At 4 years and 2.5 months Landon:
Is 44 inches tall
Weighs around 42 pounds
Just moved up to a size 11 shoe size
Wears a size 4 in pants and a size 5 in most shirts
Can spell his name
Can identify most letters of the alphabet
Isn't the best counter - he still tends to get messed up around 15 or so but then spouts off the twenties and higher…we'll get there.
Even though he's not the best counter he can do simple math - probably just from memorization but he knows that 1+1 = 2, 2+1 = 3…all the way up to 5!
Loves to play the Wii - and is really, spooky good. He learned how to watch the guide on Donkey Kong and Super Mario Bros and can mimic what the guide does to complete most levels pretty quickly.
Loves book and snuggle time with daddy before bed…his favorite is a new Highlights magazine!
Favorite food by far is still cheese - the kid may turn into a curd soon. He still eats fruits and veggies really well and is willing to try new things - most of the time. A new favorite is cheese dip..of course. Oh, and ICEE Cokes are still a favorite reward! This weekend we grilled pork chops - Landon called them Evil Dr. Pork Chops. We love Toy Story!
Loves is baby sister - he thinks she's sweet and calls her "his baby"
Learned how to swing on his own this week!! Daddy was a little sad not to be needed for a push anymore.
Hasn't worn a pull-up to bed since he turned 4 and has only had a few accidents…Mario Bros for the Wii was his reward for being accident free for more than 15 nights! He's requested Epic Mickey for his next reward and since he did just have an accident this week he thinks the count starts back at zero…I'm pretty sure he's counting on getting the game when he makes it another 15 nights!
Speaking of night time accidents - after this last one he told his daddy that maybe we shouldn't tell mommy…which is odd since I've never gotten on to him for wetting the bed. When daddy told him that we don't keep secrets from mommy Landon replied with "well, maybe you could just send her a text message". It was 4am. Really?! We got a big laugh out of that one.
Is doing well at school…we always ask him what he did at school during dinner. His favorite response is to come back at us with, "what did you do at work today?". Good family dinner time conversations!
Has started speech therapy at school and is doing well! We have noticed a little difference and I know he'll continue to do great!
Is doing a little better with soccer - but just last weekend he asked me to "un-sign him up" because he didn't want to play anymore! Oh well - we tried. We'll see if he means it when he says he doesn't want to play next season. I stayed home with MK last weekend but Daddy said that he got 6 good kicks and even got to play goalie for a while! He doesn't like it when the other team has the ball and "doesn't let him have a turn to kick it". He doesn't understand yet that he's supposed to get the ball from them! Maybe he gets his lack of competitiveness in sports from his mommy…uh oh! We'll see- he is only 4!
Loves to play ball with Papa and can't wait to play with Great Papa and Pocky in Kansas next month!
Still doesn't like us to tell him "no"…but instead of calling us "mean" like when he was 3 he now refers to us as "rude"…yep, still ornery.
Landon, you are our favorite little boy and we love you to the moon and back a million and one times. You are a sweet, yet strong willed kiddo and you keep us on our toes with your orneriness and silliness. You are growing up so fast and we still just don't know where the time is going. We get busy in the day to day…and it's not going to slow down anytime soon…but we hope and pray that we are able to teach you the skills you'll need to be an awesome grown-up. Having said that…dude, you need to learn how to mind. I'm not kidding when I say that your strong will makes me very, very nervous about your teenage years. Maybe I'll remember to let you read this someday when you're a strong willed 16 year old who wants to stay out past curfew. Really, though, kiddo - we love you and overall you're just a pretty great kid and we are looking forward to the years to come!
PS - if you think having your 4 year old ask to tell mommy stuff via text message is a sign of the times…you'll also think the fact that I'm posting this while on an airplane that's 10,000 feet in the air is also a good indicator that technology has come a long way! However, the connection isn't fast enough to post pictures so those will be added tonight.
PSS - Technology isn't quite as far as I thought. Turns out I couldn't post from the air - BUT I did write it in the sky!