Nate's Four Year Update and Stats...

Nate is growing up and fast!  I wish every day that we could slow down time, or go back just to savor sweet memories!  With each passing year, I enjoy the new stages that Nate is encountering.  He is so smart, and learning A LOT.  He knows his letters, has a good grasp on his numbers, his colors, and most of his shapes.  He can write very well, and actually enjoys coloring and completing projects (cutting, pasting, following directions, etc.).  Since January, I have been introducing sight words to him, and he is retaining all of it.  He reads simple books, and even writes simple sentences.   He understands the format of a sentence, and with my help can sound out words and write them down.  He is meeting or exceeding all areas of development written on his four year well child checkup form.  He is a typical four year old when it comes to sharing, taking turns, or losing fairly in a game.  He cooperates when he wants to, but still needs guidance at times.  His confidence and self-esteem is growing though, and that is a huge benefit in my eyes.  I am so excited at the thought of where he will be by the time he will start school!

Being that Nate is doing so well, Jay and I have decided not to sign him up for a preschool program outside of the daycare.  We ended up sending ET at this age because we felt he needed to respect authority a little more and get a more formal introduction to classroom formalities.  With Nate, he really doesn't challenge me on these things in any way.  I am very confident that he will transition well from daycare to Kindergarten when the time comes.

Nate still goes to speech therapy at Children's Hospital once a week with the same teacher.  We have seen a huge improvement with his speech over the last year.  So much so, that I am sure he will graduate soon.  The only concern (although not really a concern) is his grammatical errors in his speech.  His sentence format is still that of a three year old (ex: He will say, "I not like" instead of "I don't like.").  I am really not concerned too much about this though, because I have so much experience with other children in this area.  I know that his language will slowly improve over time and with more life experiences.

Nate is a good sleeper for the most part.  He still doesn't require a lot of sleep though.  He officially stopped taking naps this year.  He will only take a short power nap about once a week, if that.  He still wakes from those naps very crabby.  Always has, and probably always will.  While the daycare kids take their nap, Nate will often play with toys quietly in his room or the living room.  He has always been so calm and peaceful at this time.  I enjoy being with him so much!  He goes to bed around 7:30 or 8:00, and rises around 6:30 each morning.  He has definitely always been an early riser.  On the weekends, he will often watch a movie in the morning, and let Paul or myself rest longer. 

Nate's health is very good.  His tubes fell out this year.  We had him checked by the ENT doctor, and he said everything is perfect and just as it should be.  Thankfully, he will not need more tubes!  We were very excited about this!  He has still managed to catch about every cold that goes around the daycare though (not a bad thing though, as I believe it will raise his immune system).  Sometimes he will get a mild fever with the cold, but he can generally fight it off on his own.  He has had strep throat three times this year, which is definitely a concern.  I wonder what the future will bring regarding this.  Like me, he may need his tonsils out at some time in the future.  We discovered he is allergic to penicillin while on an antibiotic to treat his strep.  He coughed and sneezed like crazy.  We are assuming it was an allergic reaction, but are not completely sure.  We still continue to buy organic non-homogenized cows milk for our family.  We are hoping to do this forever.  With how much milk this family drinks, we know it is the healthier option.

Nate's stats...
Height: 3 ' 5.75" (75% percentile)
Weight: 38 lbs. 3.2 oz. (50% percentile)
His percentiles have stayed consistent at 50% for weight and 75% for height.

I really feel emotional when I think about how fast time is going by.  I also feel like I am not recording as much as I did before.  Although, I keep saying I will improve on this, life continues to stay busy.  I know I will miss these years of when Nate is young.  I love listening to his stories, and hearing him explain things.  Hearing him sing songs, or play with friends is like music to my ears.  He is such a sweet boy, with a gigantic heart!

Nate, What we love about you...

Nate,
What we love about you...

• We love your sweet smiles, and your adorable giggle!  I just love watching you!  I sometimes sit in awe of what God has given us.
• We love your sweet sweet voice, and finally being able to hear those words from your mouth.  You have come so far!  I am really trying to take in all that you say and how you say it, because before long you will lose that cute tone in your voice.
• We love your quietness and peacefulness while you play with your cars and Legos.   
• We  love being able to carry and hold you.  It won't be long before you are too heavy.
• We love your sweet and affectionate side.  You are always asking for kisses and hugs and more kisses and hugs!  You will occasionally wake up in the middle of the night, go potty on your own, come over and kiss me and your Daddy on the cheek and then put yourself back to bed.  You really are so sweet!
• We love tucking you in at night.  You never let us forget to say your prayer with you, and you have to be certain that you gave us a kiss and received a kiss from both me and your Daddy.  You are the same way when your Dad or I have to leave the house.  You always want a hug and a kiss and you have to tell us you love us more than once.
• We love that you are so smart!!  You are so eagar to learn!  You are even learning to read now!  You can get dressed, put the animals on your bed, brush your teeth (somewhat), get your shoes on, and your jacket on.  I am amazed with how much you love doing projects at daycare.  You have a very long attention span! 
• We have always described you as the reserved quiet one, who is eager to please.  You are also very sensitive.  You are getting older though, so it is fun to watch you make some noise with ET and your friends.  Over the last six months you have come out of your shell more and more.  I think with age, seeing you interact in the daycare takes on a new role each year as you get older.  You are becoming a louder, more opinionated person, and I love it!  Seeing your confidence grow each day through your play and interaction with others is so exciting to watch!
• We love how you interact with your brother.  You guys are best buds!  You even said the other day, "ET is my best brother!"  Sometimes I think you guys could just laugh for hours!
• We love how good of an eater you are!  We still have to encourage you to eat, but for the most part you eat very independently.  You eat a lot of healthy foods, and ET has convinced you that "McDonald's is disgusting!" :)

You love...

•  Your cars and little Legos.  You just started getting into little Legos this year.  You need a lot of help with them, but you prefer them over Duplos.  You still love any car, truck, or train that moves.  You continue to ask for them as gifts.  I have a hard time buying them because you already have so many!
• You love movies.  You still love Cars, but you don't really have an all time favorite right now.  This year you got Croods, Turbo, Smurfs 2, Epic, and a few more.
• You love your friends.  Your best bud of all time is ET.  You also mostly love Autumn, Jonny, and Jacob.  You love being funny and making your friends laugh.  You can be such a clown!  What a good trait to have.  We hope you continue to make people laugh.
• Your favorite most requested foods are: a Nutella taco, Baby Bel cheese, carrot sticks, pickles, bread with honey, pancakes, and cottage cheese.  You eat just about anything.
• Your favorite restaurant is Cowboy Jacks.  You love their chicken tenders and fries with Ranch.
• You love spending one-on-one time with Mom or Dad.  I can still get you to go shopping with me.  I am sure that will change in the next year or two. With Dad you love to play hide and go seek, and Legos.  As of right now, you adore your Daddy and love to shadow him on the weekends.
• Your favorite stuffed animal is mostly Eddie, but you always need your dream light, your lantern, and sometimes Mumford the Moose, and BaBa the Sheep.
• When you are sick, you always want your cars blankie, your Eddie, and your train water bottle.  Typically Daddy will sleep with you on the couch if you are up coughing.  He loves your snuggles!
• You enjoy going to our new church!  It has been so beneficial for all of us, and it is so nice to be able to drop you off and not have you cry for us when we leave.
• You enjoy playing at indoor playparks like Lookout Ridge now.  Before you would get scared and there would always be tears, but now you run off and play.  It is so nice.
• You love playing board games, but you do not like losing.  We are working on that.  You love playing Candyland the best.
• You love music!  You love to dance, and sing the most.  Your favorite song is One Direction "Beautiful."

Your Dad, and I love watching you grow and learn with each passing day.  I hope you know how much we truly love and care for you!  You are an amazing, compassionate, sensitive, and loving boy!  We are so blessed! Our only wish for you is that you love God, love yourself, and love life with all your heart!

We love you unconditionally,
Mommy and Daddy

Nate's Birthday at the MOA...

We bought both boys unlimited wristbands on Saturday, January 25th for Nate's birthday gift/celebration.  We left right away in the morning and were the first of few to arrive before the rides even opened.  It was so nice the first couple of hours to not have to wait in long lines.  It was also amazing how fast four hours flew by.  We ate lunch at Twin City Grill and then headed back for a few more rides.  It was such a fun day, and both boys genuinely appreciated it. 

 This was Nate's second ride.  As you can see from his face, it took a while for him to warm up. 

 I love that the boys are not too far apart in age that they can still ride together.

 

 Yes, that is an ice cream cone and a giant M&M cookie after already having one dessert.  Don't judge!  What's a mom to say on her son's birthday?!

Nate's Big Day...

Nate's actual birthday wasn't overly exciting.  We went to the Dollar Store and Target to have him pick out gifts.  ET wanted to buy him something at the Dollar Store.  Nate picked out two Lego sets at Target (these are his first official little Legos).  We came home, he chose his lunch and then we ate leftover cupcakes.  We sang and said a prayer as a family.  It was quiet, yet intimate and perfect if you ask me.  That evening ET and Nate were both invited to another birthday party at Lookout Ridge.  Nate was a little confused that it wasn't his birthday party, but I did my best to explain.  We had a lot of fun things planned for this weekend, but we wanted to celebrate the next weekend with a day at the MOA.

Nate got upset because he couldn't blow out the candles, and he felt the heat on his forehead.  I think it even hurt a little.  Good thing he still has his eyebrows! Ha!

 The cutest four year in the whole world...

Nate went to bed that night with a developing cold.  He woke an hour later coughing terribly, and then threw up.  He was diagnosed with strep a couple days later and put on antibiotics.  He has had strep twice since Christmas now.  Bummer!  It is no fun being sick on your birthday, but it could have been a lot worse.

Superhero Training...

On Saturday, January 18th me and my boys went to the annual mother/son community event held at the nearby high school.  This was Nate's first year with me, and ET's second.  We met friends there, and we all had a blast.  They had a couple inflatable bounce houses, basketball, floor hockey, belly bumpers, angry birds slingshot, various games, tattoos, and more.  It is a pretty cool event.

Me and my guys...

  Official superheros...

Nate's Birthday Celebration with Daycare...

We kept Nate's birthday somewhat simple this year.  I told Nate we are not going to do a party, but we would celebrate at the MOA instead.  On Friday, Nate requested broccoli, cupcakes, and brownies.  Yes, he really did request broccoli - goofy kid!  To satisfy, I made him brownie cupcakes and he chose the sprinkles.

For lunch we made snowman pancakes for fun...

 I can't believe he is actually four!

 Group shot minus Ryker and Jonny...

Wild Game...

On the Tuesday before Nathan's birthday, Children's Hospital (where Nate gets speech therapy) called and offered us a five pack of tickets to a wild game in a catered suite!  Matthew Cooke is the one who owns the suite and donates it out for various reasons.  We were so thankful for his generosity.

ET and Nate invited their good friend Autumn.  It was a such a great night to be able to break away from routine for a while.  ET watched the game intensely, but was bummed that the Wild never scored.  The pictures go without saying we all had a blast!

 Autumn's family surprised Nate with a Wild jersey for his birthday gift.  Try not to look straight into ET's eyes. He might put a spell on you.  Ha!

Hot dogs, mac 'n' cheese, popcorn, chips...The perfect suite for kids!  Nate really is trying to smile here. :)

The kids made a sign with supplies that the suite had provided.  Here Nate is trying to chew and smile at the same time again.

 They wanted so badly to be put on the big screen.

 Nordy even came to visit our suite and we got free t-shirts!  How cool is that!

Autumn is a very special girl in our family.  I love that ET and Autumn are practically best friends, and the boy/girl thing doesn't bother them at all.