There's a 4 Year Old in the House

Last night at dinner time, I asked Dylan what his favorite part about his birthday was.

He said, "everything."What a sweetie!

We started the morning with birthday cinnamon rolls (he didn't want the traditional waffles...go figure...it's Dylan). We tried to tell him then that he was already 4, but he said that he wouldn't be 4 until he blew out the candles on his birthday cake. Ever since last year, when I didn't make the tractor cake he had asked for, he wanted a tractor cake. So, this is what I came up with (thanks to Google searches)!

At 10am, 5 little friends came over for a little birthday party. We tried to keep it at a farmer/cowboy theme. They gathered eggs, played with squirt guns, played Foosball (that wasn't part of the plan, but it's irresistible), ate a lot of cake, and opened a bunch of presents. Most of the time, they played and did their own thing. Dylan enjoyed being the center of attention. Colden did really well at passing on the spotlight. Evelynn enjoyed playing in the tubs of water for the squirt guns (I'm thinking that I'll have to leave that out there this summer...she was so thoroughly entertained!).


As soon as the presents were opened, Dylan almost forgot he had friends over. He was enjoying them so much! In fact, him and Colden had so much fun with the gifts that they played right through quiet time without watching their customary DVD.

How Dylan has grown this year:


You are growing up into such a fine boy. For the longest time, before you were 4, you loved to say that you were "three and three quarters" because you knew that you were bigger than most 3 year olds...but just not quite 4.

You are a wonderful big brother to your little sister. You're really sweet with her when you play together. I just love to catch the two of you playing. You also have a very special connection with your older brother. You love to play with him, wrestle him, tease him (and Evelynn, too), and just be with him. You guys are so lucky to have each other.

You are learning and growing so much! You are learning how to read and help me with jobs around the house. You love to run and play and laugh and ride your bike and be first on hikes. You are very creative when you play and you love to build things with your building toys. Sometimes the washing machine is the "wetter" and your brain is "my thinker". Your mind is so keen, you learn things quickly and if you don't know what something is, your "thinker" helps you figure it out! Although you're not into writing much, you can already write your own name and you can put batteries into your own toys (with unscrewing and screwing tiny screws) and disassemble/reassemble (sort-of) flash lights. You also enjoy making up songs with your voice, on musical toys, and the piano. (Dylan did this puzzle mostly himself, with a little help from me...rated for 5 years and older!)

Dylan, I love you so much. And I'm so glad you're a part of my life and a part of our family.