The weather has been wonderful, our days are packed with activities, and I'm woefully behind on the blog!
First things first... Thane turned four a couple weeks ago! His actual birthday fell on an especially busy Tuesday. I tried to spoil him during the day, but Aubree had a speech/debate tournament in the afternoon that went extra long, so the poor boy had to wait till super late to open his presents.
I suppose the "Present Tree" is a tradition now. Aubree allowed Bryce the opportunity to make the tree this time around.
On Aubree's last birthday, Mark gave her a special CD full of music that is meaningful to her and in her life at that point in time. He did the same on Bryce's birthday, and Thane was eager to join the special CD club. Mark did not disappoint! When Thane listened to the music, he kept blurting out, "that's my song!" Mark's already keeping playlists for future birthdays.... another wonderful tradition.
Thane's birthday-day was fairly low key, but no worries - he got a great birthday party the following week (more on that in another post).
Here are some things I'd like to remember about Thane at 4:
* I've been seriously looking forward to the "four-year old fairy" visiting our home, waving her wand, and turning Thane into a happy, helpful child. I've seen glimpses that this welcome fairy has been visiting and working her magic. For example, Thane's always had a hard time sleeping. He would often wake up screaming six or more times a night. In these instances he would be completely irrational. Night terrors would be the best way for me to describe it, but they didn't necessarily fit typical night terror descriptions either. In the last six months or so, however, the screaming at night has all but stopped. He still frequently wakes up at some point during the night and crawls into my bed next to me, but he doesn't wake me up, and considering the alternative - this totally works for me!
He also used to scream during the day, all. the. time. When he got mad, he screamed. When he was frustrated, or excited, or bored - he screamed. Drove me completely bonkers! Gradually, the screaming decreased and now he's still loud (as most 4 year old boys are), but the screaming has mostly disappeared. Hallelujah!
Another prime example that the four-year-old fairy's visited: Thane, who has always refused hugs and kisses, has started saying things like, "Can I give you a kiss? Can I give you a hundred kisses?" He also loves to say, "Way too nice, Mommy!"
* Thane has always been remarkably independent. Turning four hasn't changed this one whit. A few weeks ago he crawled into bed with me in the middle of the night. That is not unusual, but as he cuddled next to me I noticed a recognizably foul smell. Our conversation proceeded as follows:
Me: "You smell stinky... did you throw up?"
T: "Yes, but only in the potty."
Me: "Your shirt is a little wet, did you get throw up on your shirt?"
T: "Yes, but I cleaned it up."
Another example... Aubree sat in a booster seat at our dinner table until she turned eight and we insisted that she give the booster seat to Bryce. Bryce still uses that booster seat. A few months ago, Thane decided he was done using a booster seat, so he unstrapped, unbuckled, and removed his, and now sits in his chair like a "big kid."
* A couple months ago, a generous neighbor gave us a twin bed. Before I set it up in Thane's room, I figured I might as well paint the room. For the week I was painting, Thane moved to the bottom bunk in Bryce's room. Once his room was finished, Thane was eager to move into his new, big bed. That, however, only lasted a week. Soon he was asking to go back to the bottom bunk, and since that was ultimately our goal (though perhaps another year down the road), we encouraged the switch. The boys have been sharing a room ever since and (most nights) it's going extremely well.
* Thane has a voracious appetite. Within ten minutes of eating any meal, he's back in the kitchen asking what else he can eat. Actually, since this is Thane I'm talking about, let me be honest... he's more likely opening the fridge and trying to find food for himself!
At meal times, it's not uncommon to hear him proclaim, "I don't like this dinner! I'm not going to eat any of it!" Then he'll proceed to clean his plate and ask for more.
* Perhaps because he likes to sit with Bryce when Bryce is watching and doing his math lessons, or perhaps just because he has a natural inclination, but Thane is super quick with math skills.
* Thane loves his sunbeam teachers and is amazingly well behaved in primary and in his class. Honestly, I think all the people and noise are a little overwhelming for him, but he enjoys his friends and liked singing time.
* The phrase I say most often to Thane is, "If it doesn't belong to you, don't touch it!" I'm sure you can figure out why...
*And one final, random funny... One night at dinner, for some reason Mark uttered the phrase, "or else!" Thane whipped his head around, "Or Else?!" ..."Or Elsa, I know you're in there!" Maybe a little too much Frozen singing going around in our house!
We dearly love our persistent, thoughtful, kind, intelligent, capable boy!
What Thane Says About Thane:
Favorite
Color: Black and red
Favorite
Candy: Suckers
What
he wants to be when he grows up: A Superhero!
Where
he wants to go on his mission: Space
Favorite
Primary Song: "Love is Spoken Here"
Favorite
Song: Grand Old Duke of York
Favorite
Animal: “I like all animals except lions and tigers”
Favorite
Movie: Frozen
Favorite
Thing to Do: Watch movies
Favorite Food: Tortellini or
macaroni and cheese
Best
Friend: "Finley and Curie and Gordon and Colin"
Favorite
Book: Dino-Trucks
Favorite
Toy: Batman and Superman
What makes him happy:
Hugs and kisses
Favorite
thing to do with Mom: Do the laundry
Favorite
thing to do with Dad: Play Commander Keen
No comments:
Post a Comment