Thursday, March 10, 2016

Ben's 4th Birthday

Ben's birthday is now behind us and it's already the 10th, which is the day we brought him home from the hospital.  It was a strange year and that day it was 70 degrees outside which is very unseasonably warm for March.  We took pictures out side in front of the house and noticed that the tulip bulbs were popping up already.  The weather this week is just like that week.  Yesterday the kids played outside without jackets and I just looked at our weather station and it said 68 degrees.  I love it.  
 
 
Oh, look upon the pristine floors of our old house...

 
Allan as a young man, not realizing that his life would never be the same!

 
I've shared this picture many times because it is one of my favorites!
 
Ben celebrated his birthday at school on Monday by being the teacher's special helper at school.  He chose that from a list of options in a brochure that didn't involve any treats or junk food.  This is the world we live in now.  He didn't say much about it but he did come out wearing a birthday hat so I know they celebrated.
 
That evening we went to the "Buffalo Restaurant" which is what he calls Buffalo Wild Wings.  It was his choice.  Then we had cake and opened presents. 
 
 
You can see that is a store bought cake.  And it's not from just any old grocery store...it's from Wal-Mart!  I couldn't face making a cake so I bought this sprinkly one and put a "B" on it with M&M's.  He was happy so I am happy.  There are many years to make cakes ahead of us.  Good think I spent the time baking a shape cake for his first birthday when he had no idea what was going on and will have no memory of it!  Oh well.  That cake was amazing. 
 

 

Yes, that's an Allan cake! 


 
He got a Lego garbage truck set (I don't get why this would be fun either but kids must be interested in garbage trucks!) and a Lightening McQueen (from the movie CARS) fishing pole and some pajamas with Blaze and the Monster Machines characters on them.  Yes, we are a TV watching consumerist family here. 



He doesn't really understand why we can't just go immediately and try out his fishing pole.  Soon, soon. 
 
So now the toddler years are over for him.  I am not feeling especially nostalgic about this since I have lots of years of toddler BS ahead of me still.  I found the age of 3 to be challenging with the loss of napping, intensified fits over increasingly bizarre things, an increased awareness of his surroundings (no more inappropriate TV shows and movies with him in the room or music with bad words in the car) and a constant need for me to play with him (goodbye productive afternoons).  However, I have had small glimpses of future independence.  The most thrilling happened a few days ago when, as I was trying to wrangle Tessa and Milo down the stairs to the garage, he announced he was ready and had put on his own shoes and coat and...even zipped his own coat!  Oh my GAWD!  This tedium will not last forever, it really won't. 
 
In less significant news, Milo is now 5 months old as of Ben's birthday.  He had previously rolled over from his back a few times but it hasn't been regular enough for me to say he is mobile but this week he has become a real roller.  He can move himself several feet.  If he is anything like the other two (so far he is exactly like them as far as milestones) this means that there will be a very quick progression into crawling and furniture cruising in the next two months.  It will be crazy having him getting into things and I will have to be very vigilant about choking hazards (they are all over the house) but it will be nice to get some of the more cumbersome baby gear out of the way.  Now, the big challenge...what day should I list in his baby book for his first roll...what day was that again?  Which week?  Where is the baby book?

 

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