Flashback: The Hair!

That's Hans as the summer came to an end.  He went all summer without a haircut.  Loe the curls, but it did make him a bit more high maintenance.

He loves the attention he got from the fro, but I think he's just as happy not having to fight with me over knots and conditioner.

Hans is 5!

 The morning started off with gifts...

And his most beloved birthday gift....

Yup, a shredder.  Weird kid!  And he was thrilled to head off to school to celebrate with his class.

I got to visit and help him share his favorite book with the class, Tuesday.

And then it was time for cupcakes.  I asked him what kind of cupcakes he wanted and he replied "chicken."  Well, I wasn't sure if he wanted chicken flavored cupcakes but he got a tiny chicken atop each one.

And that afternoon brought more celebrating, with wishes of happy birthday everywhere he went with that crown.  He loved it.

Pizza for dinner...

And ice cream cake.

And we finished the day with opening cards in bed.  

Happy birthday my sweet boy.  I loved finding this video of you today to remind me of how much you've grown and just how much you are still very much the same!

Gymnast

At the end of his second year of gymnastics.

He's registered already for his third year starting in the fall!  He's quite proud of his progress in gymnastics.  I'm quite proud of the confidence he's gained.  

Swimmer

The Learn to Swim program did a "mock" meet where the kids participated in races.  Hans is the youngest by 2 years and by far the smallest kid in his group, but he definitely holds his own.  

Primping

Probably not as entertaining of a video as it is to me watching it happen, but here's Hans in the morning fixing his hair.

He'll stand there for quite some time, patting his hair, brushing it, making eyes at himself in the mirror.  Can't wait for the teen years!

Hair Do

It all started when he went for a cut, and Mr. Boris combed it all flat before he began cutting.  Hans looked over at me and said "I like my hair like this."

Now he seems to want to comb it flat at every opportunity.  I understand, but man I miss those curls.

Thankfully he gets lots of compliments on the curls, so much that one day he told me "I think everyone loves my curls."

Rider

Hans is on the go.  On two wheels!

He learned to ride without his training wheels a while back but is finally confident and able to start on his own.  He's been pretty determined to do it al on his own.  He is adamant that he doesn't want any help.  His stubbornness pays off in the end.

We have a 40 mile family bike ride coming up.  Looking forward to all of us pedaling.

Meanwhile...

These guys were having a date of their own...

Charlie and Hans took the tram over to Central Park to slowly make their way to the Natural History Museum.

Lots of leaves to stomp through all the way there

 Although the museum is one of our regular hang outs, this trip was special because they had tickets to a special presentation about bats.

The "live bat encounter" gave lots of information on bats and there were several species of bats there to look at and learn about, with he most impressive being the largest bat, the giant golden crowned flying fox.

And my shy guy even raised his hand in a packed auditorium to ask a question.  Thankfully he didn't challenge the presenter this time, but simply asked "Why are bats nocturnal?"  A pretty good question for a 4 year old I thought.  So proud of him for speaking up in a crowded room.

A good day for these guys.  Some one on one time with each boy is really a treat and thankfully can easily reset your feeling frustrated with their constant whining and obnoxious behavior.  Why are they a nightmare together so often??

Now to get some Mama + Hans and Dada + Freddie time on the calendar.

Every trip to the museum must include a stop to see the dinosaur bones!

Flashback: Oh, Hans

Found these on my phone and need to remember these moments.  Sadly it will be a while before he's back to rocking the jammers home from the pool again.

Flashback: We got a pet!

The boys aren't exactly letting us off the hook with his whole wanting a pet thing since we got an aquarium, but they do love the fish.  I am actually surprised by just how much attention these fish get.

Thinking about pre-k

I love when he asks me to take his picture

Going to miss my days with this guy.  Want to let him know, but don't want to cast any doubt in his mind that he'll love his days away from me.

Big Guy

He just got on and rode.  He hasn't had any interest in the balance bike since he couldn't keep up with the big guys on it, so I thought he'd be in training wheels forever.  Turns out this guy has great balance and quite a bit of determination.  

Preschool is in the books!

With Ms. Jelena

Hans was not so sentimental about leaving preschool.  He told his teachers he would not miss them.  Oh, that boy.  We celebrated with pizza for dinner on the patio.

With Ms. LaTriece

He'll officially "move up" at a ceremony in August, but we decided he'd be out for the summer with Freddie before starting prekindergarten in the fall.  I'm hoping some time and space between experiences will make for an easier transition.  He seems to be excited for his new school and actually mentions it pretty regularly.  I'm excited to see what the fall brings!

What did you wish for?

I wished for Dad to not have to go to work every day.

Yup, tugging at your heart.

Hans is FOUR

How is it that you are four, my baby boy?  And remember you are always my baby.  Always.  Lately you ask a lot of questions about the future and I never want you to be afraid of what lies ahead.  I look forward to seeing who you become as much as I have loved watching you these last four years.  You are amazing.

Loving...  Snuggling in the mornings.  And I love you hearing you say "You, and Fweddie, and Daddy are the most important things to me."  I'd say Freddie is your ultimate love even though he causes you quite a bit of heartache.  You also have traded in your imaginary friend for you best buddy, Gabe.  No other friends compare, although your teachers said you finally warmed up to some other kids in the class.  You also LOVE the water and swimming.  I hope we always have access to a pool for you because swimming is something that makes you quite happy.

Hating...  You have a hot temper and get so frustrated if anyone dares interrupt you.  "You're interrupting me!"  Thankfully you let people know where they stand!  You are hot and cold with social events, but mostly stick close to me and would rather just be at home with your family.

Eating...  just about everything.  You're not picky and are pretty much willing to try most foods.  You don't like macaroni and cheese as much as most kids but you'll take one for the team and eat it when Freddie requests it.  You consume quite a bit, as I assume your tall stature and thick build demands it.

Reading...  You'll bring me books a lot and love to be read to. Dad has just started reading chapter books with you and you sit ad listen for quite some time and follow along well even without the help of pictures.  You've also started "reading" to us, reading books you've memorized or make up stories to go with the pictures.

Writing...  You are expressing so much interest in writing lately.  I love it!  You used to want me to write so you could trace it.  Now you sometimes ask me to write something so you can copy it to you just ask how to spell it.  I think you know what most uppercase letters look like, and you are pretty good with lowercase as well.

I Love Mama

Signs for your store

Answering the question of the day at preschool

Drawing...  Your drawing has changed so much in the last few months.  You've started to draw people and trees and the sun.  You still have very elaborate stories to accompany your pictures but I am usually able to see what each picture represents.  You do love drawing and can sit at your little table for an hour or more drawing and cutting and glueing.

Playing school

Doing...  You love playing with dinosaurs, cars, trains, and blocks.  Pretend play is how you spend most of your time.  You have no problem keeping yourself busy when there's no one around to entertain you.  This year you've participated in swim team, soccer, and gymnastics.  You're a pretty talented athlete from what we can tell, excellent coordination and balance, and pretty determined.

Talking about...  You talk.  You talk a lot.  You tell lots of long stories.  You still can't quite get the L and R sounds so sometimes I need you to repeat things a few times.  I know these sounds will come later, and it actually makes me sad to think about.

Singing...  Lately you've been asking me to sing "I'm a little teapot."  You love listening to music and mumbling along with the words.

Wearing...  You're wearing size 4/5 in most things and size 11 shoes.  You like hats and surprisingly ask to pick out your outfits more often than Freddie asks.

Watching...  Wild Kratts and Octonauts are your two main shows.  They're about animals, something you love.  You still aren't too interested in movies, although you like to talk about scenes from 101 Dalmatians still and chuckle about them even though it has been ages since we've watched it.

Sleeping...  During the school year you were fast asleep by 7.30 most nights and up about 6.30.  Our schedule has shifted a little with summer but you're still logging a solid 11 hours each night.  You love snuggling with Teddy still each night.

Feeling...  You're an emotional little dude.  You get your feelings hurt, a lot.  And it makes me sad to see those tears but you do like a good snuggle to help you get over it.  You've also got a hot temper and get very frustrated, although I have seen lots of improvement lately in being able to control your emotions.  You don't haul off and hit Freddie nearly as much as you used to.

Wanting...  a pet, a swimming pool, a treehouse, and believe it or not... a baby sister.  Hope you get one of those one day!

Happy 4th birthday, Hansie.  I love you as big as the world, forever and ever.  My love for you is unconditional.  I am so proud of you and so thankful you are my son.