Kase is 4!

We woke up to a rainy day.  I offered him several choices of how he wanted to spend his special day. Indoor Playground? SkyZone? He said, "Let's read books then watch Lion Guard".  My easy-to-please youngest child just wants to spend the day hanging out.  It's so fun that his birthday fell on a day that he doesn't have school because that means we can spend the whole day just doing what he wants! I do get to spend a lot of time with Kase, but often I feel like I'm running around doing laundry, prepping dinner, etc.  Today I'm not going to do any of that and just play with Kase all day! 

This one. Oh this one. My baby, who isn't a baby at all anymore.  He's grown up so much in the last few months.  

We had his well child visit yesterday and the doctor reported that all was good.  And it is.  We're so lucky that this healthy, happy four year old is ours.  She commented on his muscular build, "His BMI is right at 85, and we like it to be 85 or lower, but our chart doesn't account for the muscles that he has." Physically, he's growing perfectly fine and even eats the occasional green vegetable, which I can say for his older siblings.  Emotionally, he's grown up so much I can hardly believe it.  

He's really enjoyed preschool this year and has made several good friends. He loves to play with them, but he's also a kid who is so content to play by himself (provided that I am nearby).  He has some super hero figures that he's been spending a lot of time with lately.  He loves to say, "Mama, I like it when you play with me." Then I go to join him and he tells me just how to play as he has created an intricate scene in his head that I try to carry out just as he planned. 

Sleeping.  I wasn't sure I'd ever see the day that he slept (almost always) through the night and even falls asleep on his own, in his own bed every night lately. Once in a while he asks, "Mom, can you lay with me?" and I can't resist.  Every time I do, I hope it isn't the last.  Truly, it may seem like a minor thing to many parents of four year olds, but I couldn't be happier with how well he has been sleeping lately. He slept in so long yesterday, in fact, that I had to wake him up for preschool !

He's growing up too quickly, my Kaser. He recently gave me a stuffed animal from his room that he wanted me to sleep with because he "didn't need it anymore".  He rarely wants his old white blanket. He can zip coat zippers, put his own shoes on, and get his own buckle in the car. 

I love when I see glimpses of him still being little.  As the seasons have turned, he's been wearing shorts a lot, and every.single.time, he says, "Mom, can I wear short pants today?"  I don't have the heart to tell him that "short pants" are typically just called "shorts".  I hope he calls them short pants until he's fifteen. 

He's occasionally soft-spoken and often very, very sweet.  When Kylee was dressed up for a birthday party last weekend, she came downstairs and Kase said to her, "Wow, Kylee.  You look very much beautiful."

Today, we celebrate our youngest, our funny, athletic, sometimes serious, charming, book-reading, super-hero-loving four year old! 

He requested a green hulk cupcake cake.  

He LOVES his Captain America punching bag! 

I'm looking forward to spending the day celebrating Kase! We love you so much, buddy!