Happy 4th Birthday, Connor!

How is it possible that this little guy is 4?  There are so many moments I wish I could bottle up because I know they wont last forever.  Connor brings so much joy to our lives and we are so blessed to be his parents.

He loves to play board games, computer games, pretend play and being outside.

Recently, started learning new sight words and loves to "read" his books.  It wont be long until this boy is reading to me!

Still a picky eater, but more willing to try new things. 

Still not a fan of sleeping.  We tried the bunny clock which he outsmarted and learned how to adjust the times, now we just rely on the sunlight as his cue to get up.

 This boy has a sense of humor like no other 4 year old I know.  He is always telling jokes, asking "you want to hear something funny?", and laughing.  He knows how to have a good time!

 Likes to be in charge of anything and everything which leads to lots of battles.  Add a little stubbornness in and you get lots of learning experiences for both of us. :)

His dramatic side usually comes out when he gets in trouble and we hear phrases like "I'll never be able to play again!" or "That's it.  I'm going to take a nap!" ( Oh if only that last part were true!) :)

Thrives on routine and wants to help enforce it.  Every morning we wake up to a whisper saying "Can you please get me milk, cereal bar, and turn me on a show?"

Constantly giving everyone hugs and kisses!

Overhears sayings and phrases and uses them in the correct context.  He often sounds like he is reading a script in a movie with all his little funny phrases.  He is always preforming!

Here are some of my favorites:

"I have everything under control!"

"Sandwich kisses!" (when he wants Cole and I to kiss him on the cheek at the same time)

"Hi Cole" - talking to Daddy

"Mommy, you are my best sister"- which he says because he is trying to be funny

"Sure!"
"Dude!"

"I love you soooo much!"

"Aww isn't that nice Mommy?"
"I've got the perfect idea!"

or this morning when Cole left for work he told him "Daddy, are you sweating?  You look hotter than a sweet potato pie on a hot summer day!"

I have no idea where he comes up with this stuff!

Connor, you are smart, witty, sweet, loving, full of energy, a problem solver, great big brother, cautious, determined, thoughtful, and caring little boy.  We all love you so much!  Happy 4th Birthday sweet boy!

Butterflies

We have had an exciting last couple of weeks over here.  Connor had been given a butterfly kit and we decided the spring was the perfect time to use it.

Inside the box was a postcard to mail off for the caterpillars.  We spent a week watching them eat and get bigger every day.  

After they turned into chrysalis, we moved them over to the big net and waited for the butterflies to appear.  Connor was so excited when the first one came out.  He named all 9 of them and had lots of fun watching them fly around.

This past Saturday we had the Armstrongs over so we thought it was the perfect time to let the butterflies go.  

 Jenna and Connor both took turns unzipping the net so the butterflies could fly free.

 Most of them didn't fly too far away so Connor was able to hold a few.

We had such a fun time watching and learning more about these beautiful butterflies!

Happy 19 Months Carson!

This month Carson has really let his little personality shine.  I think he has finally decided that it is pretty fun to be in the spotlight once and awhile.  

He repeats everything Connor says and does.  Thankfully its mostly been good things so far. :)

  Saying lots of new words every day.  Here are a few I can think of:  Mama, Dada, Brother, Connor, Mimi, Nana, Poppa, more, "ish" (fish), "peease" (please), ball, up, no, yes, car, "sir sir" (yes sir), "ank you" (thank you), byes see you, here ya go... He can also add in lots of animal noises, numbers, and body parts... I'm sure there is more I'm forgetting.  

Always wants to be on the go!

LOVES all kinds of chairs and climbing in them.

Working on counting and saying the ABCs, but really thinks clapping at the end to celebrate is more fun.

Takes 1 (~3 hour) nap a day and sleeps from around 7:00pm-7:30am

Could pass out hugs and kisses all day long.  He is such a loving baby and especially loves to snuggle with us.  When other kids are around you can usually find Carson chasing after them trying to hug and kiss them.  He is such a little lover!

Makes the funniest facial expressions I have ever seen.  He has got his pout face down!

Constantly tries to wrestle with Connor.  It always makes me laugh that Carson is the one to start it. He comes from behind and grabs on his back until Connor takes them down to the ground.  Then they roll around on top of each other laughing and giggling.  He thinks this is the BEST game ever while I just wait for someone to get hurt. :) 

Best Friends

Happy 19 Months, Carson!

Elmo, Soccer, and Mother's Day

Friday morning we headed to a birthday party for our friend Tara.

 She was turning 3 and had a fun Sesame Street themed party.

 Elmo even made a surprise appearance at the party.

 On Saturday the Tiger Dragons had their last game.  For some reason the other team did not show so the dads helped lead a 2 on 2 scrimmage.  They loved it because they all got to make tons of goals.  It was the perfect end to a great season.

 My Mother's Day started off with lots of  sweet hugs and kisses. Then I came downstairs to find some beautiful flowers and a pancake breakfast.

 I have the best job in the world getting to be "Mommy" to these two boys.

 After church we headed out to the Salt Lick with Nana and Poppa.  Cole and I are blessed to have 2 amazing moms!

 Apparently looking at the camera and smiling was optional today. :)

It was a great Mother's Day!

Hope you had a wonderful weekend too!

Time to Party

Connor's soccer season is coming to a close and we celebrated this past Wednesday with a pizza party.  My role as "team mom" was to organize the party so we headed to a local pizza place for pizza and cupcakes.  The kids were so excited!

Here are 3 of the Tiger Dragons:  Connor, Madeline, and Hudson

Kendall in the middle is also on the team.  Harper and JJ's little brother also got to join in on the fun.

One of the highlights of the evening was when the kids were awarded their trophies.  Coach Clayton and Coach Jeremy did a fantastic job with them this year.  We were really blessed to get placed with such great coaches!

Connor had been dreaming about this trophy all season.

His trophy is now proudly placed on his bookshelf in his room.

Our last game is coming up on Saturday.  It has been a fun experience for all of us being apart of this team.  Go Tiger Dragons!