I have not blogged specifically about Ayden in awhile, though he does and says enough for his own blog post each day! I never want to forget some of the things he does and says at 4 years old, so here goes!
-He has
got to be one of the funniest children who has ever lived. (I know everyone thinks their child is funny, and I'm sure they are too!) There are countless times in a day where he makes me laugh out loud, sometimes intentionally and sometimes not.
-He is creative and thoughtful with every word that comes out of his mouth. He is still a perfectionist and must tell a story with exact details and will start completely over if he leaves so much as one adjective out. I am not even kidding. He loves to talk!!
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Every night, without fail, he puts up resistance at bedtime. He hates going to bed. He hates the dark, scared of monsters, etc. He starts objecting when it starts to get dark outside, before anyone has ever even mentioned the word bedtime. He will notice the sun setting and say, "is it getting dark? is it getting dark, mom?" If I say yes, he will immediately start saying, "I don't want to go to bed!" Tonight as it was getting dark and he asked me and I said yes, it's getting dark, he said, "well, maybe its just gonna rain" He begs to sleep with us every night, but usually starts out in his own bed. He ends up in ours by 2 am 99.9% of the time. Honestly, we are okay with it, because we know its just a phase of life that he will outgrow and we will miss our snuggles with him (but not the kicks in the ribs :)
-When we put him in bed, he will say, "I'm scared, who will protect me?" I always tell him daddy and mommy are just downstairs and Jesus will protect him. A couple of nights ago he said with tear-filled eyes, "Jesus gets cranky if he has to stay up late to protect me". This is just ONE example of millions of things this child says that cracks us up!!
-He is still extremely picky and will only eat certain foods, won't try new foods, etc. It's really annoying if I do say so myself. He gets to choose his breakfast and lunch, but for supper he is only offered the family meal. He almost never eats it and has gone down a pants size from going to bed without supper. (seriously) But he was wearing huskys and now regular so I guess it's ok ;) Some nights I let it slide, but last night I was determined he was going to eat the Chicken Spaghetti I cooked. It's cheese and noodles! C'mon kid! He refused, I kept insisting, he vomited, I got angry, he cried, and in the middle of his post-vomiting crying fiasco, he stopped and looked at me and through his tears and snubbing said, "Momma....do you know what I am thankful for? You". So then I cried. Chris laughed and Ethan watched the whole thing while shoving his chicken spaghetti in his mouth as fast as he could. It was a scene!!!! He knows how to get to his momma!!
-Speaking of which, he is a momma's boy, and I mean that in a good way!! He still loves to sit on my lap, snuggle, and hug me. He will play with my hair while I read him books, and tell me he loves me and wants to marry me and take me on a date to Chuck E Cheese. He randomly comes up to me several times a day and kisses me on the cheek. He holds doors for me and is such a little gentleman. He is a precious, precious boy!!
-He doesn't have fits or tantrums anymore, which is so very nice. He whines and cries at worst, but is easily stopped when asked. He very, very rarely needs a spanking and only needs time out a couple times a week, and that is usually for being too rough with Ethan or the dogs. He stays on "green" at school and has had zero behavioral issues this year at MDO. We have been using lots of positive reinforcement and it seems to have worked! He is very polite and says please and thank you, yes/no sir and yes/no ma'am. We are very proud of him!
-Now that Ethan is doing more things, Ayden is starting to show some jealousy of the attention Ethan is getting. I know it's normal and we just try to keep the praise and excitement equal for them both. Yes, Ayden, we know you can walk/dance/slide/clap, etc. Lol :)
-Finally, I will close with Ayden's bedtime prayer tonight. It is the same every night, until tonight. It started with his usual:
"Dear Jesus, thank you for my beautiful momma, my handsome daddy, and my adorable (pronounced A-durable) Ethan, and my silly dogs."
Then he got creative with the 2nd half:
"Thank you for our house and our food, thank you for our lightbulbs, and for helping me count to 19, climb trees, and drive boats. In Jesus name, Amen"
That. boy. is. hilarious!!!
