Daniel is 4!

On July 21, my little man turned 4 years old! As in past years, we celebrated with a swim party at the Coppell Aquatic Center with school friends and a few others. Unlike last year, thanks to the polar vortex it was a little chilly that morning so we took the kids to the indoor pool area. It actually turned out just fine; the kids are the right age to enjoy the indoor area and it made it easier on the parents to keep everyone in sight.

Of course, no birthday party would be complete without cupcakes and singing "Happy Birthday!"

Daniel had a great time celebrating with his friends. It's been fun for me too to see his friends grow up alongside him.

The next week he had his "Celebration of Life" in his class at school. The teacher puts a (battery-operated) candle in the middle of the circle as the sun, and Daniel took a trip around the sun for each year of his life, then lit a smaller candle. For each year Ms. Susan showed the class pictures of Daniel at that age and told stories of what he did.

Our big gift to him this year was a balance bike. For months he told us that for his birthday he wanted a helmet (pronounced "heelmet"), a bicycle, and "a place to hang it up" in the garage like Mommy and Daddy's. After much research we found him the perfect bike. He was thrilled to get it and take it out for a spin. At first he was pretty much just walking with it but soon he got the hang of gathering momentum and coasting. He's getting pretty fast!

My parents also got him a Leappad tablet, which he calls his "iPad." At first I wondered if he might be a little too young for it but he figured it out pretty quickly and now loves it. Surprisingly to me he's actually pretty good about sharing it with Rebecca too. They love watching Daniel Tiger videos on it!

Last week Daniel had his 4 year checkup. He weighed in at 34lb 10oz and stands almost 40" tall, placing him in the 40th percentile for height and weight. The pediatrician was pleased with his development and growth. Daniel had to get 4 shots that day but was quite brave and even helped comfort Rebecca when she got one too.

He's generally a sweet big brother with Rebecca. He has him moments when he snatches toys away from her or pushes her down but he's also generous in sharing bites of ice cream with her and can often get her to eat when Kevin and I can't. 

She adores him and loves playing with him. He's used that to his advantage once or twice ;)

Here he is in the car seat he rode home from the hospital in as a newborn. He's grown a bit since then ;)

A few more pictures of my sweet, funny, adventurous boy:

Watching Daniel Tiger with Mommy, cuddled up on the couch

At Sea Life looking at the shark tank with Rebecca

Helping Mommy make pasta from scratch

Sleeping in his pink robe

It's been another wonderful year with Daniel. I'm lucky to be his mom and excited to see what the next year with him brings! One thing it will bring is his first A&M football game. He and I are going to watch A&M play SMU next month and we're both looking forward to it.