My Baby is a 4 Year Old Kid...

There is a "kid" in this family now...ya know, everyone says, "I can't wait to have a baby. We want to have a baby. Oh I'm having a baby. Ooooh...a baby!" Not many people say, "I can't wait to have a kid! We want to have a kid. Oh I'm having a kid! Ooooh...a kid!" We all love babies...but don't think about, when you have a baby, you have a kid. I think people don't realize they have to think past the first couple years...you can't want a baby...you have to want kids. So much goooshing, aaaaahhhhing, oooohhhhing, goes on in the baby years, you start to miss it. Then you realize that your kid is hitting the baseball out of the park every time, getting bogies and pars, slam dunking, saying things that make you laugh so hard you almost (or do!) pee your pants, then he says it over and over so much that it turns annoying. He explains things to you that you didn't even know, he's writing, explaining and singing and making up elaborate stories that he quietly shares with himself. He can talk in lengthy sentences, so you FINALLY get some reinforcement for all your hard motherly work, like when he says, "Sweet Dreams, have a good rest, see you in the morning, I love you, Good night." He becomes one of the sweetest big brothers and friends to other babies, he helps them on trikes and slides. He starts swimming by himself with his face in the water, THEN you realize he can TOUCH! He can touch! He can stand up in the shallow end and touch.
Your "baby" is now a kid that is 42 inches tall and 37lbs. They actually take his blood pressure at his well-child check up (and you realize they say, "well child, not well baby.")
My baby...is a kid.

Will's "treats" for the party-goers, I made the bags myself, and proud of it, thank you. Tractor tire cup, tractor candy, toy and stickers.

The "before guests" picture of the cake.

The "after guests" picture of the cake...note to self: don't put transportation on a cake and then put the cake in the dining room where no one is watching it. The tractor might actually be driven...on...the cake. :-)

Very proud that I found the white balloons with tractors on them, I thought they were so cute!

All rested up from nap, snuggling with Grandma.

And ready to Party!!

Our 4 year old King.

Look at Will's face, we're singing Happy Birthday...he's a little embarrassed...you can see the tongue about to come out (For those of you that don't know, Will sticks his tongue out when he's nervous/embarraassed.)

I love this picture, all the kids eating cake and ice cream, Will is really concentrating. Clockwise, Timmy, Harrison, Chandler, Taylor.

Ready for presents, the king takes his throne.

Oh my...and don't you dare forget Princess Molly.

Molly is of course climbing and standing on something she isn't supposed to be on.

Molly with "her man," Alex.

I'm not sure what happened to everyone in this picture, but I think it's so funny.

Will decided it would be funny to jump as high as he could to take bites of the frosting off the cake that's on the counter. He's pretty successful.

Iron Man and Miss Molly watching "Cars."