4 Years Old

Could he be any cuter?

My goofball.

His Mario mustache... 

"I'm Luigi!"

I could squish him...he is so incredibly handsome!

Brody had his fourth birthday back in August.  I can't believe it's been four years since my sweet little man was born.  I feel like it was just yesterday.  He's grown up so much in the past year.  He acts more mature...and more like a typical little boy all at the same time.  He says things that surprise me all the time and I wonder how he came up with it or where he heard a certain phrase.  I'm trying hard to record funny things he says because there's at least one thing he'll say in a day that I'll think, "oh man, that was so cute...I never want to forget that."  But even if I forget to do it, I'm just enjoying him at this this age and time in his life and soaking it all in...I really wish I could freeze him at this age for longer than just a year.  It has been so much fun!

Brody is...just as he always has been...so incredibly smart.  It really is a gift he was born with.  I wish I could take credit for all the things he's learned or knows...but even as a small baby I knew that he was just born with great intelligence.  He has a great memory and has no problem learning new sight words or knowing what letters certain words start with.  We're working on teaching him how to sound out words he doesn't recognize and I know it won't take him much longer until he has basic reading down. He loves to read books with us and make up stories of his own.  He likes to draw pictures and practice writing his name.  He also loves learning about animals.  Something else that makes him a great learner is how many questions he asks.  I'll admit..sometimes I feel like my head might explode with how many questions I have to answer in a day....but I love that he is curious enough to want to learn about new things.  I hope he can always take his gift of learning and intelligence and put it to use and I know he will be able to go far in life.

I also love Brody's creativity and imagination.  He loves to pretend and dress-up and play games all day long.  He constantly says to me, "Mom, right now I'm Mario with a fire suit on."  or, "Mom, can I be Batman with a glider?"  The list of superheroes and characters he wants to pretend to be goes on and on.  I love it.  I'm realizing I'm not quite as good as I used to be and pretend play...and I guess I've never been a four-year-old boy..I do things wrong sometimes.  Haha.  He'll say, "No, Mom.  Don't say it like that."  or, "Mom, Bowser doesn't talk like that."  I'm learning...  I'll always cherish my play time with this silly boy.  I love him!

He is a great brother.  There are still sharing issues...and Brody is ver particular so I think most of it has to do with him not wanting Ryker to mess up his stuff.  The times that they really get along, I just love to sit back and watch them.  Brody is starting to realize that Ryker follows his every move and that he can get Ryker to do anything he wants. I love seeing Brody take the lead and say, "Come on, Ryker.  Let's play cars." or whatever their play time might consist of.  Ryker adores him and as he follows Brody he has a smile the whole time and squeals with delight.  Brody will say to me, "My Ryker D. is cute, huh, Mom?  He loves me."  It makes my heart happy to watch them play together and cuddle on the couch together to watch a show.  Brody will also "read" books to him and another thing they love to do together is build a bed in their closets.  (They're pretty deep and we can get a good fort out of them.)  I hope they always know they have each other and that they love each other just as much as they grow older.

Some of Brody's other favorite activities include: swimming, video games, computer games, board games, dancing to music, building legos and helping me cook.  He loves Batman, Wild Kratts, Super Mario Brothers, Jake and the Neverland Pirates and anything Dr. Suess.  And of course my most favorite thing is when he tells me he loves me.  He knows I don't want him to grow up but he says, "Mom, I'll still love you even when I'm a grown up."  I'll love you always my little man!  Happy Birthday!