Mason!
You are turning four this month. Four years old! I can't believe that the baby who made me a mommy is already almost four. It's easy to miss how you're growing and changing until I look back at old pictures and (especially) videos. In February I watched the video interview that I took after you turned three, and I couldn't believe how much you'd changed in only 9 months! You sound so much more grown up when you talk, you don't do as many "baby" things, and the gap in your teeth is even smaller than it was last year. I'm really glad I have those things I can look back on to remember you in each stage of your life; because you're really awesome, and I don't want to forget any of it.
Every time the weather is nice enough to go outside, you have one single thought: driving your Gator. That thing has given you and Rylan an indescribable amount of fun. You drive it like it's your job, and you love it. Thankfully we now have an awesome yard for you to drive it- it was too dangerous for you to drive it around the house before we moved. Rylan happily sits in the passenger seat and lets you drive him all around. Sometimes he sits in the trunk....you actually seemed mad at him when the tailgate broke because he fell out of the back one time. Your other main outdoor love is towing things. You find straps to tie on the back of the Gator, and then you find things to hook on the other end of the strap. It's usually a wagon or some sort of truck. You created a new game last month where you had Rylan sit in the giant toy Tonka truck's bed, and you towed him around the shop with the strap. Later you realized it would go down the shop hill sort of like a roller coaster, so of course that was the next adventure.
You still get "treats from your bucket" (an accumulation of all holiday candy in one bucket) for pooping on the potty anytime other than nap or bedtime; it's always fun for you to tell daddy in public that he can have a treat when he goes to the bathroom. Your naps are starting to become hit or miss, but you are still happier when you sleep at nap time. You are surprisingly generous with your treats; you almost always give some to Rylan just to be nice.
You still put your flip flops on backwards about half of the time, and it doesn't seem to bother you at all. Last month you tried to argue with me that the 3 Billy Goats Gruff was a Bible story. (We had to discuss that one for a while until you believed me.) Instead of saying, "get rid of" something, you say that you need to "take rid of" it. You still want Mommy and Daddy to cuddle every night, and you still want us to "listen for scary noises" downstairs. When we leave your room, you like to give us hugs and kisses that are so big that they "make us pop." You ask for us to give you hugs and kisses that make you pop in return. You say that the little blooms on trees (buds) are "buns." You pronounce the word breakfast like "breaktast." You still love books; we go to the library every 3 weeks to get a new bag full of books for you.
Funny recent quotes:
When playing with play food at Nonni's, you kept offering her different things to eat. You handed her one thing that looked really small and we couldn't see what it was. When she happily asked, "Oh, what's this one?" you announced, "a booger."
After I said that laying down and closing your eyes for five seconds doesn't mean you went to sleep, your response was, "But I closed my eyes, and that made me think, 'OH! I'm going to sleep!'"
Explaining why you were playing in the sink: "Sometimes, when I'm washing my hands, I get distracted and I try to wash dishes."
Here is you in two minutes of expressions. :)
I love you buddy, and I'm so proud of you.