Four Years Old

Parker-

It's so hard to believe that you are four years old already. You have changed so much over the past year. You have left behind everything toddler and have turned into a little boy. Here are some of the things I always want to remember about you at this age:

-You currently weigh 42 pounds 6 ounces (85th percentile) and are 43 1/4 inches tall (97th percentile).

-You are still very strong willed. After four years I have finally come to the conclusion that you will always be this way. When things are good, they are very good, but when things are bad, they are very bad! Daddy and I are learning more and more how to handle your strong personality. I know that God gave you this trait for a reason and I believe that your stubborn, passionate, strong willed personality is one day going to be a huge asset for you.

-You are such a wonderful big brother! You love Eden and Lily so much and I hope that you will always be close to them. You are a great playmate to Eden- she is lost when you are not around. Even after six months, you still can not get enough of Lily. You are constantly giving her hugs and trying to make her laugh.

-You are ALL boy! You love to play with cars and balls and have recently started pretending that everything is a gun. You can make a gun out of pretty much anything! You also love playing baseball and watching all sports with Daddy. Your favorite thing to watch right now is the Texas Rangers.

-Your favorite food is still spaghetti. You ask me every night when I am making dinner if we are having spaghetti. You are not good about trying new things and will often tell me that you do not like something just by looking at it. It is very hard for me to get you to take even one bite of something unfamiliar.

-Your favorite thing to watch on TV is Little Einsteins. I keep thinking that you will outgrow it but you still ask for it every day. You also like Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Toy Story, and Charlie Brown.

-Your favorite color is yellow. You will choose this color over all others when given a choice- a yellow plate, a yellow straw, a yellow ball, etc!

-You still suck your thumb. You told us that you would stop when you turned four, but so far that has not happened. I think that we are going to have to try some drastic measures in order to get you to stop this habit.

-One funny thing that you do every day is insist on wearing two pair of underwear. One day a few months ago, you could not decide which pair to choose, so I let you wear both of them. Every since then, you put on two pair when you get up in the morning. The only days you don't wear two pair is on preschool days.

-You are very smart and pick up on new concepts easily. I hope that this means that school will come easy to you. I pray that you will never struggle in school and that you will always have a love of learning. You already know all of your letters and sounds and you can count and recognize numbers up to 20. You love going to preschool and are often anxious to tell me about the things you are learning in school.

-You sleep with a LOT of stuff- I am not sure how there is still room for you in the bed! You currently sleep with Barney, Cat in the Hat, Knuffle Bunny, a brown teddy bear, two blankets and your blankie bear. They all have a specific spot to sleep in your bed and you make sure they are lined up and in place before you go to sleep every night.

-You still love to play games on the Playstation, computer or iPhone. We still have to monitor how much you play every day and you always get to play for 20 minutes before bed.

You are such a special part of our family, Parker, and I hope you will always know how much we love you. The past four years have been some of the best years of my life. I waited a long time to be a mommy and you have made it worth the wait. I am so proud of you and can't wait to watch you as you start another year of your life.

I love you to the moon and back, Mommy