10/10/10

I love dates like this! Here's a random picture of the kids on 10/10/10. I love it even though they are kind of making weird faces, because it shows me how much they love each other.
Today was even more special because it was Alex's fourth birthday! Alex is such a sweet little boy and is really growing up in so many ways. A couple of months ago he started reading three and four letter words and now can read short beginner books (with some help). The other day he counted to 100 and just today he learned how to snap! I was so amazed by the snapping. It's a great life skill, don't you think?

He is a deep thinker and really takes things in when you tell him something. Once he's thought about it for a while and makes up his mind about something, he is determined. For instance, when he was little any amount of food or water on his shirt would warrant a new shirt. After I told him it was okay to wear a shirt more than once as long as it was not too dirty (because I was sick of all the extra laundry), he thought about it for a while and then started putting back all the clothes he ever wore into his drawer--the opposite extreme (but it's a lot less laundry). Also, when he was little he would resist putting on his seat belt until I told him that kids could die if they don't wear them. He thought about this for a bit and from that point on, he would scream if the car started moving and he didn't have it all the way on yet.

Alex is a quiet boy. Sometimes I have to ask him to talk louder so I can hear him from the back seat. He's quiet, but he is usually not afraid to tell you what he is thinking. Of course, he does have a loud side and that is when he cries. He screams like a limb has been severed for so many things that I sometimes wonder if I would even come if that really did happen to him (we're working on it).

Another thing about him is that he is well-liked and gets along with everyone. He plays so well with both his sisters and is so loving to Connor. I don't even think he realizes it when people like him, he's just a gentle fun-loving boy. His best friend is a girl who refers to him as "my boy Alex" and they play so well together. There was another little girl who kept begging to play with Alex and would scoot herself closer to him whenever she saw him (and he didn't even realize it). He has always been so well behaved in nursery and now primary. In fact he sat so still that he would fall asleep almost every Sunday in sharing time when we had late church. I don't think he likes to draw attention to himself either. He refused to stand in front of the Primary today when we sang him the birthday song.

For the past couple of weeks Alex kept telling me he wanted different kinds of cakes whenever I asked. It went from an UmiZoomi cake, to a Spiderman cake, to a Lego cake, to a bunch of cakes that I don't remember, and finally to a Toy Story 3 cake. I am a fan of the cake shows on TV where they make some amazing cakes, so I figured I could handle this simple cake. Here's what I learned: our cake was no where near the caliber of cakes on those shows. And for many reasons. First and foremost, because there were three kids sticking their fingers into the frosting, licking the frosting knives and excitedly trying to "help" while the baby was crying the entire time (yes, the entire time). And probably a very close second reason is because we (Jared and I) have no idea what we are doing. Cake crumbs kept getting into the frosting and the rice crispy treats we used for the bed frame kept slumping over and messing things up. And all so that we could fulfill Alex's birthday cake dream. In the end, I think it turned out pretty good. We already had the toys so we just placed them on Andy's bed and called it good. The best part for me was hearing Alex say, "This cake is exactly how I wanted it." That made my day!FYI: I did the headboard and Jared did the foot of the bed. His is way better than mine. But in my defense, the headboard was taller and I was a lot more frazzled than him at the time, what with all the crying and commotion and such. So here's another thing I love about Alex. He didn't care about if he got a birthday party or what presents he got, he was just so happy for everything we did for him. We got him a musical birthday card because the kids love to look at them when we go to the store, a game, a book, some cars and my personal favorite, a Lego set of a beach house which I will let him help me build tomorrow.
I love my sweet, cuddly Alex. I simply can't imagine my life without Mr. Alex around. Happy Birthday!