4.5

Here is what James is up to at four and a half!

*He started soccer this Fall (his first sport), and he's having a ball...literally and figuratively! He smiles throughout the game, never gets tired of it, and doesn't complain of getting knocked down, pushed, hot, or tired. He's just so happy playing! He is very aggressive out there, always focused on the ball, unless he's laughing with his buddies, and when he scores, he is hilarious. He throws his hands in the air, sometimes does a silly dance, and has to come over to me and get a high five. He also looks at each family member for a "good job" and says "fanks". :) It has been so much fun to watch!

*He has become much more independent. Last year, he was much more clingy with us, but he's really coming into his own. He will hesitate for a second, and then run off to class saying, "Bye Mom and Dad", on Sunday mornings. He wants to walk to children's church all by himself during worship assembly. At MDO, he doesn't like to be with me until the last second...he likes to play in his classroom beforehand while the teachers get ready. Last year, when he'd see me in the halls, he'd give me and big hug and kiss, but this year, I have to get it from him! So bittersweet!

*He has incredible MDO teachers this year! I am so impressed with what all they have come up with to do in there, and James just LOVES going! They even have send home activities, and James and I have had a lot of fun doing our "actibities" during Jack's naps. On Tuesdays, he'll wake up and say, "It's Tuesday...not treasure box day", and on Thursday, it's, "It's Thursday! Treasure box day!!" His teacher was telling me that this class knows their letter sounds so well that she's going to do more phonics! She said this group makes her laugh, because she'll say, "What's something green?" and the kids will say things like "Rosemary" instead of "grass". They seriously are a funny, sweet, and adorable group of kids. It is such a blessing to see him thriving in there, and I am just savoring having him down the hall for the last time ever!

*It has really hit me that James just has less than a year left of being with me all the time. I am really going to miss seeing my sweet boy in his pj's, or whatever crazy outfit combination he has picked out for himself, laying around playing, watching "Mick-Junior" (Nick JR), and just being my little side-kick. I am very excited about Kindergarten next year, but I am trying to savor all of this free time we have. James hardly leaves my side, always wants me to look at what he's doing, play with him, etc, so it'll be a huge change having him gone next year.

*James loves to draw. He is always drawing on his "draw fang(thing)", which is is magnetic draw board, in the car. He loves to draw maps, airplanes, bugs, and people, most of all. Jack also loves the "dwa-fen", and James very sweetly passes it to him when Jack asks...or screams for it.

*James is very into doing to the right thing, pleasing, helping, being obedient, and doing anything that will result in praise. He just loves compliments and praise, and it makes me laugh to see him just take it in. Especially the way he says, "Fanks", with a satisfied smile.

*James has gotten really into taking care of his "B-Bear" lately. He has taken on the role of B-Bear's daddy and does things for him all throughout the day. He puts him down for naps by reading the Bible to him, singing "Adelbise", and laying with him for 2 minutes, he asks me to watch him as he leaves the room to go get something, he will tell me that B-Bear has a soccer game or birthday coming up, he'll tell me "Shhh! B-Bear's napping!", he'll worry about him getting dirty when we're going to do things that could get him dirty, etc.

*He doesn't quite take care of Jack like he does B-Bear, but he is very sweet and protective of Jack. One of my proudest moments as a mom was seeing James jump into the roll of protective big brother a couple of times. Once was when they were playing with a football and a boy came over to them and started to play, James warned him to be gentle because his brother was 1. Another time, a friend of James's was trying to pull Jack up a slide and James jumped in to the rescue and told him not to do that. Sometimes, when we're driving and Jack is fussy, James will sing "Hush little baby don't say a word, Jamesy's gonna buy you a mockingbird". They love to roll around together and giggle, like little bear cubs. James gets so excited to see Jack when he hasn't seen him in a while. If Jack's taking a long nap, he'll say, "When can we get Jack up???"

*After going to a wedding last May, James had a lot of questions about weddings. He calls brides "princesses" and talks about how I am Daddy's princess. He asked where he was during our wedding, and I said, "You weren't here yet! You came to us later!" He thinks that if he wasn't here yet, he was in my tummy. Recently he said during a conversation, "Yeah, when you and Daddy got married, I was in your tummy." I corrected him, but I was thinking that I'm sure he's probably told people that before! I laughed so hard recently when James's teacher told me that while he was dressed up as a knight, he went over to his friend Adelaide and told her, "I am a knight and YOU are my princess!"

*James is really into helping Daddy work in the yard, riding his scooter, playing any kind of sport, just being with us (He told us that Sundays are such fun days because "I get to go to churrrrch, I get to go to lunch with everybodyyyy, I get to come home and watch a tv show while Jack naaaaps, we get to be togetherrrrr":)), drawing, building, pretending, talking, jokes, playing cards and games, working on things together, like sounding out words, spelling, activities, and adding (he says "one plus two is ankle (equals) three!"

*He just loves being at church, and fortunately, we get to be up there almost every day! He cheers every time I tell him we're going there. Although, he doesn't like Ladies Bible Class, because "it's for babies" (he's the oldest one in the childcare there).

James and Jack with Gus, our new cousin/neph-dog!