the cider mill

it was awhile ago, but worth remembering for the sake of the donuts and cider.

uncle john's on dad's day off.

two and four

and just like that. two and four.

so we tried to snap some photos.

and even though thatcher announced to everyone in family dollar post pictures that "we did it!" his performance was suspect (mostly crying, running away, laying on the ground, etc...). jonah? jonah is at a beautiful age (or just a personality?) where bribery works for almost everything (hence, the post picture family dollar run).

and with 339 pictures in ten minutes you would have thought the "good" percentage might have been a little higher (you're looking at the good ones in their entirety) but in the end, I'm just glad we got a couple.

and all thanks to these boys' dad who did who knows what behind me to get these laughs.

Four. It's a good age. And my four year old learner is picking up all sorts of things along the way. He's begging me to learn to read (is there an app for that? I'm not sure I know how to teach anyone to read), willing to spend hours perfecting (he's a first born in every way) his coloring, and would curl up and watch movies all day if I'd let him. 

He's loving being an awana cubbie and is pretty excited about any opportunity to be social and hang out with friends. He loves his brother--and although one wouldn't always guess this, he's been known to want to wake him up early from nap to play. He's also 100% sure he's getting a sister next May, because he already has a brother. obviously... "and when I talk about the baby I'm just going to say 'she' because the baby is going to be a girl."

His days are spent filling my quote book and he is really just a joy.

This one's a lover. And a cuddler. And he is getting pretty funny.

And if you'll read to him or play ball, he.is.your.best.friend.

We're kind of having a hard time kicking the paci habit (because he's also a bit on the strong-willed side) but we'll get there.

Recently, he's sharing a room with his brother and couldn't be more excited about it (Jonah is his favorite). His brother isn't loving his snoring habit (pretty sure we've got a trip to the ent in our future) but their pillow talk has been pretty amazing to listen to on the monitor.

There's so much more to say, stories to tell, quotes to quote (and hopefully I'm getting them down somewhere) but really? we just feel blessed.