Anders Turns 4

My little, sweet boy: You keep doing big boy things but I still keep seeing you as my baby. Maybe it's because you still have those round, kissable cheeks and cupid bow lips when you are sleeping. Man, you are growing up fast. Your imagination and love of role play such as superheroes and Star Wars is EPIC. And when you are not currently destroying villains and saving mankind, your kind heart and friendship to others shines so very, very bright. Gosh, I love you. More than all the stars in the galaxy (and even another galaxy - far, far away).

Birthday morning scone.

Cheesing with his best buddy George at his party.

Jedis on a speeder.

Funny Landon.

Sweet friend transformed to Kylo Ren.

That's my sweet baby boy!

Yum.

Again - our sweet little girl friends picking some fierce masks.

Young Padawans battling together!

Cupcake break!

Some friends brought their own light sabers. I provided robes made out of felt and cording - thank you, Pinterest!

The kids getting a kick out of funny birthday cards.

Landon Brick Build

Like many other kids these days, the boys have fallen into the black hole of YouTube when their screen time and settings allow. And YouTube for kids these days is a hoppin' scene. I imagine it parallels my obsession with CareBears and MTV at a young age. Anyhoodles, the channels Landon particularly enjoys are related to "Brick Builds" in which people put together Lego sets. And as life imitates art, Landon wanted to also make a brick build.

I totally forgot about this video we made after Christmas. Landon must have gone through a major growth spurt since then - he looks so young to me when rewatching this!

Memorial Day 2016

This past weekend we headed about an hour south to the Jim Creek Naval Recreational Area for a few days of camping with the boys. Catering solely to military members, the site was nicely maintained and they have over 5000 acres of land, largely untouched. We will definitely revisit when it is not raining and 50 degrees for three days straight. But you know what? Rain on a tent makes for the most delightful white noise when sleeping.

I threw together a quick video using some captures I got with my phone. Nothing fancy, but hoping it helps with my memory long down the road!

Anders vs Orange

One time, about a year ago, Anders was peeling an orange and a shprinkle of juice took a dastardly trajectory into his eye. And he still talks about it, affronted by the fruit and it's evil byproduct. But! He loves clementines and I commend that he came up with a solution - to always find a pair of sunglasses before eating an orange. This has been going on for a year and I so hope it continues for a long while because I adore this quirk of his.

Safely enjoying citrus.

You Do the Hokey Pokey

Man, I love a good roller skating rink. Armed with fantastic memories of disco balls and limbo bars from 25+ years ago, I took the boys last week to weigh down their little legs with some big honkin' skates. They asked about inline skates (and, admittedly, the rink did have them), but I wanted them to have the authentic experience. Let's lace up some 5 lb fungal hooves on your feet.

They practiced for a bit on pint-sized walkers and locked wheels. And then: we loosened the wheels and they skated awkwardly like little newborn giraffes trying to walk for the first time. I loved it and I think they did, too. When the lights went down and the laser lights started with some horrific Alvin and the Chipmunks cover of Destiny's Child songs began, they were all like, "Say Whaaaat?" And I said "What, boys. What, indeed."

The rink on a Tuesday morning is the perfect time for learning the Hokey Pokey on wheels.