Valentine brunch that one of my great friends had (wish I would have snapped a picture).  After Cole's preschool party, we headed to the elementary school.  Jordan was up first and I tell ya what, Cole is treated like a prince in that 3rd grade classroom.  He loves visiting those kids and Jordan's fabulous teacher.

It's kind of sad to think of this as being Ashton's last elementary party.  Where does the time go?  I love 5th graders.  They are so funny- kind of awkward but full of energy and excitement.

Finally, it was on to Regan's class where they were playing heart bingo.  Notice her hair when we first arrived.  Of course, I had to fix it. (The girls all wore their headbands that our neighbor made them a couple of years ago...Regan said it was to remember her by because she moved....love you SP!)

For Tod and I at this stage, it is hard to find time to really celebrate V-day.  We have a little tradition where we leave a Valentine and favorite candy bar on the table for the other person- this year Symphony for him, white Kit-Kat for me....a perfect tradition- easy and inexpensive!

(Sadly the most recent picture I have of us is from Christmas!)

Of course, this day always stirs dear, special memories of my mama- she would have been 63 years young on V-day.  I miss her every, single day but especially on this day of love.  This year I found myself wishing that she could know these grand kids of hers.  I know she would love to spend time with them.  I do believe that in some way, she does know them and have a strong bond with them already.   For now, I am thankful to have so many memories of her and our time on earth together.  What a lady!

Wintertime

Oh, what do you do in the wintertime???  Well, around here, we do manage to stay busy!
We were finally able to finish celebrating Jordan's birthday (when everyone got healthy!) with a bowling party!

And she finally got to wear her birthday outfit to church!

We have been playing A LOT of basketball!  Regan played for her first time:

Jordan played on the 3rd grade Wildcat team.

Hanging out with friends at tournaments is so much fun!

I have been coaching Ashton's 5th grade team- what a workout for a pregnant woman.  I have done a lot of coaching from a seated position!

Regan lost her first tooth- SO exciting and a reminder that she is growing up fast!

Cole tried to sneak in as much playing time on the DS as possible!

And he dressed up a few times too!

We had a fun time at Activity Days learning about manners with a Valentine Tea.

This baby is growing and growing...only about 8 weeks left now!  Can I make it for that much more time?  I don't have much of a choice...but I am looking forward to having this little guy here!!!