My 4 Year Old

I won't go on and on about how I can't believe he is 4 (but really tho?!) He had been counting down the days and asking for MONTHS when his birthday was. He was slightly excited about this day and we made the most of it. He has grown up so much lately and I am so proud of him. He is a very smart little boy which can be both good and bad. He remembers every little detail about everything. And he KNOWS IT ALL. It doesn't matter what you tell him, his answer is "I know that".  He has a huge heart and loves his brother and his family. 

We started the day with balloons and pancakes with sprinkles and presents. He had been begging for Hungry, Hungry Hippos for months so he got that and little gum ball machine from us. The rest of the day was his present too, it was just a surprise.

I brought cupcakes to his class and they were already having an Easter party that day. 

They were all obsessed with baby Ben

And Bishop had to take over the situation. So glad Mrs. Emily took those!

His 2 school buddies, Tate and Cole

Then, we had lunch at Chuckie Cheese and played games. He had a blast. We never do stuff like that so it made it special. Air hockey was his favorite I think. He loved it. 

Then we went to Build a Bear where he got to pick out a bear and an outfit. Wouldn't you know he found a little white bear and a spiderman costume! Petey is our newest family member :)

Happy Birthday to my Bishop!

SPRING!

We are so thankful for warm weather. These walls get pretty tight when you have a 4 year old bouncing off of them daily…so we are happy to be able to spend some time outside! This post is more like a photo dump from my phone. I just take a million pictures and then don't ever do anything with them!

For the first time in almost 4 years, my child rode the carrousel. He almost changed his mind when it came down to it, but he did it! Most kids are begging to ride stuff but he is just a little bit like his momma. And, I can't say I really mind it. 

This baby will not be spoon fed. He grabs the spoon and makes an awful mess. Completely opposite of the OCD brother of his that never really even used a bib much. 

My cousin's wife asked me to make Wizard of Oz cookies for a Le Bonheur fundraiser for their daughter Halle and of course I said yes. I was honored she liked my cookies that much but I was also nervous they wouldn't be good enough! I made them for the fundraiser and the HR people at Le Bonheur asked me to make MORE for another event. I had never made that many cookies at once and I'll say it was a learning experience but I did have fun! Th

He loves to read to Ben. And Ben loves to listen to him…most of the time…when he isn't trying to take the book and eat it :)

I made him a bonnet for the summer and he looked ridiculously cute. Maybe a little bo peep ish :)

Spring cleaning!! Bishop loves cleaning…its a win win situation 

He loves to snuggle with his lamb.

Knee socks!! Just in time for Bishop to be too big, I have another sweet boy in them :)

Waiting for the doctor at our 6 month checkup. Ripping the paper into shreds. 

My happy place. I love spring. I love these 2. And, I love a hammock. 

He's finally getting brave enough to give it a try.

Ben can get up on all fours…..And stand on his head

Poor baby had allergy testing after his 6 month appointment. He apparently is allergic to eggs and peanuts. I'm trying not to panic because I know there are worse things but I am sad for him. Hopefully he will outgrow most of his allergies although peanuts aren't generally one that are…there still is hope!

We love to eat outside…or I do.

Our favorite thing to do…picnic at the park. Ben LOVES the swing. He laughs the whole time. Well, until I turn the video on. 

Getting our little garden ready. 

After allergy testing, I feel more confident about what foods I can give him.  I have been giving him both pureed and non pureed foods and so far he prefers the "real" food by a long shot. I really think its that he likes to do it himself. His favorite is sweet potatoes baked in wedges that he can hold. It is messy, but it is fun!

And I got this sweet picture while they were laying on the back porch watching tv. Seriously, they have no clue. But they sure are cute!

6 months

With all of the Easter and birthday craziness, I almost forgot to take Ben's 6 month picture. Oops! He is growing like a weed! He is changing so very much and I just want him to stop already. He and Bishop favor maybe  a little bit but they sure have different personalities. As much as I would love time to slow down, it is so fun getting to know this little person that God chose me to be a mommy to.

• He's getting better about sleeping but he sure isn't as good of a sleeper as Bishop was. Which, in his defense, is partially MY fault. I was a bit of a stickler with Bishop's schedule and a whole lot more flexible with Ben. I realized that even on the worst day with hardly any good naps…life will go on. I still do a fairly decent job of a routine with him- I just don't panic if things don't go as I plan. 
• Starting to sit up on his own finally. 
• Curious about EVERYTHING. He wants to chew on anything he can get to his mouth. 
• He isn't as big of a fan of playing by himself as Bishop was. He loves to be talked to and held. He likes the jumper and some of the same toys that Bishop liked. His favorite is the same vtech car that B loved. 
• Still has skin issues which literally drive me crazy! There aren't enough creams in the pharmacy to keep him from itching :(
• He has broken out in a rash with 3 of the 6 foods I have tried so I am waiting until after our 6 month checkup to give him anything else. (Banana, peas, and avocado caused an all over rash. The peas were terrible. 3 days of Benadryl and it was finally better) 
• Has the squishiest, most kissable cheeks EVER
• Stopped sucking his bottom lip (thank GOODNESS!) and now has a funny habit of wiggling like a worm. So, we made up a song and if we sing it, he does "the worm". Funniest, and cutest thing ever. I will try and get a video. 
• He lights up when his brother talks to him. I could never get enough of it :)

It's getting a little more difficult to take the pictures with this squirmy worm who wants to eat everything!

4th Birthday Party

Bishop had a SUPER birthday party! He loves anything superhero, especially Spiderman and I will admit they are growing on me too. It was a very fun party to plan. SOO much out there. And I am a Pinterest queen when it comes to parties..I have no real ideas on my own :) I think he had a great time and that is the most important part. I say it every year but next year I'm really NOT going to do it all myself. It is just way too stressful and I don't really think it should be. Luckily, I have the best husband ever and friend to help me out. I could never do it without them:) I was setting up literally at the last minute (as usual!) and didn't end up taking very many pictures of the party decor but I did take quite a few of the party…so sorry in advance :)

I took some pictures of B in his costumes and Leon came up with this comic book invite which I just thought was adorable!  I did miss having my paper girl, but I was impressed with what he did! 

These little suckers were a huge hit with the kids. 

Cutest little superman ever!

I made a photo booth with some wrapping paper, diaper boxes, post-its and spray paint. And, I learned NEVER buy the spray paint that is only $2. Ever. 

Next we played a game where you could either knock down the bricks with a Captain America shield or with the Hulk hands. The kids loved it. And, Leon did a great job at directing :) Something I would be completely terrible at!

Then it was time to sing Happy Birthday and eat cake, ice cream, cookies and popcorn. 

Can't believe he is 4 years old already!

While we were finishing up with snacks, a "bad guy" snuck in and tried to take the presents!

Luckily we had plenty of superheros there with web shooting power to track him down ;)

After taking out the bad guy, Bishop opened his presents and got lots of good stuff…way too much stuff! 

Next was the piñata per his request…with no blindfold :) So, I thought we would stick with the theme and use the Hulk hands. They all liked that, even the girls. 

And for the last activity, everyone lined up with their goodie bags and went outside for an egg hunt. I had found some cute superhero eggs at walmart that were perfect for a superhero egg hunt.

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I think he certainly enjoyed his 4th birthday party!