Happy 4th Birthday Bazinks!

How did my baby boy turn 4 in a blink of an eye?  I don't know, but I hope the next four years won't go quite as fast, although I have a feeling they'll probably go by even faster.

Bazinks - I love the creative ways you play.  I love hearing all the different ways that you find to get out of bad situations in your pretend world.  Good guys come and give you medicine, sometimes bad guys come and give you medicine, sometimes you turn into a different person, sometimes you have a magic sword that shoots out medicine or healing powers. I love to hear the things you come up with!

I am also fascinated with all the different weapons you make - a gun that shoots out gum, strawberries, bullets, or whipped cream depending on the hole; a sword with a gun on the opposite side; a sword that shoots out bullets.

I loved it the other day when you decided to be General Grievous and you took four light sabers (one under your chin, one under your arm, and one in each hand) and tried to fight me - until you decided that was a bit tricky so 2 of your arms got chopped off and you were left with only 2 light sabers (one in each hand).

I love it when you cuddle me at night when I sing you your bed-time song.  I love how your burst out laughing every time I read you Winnie the Pooh, especially the part when he jumps in the water when he sees Piglet's bottle and he thinks it's a honey pot!

You are learning to take care of your baby brother as you get older.  You used to like to push him and squeeze him too hard, but now you try to help him when you see that he is sad!  You are getting to be so kind and brave and helpful.

I love it when you sing me the alphabet or count for me - I love all the different tunes you have made up to go with counting your numbers.  I think you are so smart to be adding your numbers!  Not too many little boys your age can do such tricky things!  You are so good at figuring things out!

I love your big, sweet eyes.  They just melt my heart whenever you look at me with your happy looks or even your sad, pitiful ones!  No one can stop themselves from smiling when you pull out one of your happy smiles - they light up the whole house!

I thank Heavenly Father everyday for you!  Thanks for being my sweet, cuddly little guy.

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On Bazinks' birthday morning, we brought him his presents in bed (tradition).  He was so excited to get a pack of M&Ms, Skittles, gum, and his own flashlight.

Later, we took him and his friends (really, only one of the "friends" was his age, the others were his friend's siblings, but they all play together often so he calls them all his friends)  to a "bouncy place", as he calls it.  We ate hot-dogs before we left and we ate cake while we were there.  He had an M&M cake again (same as last year - why change a good thing?)  and played hard.

After the "Bouncy Place"  he got to go to his friend's Star Wars party.  All of the kids went.  At the party, they got trained to be Jedi and, at the end, they had to fight Darth Vader (the boy's dad - dressed up - with fog all around him - in the garage).  Some of the kids cried and ran away, but I heard that Bazinks was brave and went forward with courage!  A proud family moment.  Although, I must admit, I was a little surprised :-)

When the kids got back, they found my parents at my house, ready to give Bazinks a birthday hug.  Just when he thought the day couldn't get any better!

As we were getting the kids ready for bed, they mentioned that it was such a wonderful day and that they were sad it was over, never to be repeated.   I tried to assure them that they would have other highlights in their lives.  I'm glad he had a nice birthday.

I sure love that little boy.

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Some other family events last week:

After forgetting about a tooth under a pillow for four nights in a row, I decided it was time to tell Spice about the tooth fairy.  Granted, she is 10, and she had her suspicions, but we had never brought them out into the open.  I handed her the money, and told her I was sorry for forgetting, and that she had probably figured out by then that it was me all along.

She said she had thought it probably was and then she asked me about Santa.  I said, "Oh.  Do you really want to know about Santa?"  She said, "I think I already do."

"You're right."

At this point she looked like she was getting tears in her eyes and I wanted to take back everything I had already said.  Then she asked,

"Even the Easter Bunny?"

"Yes, but those are the only things I've tricked you about.  It's just a fun game that parents do with their kids for fun.  I wasn't sure if I wanted to do it because I felt funny telling you stories, but I did try not to lie about it, remember when you would ask 'do you believe in Santa?' and I would say, 'I believe in the Spirit of Santa' and then you'd ask me how presents would come if there was no Santa and then I'd make up silly stories? "

"Yeah.  I wondered about that."

"You'll have to decide when you're older if you want to play that game with your kids.  I chose to do it because I remembered it being so fun and magical when I was a child and I thought you might like it too."

"Yeah.  It was fun.  But does this mean I won't get presents anymore?"

"No, you'll still get presents, but you'll get to help me as we plan the presents for everyone else.  You'll be in on the fun."

"Okay!  But what if I accidentally say something, or if I give them a look and then they know?!"

"I'll try not to look at you when we're talking about it so that we don't give each other any looks.  Are you okay?  You look kind of sad.  Maybe I should have waited to tell you."

"No, I'm glad you told me.  It wasn't as fun for me when I was suspicious and I think now it will be more fun.  Now I'm just thinking about some of the things my friends have said about it that made me suspicious."

She hasn't mentioned it since then then and she has been fine and happy so I don't think it was too traumatic.  :-)

Bud participated in his first pinewood derby yesterday.  He spent Monday sanding and painting and then yesterday he painted some details.  He and his dad made a fun car.  They did several races so all of the cars would get a chance to race each other and he got 1st, 2nd, 2nd and then 3rd.  He got the award for the "Coolest Paint Job".  He and his daddy did do some interesting thing with some netting and spray-paint, although you can't quite see it in the picture.

Baby Ray is beginning to crawl a little, but he still prefers the army scoot as a way of getting around.  He's starting to say, "Ma ma ma" and "Da da da" and "Bu bu bu" pretty often.

Little Miss started piano lessons.  I worried that she was too young for them, but she has been asking for them for several months so I thought I would let her try them.  The older kids play the piano for fun, but they are not interested in lessons.  Little Miss' piano teacher has a great love of music and since we all go to watch Little Miss do her lesson, I'm hoping that some of his enthusiasm will rub off on them.