Friday, January 17, 2014

Westley age 4

Wes has turned 4 and it kind of blows my mind. Time is ticking, and he is growing up so fast! I know "time flies". It's cliche and all... Growing up. That's what kids do. But, 4 years, and 9ish months he has been a part of our lives. I guess it doesn't seem like all that long ago I dreamed about what kind of kid he would be.



He loves minecraft and watching minecraft videos on YouTube. He is a total addict and would play on a screen system all day if you let him. He can loose hours this way, and is completely absorbed in learning and watching. He and Billy share the passion, so I appreciate their bonding but he has to be monitored and encouraged to take a break from screen time.



When he plays, it's most often an imaginary game, and never on his own. A fear/shyness has crept in, and he doesn't like to be alone, especially downstairs. He likes guns and swords and uses those in his play (again, a Billy thing!) Pokeman figures and transformers are some of his favorites. He will build with blocks and play trains but again, needs somebody to be doing it with him. He loves to be read to but shows no interest in letters or writing. He hates to color and doesn't have much attention span for projects.



Despite this, he does well at school- he goes two mornings a week to puddle jumpers preschool. We had a conference a while back and he seemed to be on target with age appropriate behaviors and his teacher was happy with his performance. Apparently it's just with me that he won't work! He likes his class, I not sure if he would go given the choice, but he separates easily and enjoys himself while he is there.



He is funny, and kind but can also be rough (especially with Wyatt) He is very empathetic and sometimes surprises me with his compassion. He likes routine and is always looking for a way to negotiate some control. He doesn't eat all that much but I'm not worried as he seems right on his growth track. Dinner is almost always a battle, I'm trying hard to make sure what he does eat is balanced, but he is pretty picky and very stubborn. I also think he just doesn't have much of an appetite. We see the pediatrician later in the month and I don't anticipate any issue. He did have some dental work done recently and was a real champ! He had to have a cavity filled and a broken tooth repaired and he did great with it all. We check in with his speech therapist every now and again, Kk and Gg are still difficult sounds for him, but overall I'm happy with his clarity and expression.



He sleeps in the top bunk now, and transitioned wonderfully. I couldn't be happier with him, especially compared to Wyatt- who is a night terror. He falls asleep easily and sleeps soundly all night! He is a mama's boy for sure, and doesn't give Dad much love these days. I'm know it's a phase, but he wants to be with me given the chance!

We are so incredibly lucky, he is such a cool kid. I love seeing all the many different parts and pieces, watching and learning with him. I see so much of Bill in him, and Billy too. I wonder where he will go, and what amazing things he will do. I'm so glad I'm his Mom!



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Sunday, January 12, 2014

Minecraft Party

With Wes' birthday later this week, and Jess' shower next weekend, we decided to celebrate a few days early.

Wes is pretty much obsessed with minecraft. He plays the game, watches you tube videos of other people playing the game, watches Billy play... He has pretty much taken over my iPad. It was pretty much a given that minecraft would be his party theme this year. With no licensed stuff, it was another party where I had to pull stuff together.


The cake wasn't quite what I had envisioned, but Billy really wanted to devoted with the paper block set I had gotten and it got a little crazy. We took some of his design off and had plenty for the island and table, but the cake was still busier than I had anticipated. It didn't matter, Wes was pretty happy with the whole thing.


Mommom and Sam, grandma and poppie, Em, Kaleb and Jayson plus KeKe, Ali and Delainy all came to celebrate. He had a little pile of presents and that was the first thing he wanted to do!





He got lots of great stuff- my favorite was a kindle. I'm so glad to have my iPad back! I pretty much have been only able to use it a few minutes a day. If I have it out, he is begging for it.... So it's either in his hands or put away... I've missed it so...


Yay!








What a fun birthday party we had! And, on Thursday we can celebrate again! Happy birthday Westley!!

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Christmas Two (well, Three really)

I didn't get any pictures at the Houston present fest... But we did got up briefly and open gifts at the farm house.

Then, later in the day the Wilson/Kramer/Roth present exchange occurred.











I think a major highlight was the Water Country season passes Mommom gave. We had a nice dinner, and had plenty of time to hang out and relax with all the new stuff. It was a long, but really enjoyable day! It's always sad for me, when it's all over... But I do love it so! Now the countdown to next year begins!

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Christmas

I'm just now uploading the camera to my iPad (since Wes got a kindle for his birthday and I can finally use my iPad again!)

Here are some shots from Christmas!

We tried to be really good this year... And Santa spoiled us





Grandma Beth slept over





















Gift highlights included beats headphones and a carhart jacket for savanna, a new phone and keyboard for Olivia, and dirt bike boots and a zip line for Billy. Wes and Wyatt got plenty of toys, I got a new gun for Bill and he got me a pearl bracelet. We had a nice morning, and the kids were really cute.


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Seeing Santa

Wes didn't want to visit Santa per se, but we did go to the town tree lighting, and got near him... We didn't even attempt to sit, but gave him a letter and got a candy cane.





Billy and his Scout troop did some bake sale, cocoa selling and we stayed for the entertainment and tree lighting.


The little boys really enjoyed a puppeteer they had, and the tractor hay wagon.


It was a good way to see Santa. Much less pressure than the mall, and his letter got to the North Pole just fine, as Santa wrote back!

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