Happy 4th Birthday Kyle!

It's hard to believe that I have a four year old now! Kyle had a great time celebrating his birthday over the past several days. It started at preschool on Thursday! He got to make a special birthday crown to wear and got a birthday certificate from his teachers. I brought in superhero popsicles (Kyle's choice) for snacktime and everyone sang "Happy Birthday" to him.

On Saturday we had a family party for him at our house. "Ma" and "Pa", Uncle Mike, and Grandma and Grandpa Inman were in attendance. We had a yummy lunch of subs, chips, and fruit followed by an ice cream cake. Kyle enjoyed spending time with his grandparents and uncle and loved all his presents. He's got a dinosaur Hot Wheels set, dinosaur book and shirt, dinosaur playmobil set, and Leapster video game system. Can you tell he's into dinosaurs lately? :)

How well does your child know you?

I saw this idea on my friend Beth's blog and decided to "borrow" it. I was curious as to how Kyle would answer these questions. I didn't prompt him in any way, just asked the questions and here are his responses . . .

1. What is something mom always says to you? "I love you."
2. What makes mom happy? "When I play with her."
3. What makes mom sad? "When I hit her."
4. How does your mom make you laugh? "By making silly faces."
5. What was your mom like as a child? "That's a tricky one."
6. How old is your mom?"31."
7. How tall is your mom? "31 tall."
8. What is her favorite thing to do? "Play Candyland."
9. What does your mom do when you're not around? "Play with Max."
10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for? "I don't know."
11. What is your mom really good at? "Opening peanut butter."
12. What is your mom not very good at? "Climbing up into outer space on a ladder."
13. What does your mom do for a job? "Play with me."
14. What is your mom's favorite food? "Macaroni and cheese."
15.What makes you proud of your mom? "When she sings the best songs."
16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be? "Thomas."
17. What do you and your mom do together? "Play Hi Ho Cherry-O."
18. How are you and your mom the same? "By wearing the same shirts."
19. How are you and your mom different? "By not wearing the same shirts."
20. How do you know your mom loves you? "She gives me hugs and kisses."
21. What does your mom like most about your dad? "He's so smart and strong."
22.Where is your mom's favorite place to go? "Target to buy a train."

What a sweet, smart, silly boy!

Slumber party

Sunday and Monday we got quite a bit of snow. The boys (and I) all had colds, so we couldn't really go out and play in it, so instead we stayed inside. Kyle decided we should have a slumber party in his room with all his animals. The boys stayed in their pajamas all day and we played, played, and played some more. Kyle set up some pillows and blankets on the floor of his room and had a slumber party with all his animals. It wasn't long before Max wanted to join in the fun! It was actually almost his naptime, so he looks like he's ready to fall asleep for real in a couple of the pictures!

Trains

It's official - Max loves trains, too! I knew it would happen before too long. It's cute to watch them play together. Now that Max can stand and cruise a little he has fun playing with Kyle's train table. This morning they spent an hour in Kyle's room playing with the train table without too many squabbles. :)

Max's 1st haircut

Here's Max before and during his first haircut

Jason had off work today so we decided to take the boys to the mall to get their hair cut. It was Max's first time and I was a little sad to see his cute curls go away, but he looks very handsome. Kyle went first while Max watched - he was quite fascinated. Then it was his turn, and he actually did really well. He wasn't quite sure what was going on, but he didn't cry and cooperated quite well. He sat in my lap and didn't complain once. I was very proud of him! He got a certificate and of course we saved some hair as a keepsake. We went to the play area and then for pretzels afterward. It was a fun day!

Here are some "after" pictures. Max was very excited that she was putting his hair in a bag to take home and a little stunned at what had just happened!

Max 15 months

Max is now 15 months old and we had his check-up after our MOPS meeting on Wednesday so it was a long morning for him. He weighs 19 lbs. 14oz. (which is 2 oz. less than he did at one year). The doctor isn't concerned since weight is very inconsistent between the ages of 1 and 2 and the 2 oz. difference could just be a difference in scales. So, he basically hasn't gained any weight, but is healthy and eating/drinking well so it's probably just his newfound love of crawling and cruising that's helping to keep him slim :). Two questions they asked were "Is he climbing stairs?" and "Is he walking/cruising?" I answered "no" to both of these questions and the very next day he climbed the stairs and started walking while holding onto furniture. He's still quite wobbly, but can get himself several steps while holding onto a couch, table, etc. He's made HUGE progress with this in just the past week - I'm amazed! He is 30 1/4 inches long. I didn't find out the percentiles, but he still weighs more and is taller than Kyle was at 15 months. He only had to get one shot today, which of course, was not his favorite part. It was very sweet that Kyle was worried about this part for him as well and actually cried a little with him because he didn't want Max to get a shot. Kyle was excellent during the whole appointment so I was able to ask all my questions and converse with the doctor so he got a dinosaur on the way out and McDonald's for lunch on the way home. Overall, Max is doing well! Here he is on the way home - all the excitement wore him out!

Ma and Pa visit

Ma and Pa came for a visit yesterday and to watch the boys so Jason and I could go out for an early Valentine's Day celebration! We went out to lunch and walked around downtown Frederick - it was a beautiful day for it! The boys had LOTS of fun with their grandparents! Max didn't even seemed to recognize me when we came home and just stared at me while remaining attached to Ma! We all love when they come to visit - it was a fun day. Here are some pictures they took of the boys while they were here!