Right now

He:



Taught himself how to read and surprised us with his new skill last week. Mark and I were reading books to him before bed and he started sounding out the words. I grabbed one of his Bob Books, and he read it cover to cover with minimal help from us. Mark and I were speechless! He has read books 1-4 of his Bob Books, and we are going to start book 5 tomorrow before his afternoon rest.

Is thriving in his pre-school classroom and going to school is one of his favorite things every week. He loves being the snack helper and the line leader, and talks about his friends from school constantly.



Has been keeping track of the Mustangs we see while driving to and from school, to the grocery store, etc. He is up to 31... and loves it when we spot a red one just like Grandpa's Mustang.

Loves spending time with Jack, but still has a hard time when Jack takes his toys or gets in his way. We have been talking a lot about appropriate ways to show frustration, anger, and jealousy (and the inappropriate ways to shows those emotions, too), and he is getting much better above using his words rather than whining or stomping off to his bedroom. Having a baby brother can be a challenge, and I understand that Ev needs his space, but taking that frustration out on Jack isn't acceptable. Now he will come up to me and say "Mommy! I am so frustrated right now! Jack keeps taking my toys!" or "Mommy! I don't like that Jack is bugging me! He is making me upset!" And we go from there. Usually Evan has his toys lined up a certain way, or he is playing a game and Godzilla, I mean Jack, walks/crawls/stomps through his stuff and Frustrated Evan emerges. Evan has made a lot of progress in this area, and I am so very proud of him. I think having the ability to recognize emotions and express them to me, without whacking Jack, is impressive for a four year old.

Continues to make me laugh.

Loves to give hugs.

Has started called Mark and me "mom" and "dad", not "mommy" and "daddy".

Is my crazy, loud, spunky, opinionated, sweet 4.5 year old, and I love him to pieces.

He:

Loves to mimic words and sounds, and is learning new words rapidly. Today he said "please" for the first time and Mark and I started clapping and praising him. He responded by saying "bubble", "purple", and "elbow". He likes words that are two syllables and somewhat repetitive in their sounds. He can say "Evan", "Daaaaaaddy", "eyes", "nose", "toes", "shoe", "sock", "airplane", "door", and "happy", and I'm sure I am forgetting some words. I love how well his language is developing.



Loves to wear things: Evan's green construction goggles, his pretend stethoscope, and my glasses are all favorites of his.

Is walking most of the time now. He still has a significant pronation, but hopefully his orthotics will help correct that. He loves his shoes and if I put a pair on him while we are in the house, he does laps around the couch.



Has many, many nicknames: Jacky, Jacky-boy, Jack-a-roo, Jack-Jack, Jack-a-boo, and Bug-a-boo are a few of my favorites.



Stills adores Pup-pup, but he also loves his hippo, penguin, giraffe, and little pup-pup, too. He loves to hug them while walking around the house, one tucked under each arm. They give him some cushion when he falls down, too, which has saved him from a bruise or two while he's learning to walk.

Loves to be tickled, play peek-a-boo, and push his shopping cart around our play room.

Likes crawling into my lap to give me hugs and kisses when I am sitting on the floor playing with him. When I ask for a kiss he usually smiles and leans his forehead in so I can kiss him there.

They:

Get along most of the time. I try to give both of them their space, and allow Evan to escape to the kitchen or his room if he needs a break, but I also encourage them to work out their disagreements.

Are very loud during meal time. I must say "quiet down, please" 100 times per day. They aren't being naughty... just loud. Talking, squealing, laughing, giggling, and making boy noises, of course :-)





Make my heart happy.