FOUR

I can hardly believe my sweet boy is FOUR! So many things happened within a week of his birthday, but today I'll just focus on his actual day. 

Aaron and I had been talking for a few months about getting Canon his own tablet. Mainly because 1) when he wanted to watch something on Netflix it was on my phone and 2) he had gotten into YouTube videos and we didn't love that. Mostly what he watched was age-appropriate, but there were times when the suggestions led him down a not great path. 

We know a few friends with the Amazon Fire for Kids and after hearing their positive reviews, we decided to get him one. 

He clearly already knew what it was and yes, we do refer to it as his iPad. 

We're 10 days into it and I have to say I love it. Not only do I have my phone back, but mostly because of what he does when he is on it. He spends much more time playing interactive games than watching videos and the videos he does watch make me feel much better. All the PBS kids shows are pre-loaded along with some Nickelodeon and some Disney Jr. Not all of his favorites are there, but as I said earlier, he really spends more time figuring out the games than anything else. 

Eventually he'll age out of the pre-school stuff and when that time comes I can set him up with another account that runs normal apps. I'll definitely be setting limits on time and which apps he can use when that happens. 

His birthday fell on a Sunday so we chose to have a cake party after service on the playground. I got balloons and a tablecloth to decorate and picked up his Spiderman cake and cupcakes that morning. He was totally surprised when he came down after church! We were so glad that everyone he wanted to celebrate with was there! 

To me for future reference - this was the easiest "party" to throw. Remember this. 

Canon was even lucky enough to have Mr. Ullman, a national and international champion whistler, give him a little birthday whistle! He doesn't understand how cool this is now, but he will eventually. 

I literally say this every year, but this difference in him now and last year is unbelievable. We have a tall, skinny, negotiating, physical, smart, caring, school aged boy in our house now. While he is still testing his boundaries and developing a little bit of an attitude, he is equally caring and compassionate. He makes us laugh. He loves to talk. He asks so many questions! He's getting into Legos, though wrestling with Daddy is still his favorite. He loves to draw and color and be creative. His relationship with Ben is really taking off now. He is impatient before Ben wakes up in the mornings or at nap, always asking us to go wake him. He loves to wrestle him, but also takes care of him if he is crying or sad. He is smart. He is a good friend. We love him so much! I am so looking forward to what this year holds for him! 

Happy 4th Birthday Canon!