Thursday, October 21, 2010

Big Boy

Danny likes to remind us that he is not a baby or little kid any more. He is a big boy. With preschool starting this year, and now his 4th birthday, I realize just how right he is. But, I remind him, he will always by my first baby no matter how big he gets.

Things I want to remember about 4-year-old Danny . . .

  • Danny is fascinated with nature and could spend hours outside collecting sticks & rocks and digging in the dirt. He has recently started mimicking me by saying, "Mom, isn't that a beautiful view" when we're driving through the mountains. It's so fun to watch him explore and investigate everything around me. He has so many questions about why and how everything works.
  • Danny loves weapons. Maybe this isn't something I want to remember, but it is a big part of who he is right now. Every night his various swords, shields, & armor are scattered throughout the house from all his battles with bad guys. He loves nothing more than watching You Tube videos of guys shooting bows and arrows at targets. Recently on a quick trip to Big 5 Sporting Goods he was fascinated by the real shotguns & bows. On the way out he explained, "Mom, when I grow up, I'm going to have a real gun like that. But don't worry. I'm not going to shoot deer. Just scary animals like T-Rexs and dragons."
  • Danny has a vivid imagination. It is so fun for me to eavesdrop on his quiet playtime. All of his Playmobile guys have important missions and rescues to do and he plays & plays. He got several new Playmobile sets for his birthday and he played for hours in his bedroom by himself.
  • Danny loves to play I Spy, animal hunt, hide & seek, duck duck goose, firefighters, pirates, diggity dog, matching, & legos.
  • Danny loves to eat mac & cheese, chips & cheese, quesadillas, yogurt, broccoli, steak, chicken wings, PB&J, waffles, chicken nuggets, pears, grapes, oatmeal, carrots & ranch, and apple slices. He is also an even bigger cold cereal junkie than I am.
  • Danny is learning so quickly. His favorite game right now is "I know a 'B' word. . . 'b' 'b' 'b' blanket." He chooses a letter (usually b or d) and thinks of as many words as he can with that letter. The entire day he goes around saying 'b' 'b' 'b' 'b.' His recent enthusiasm for letters, words, & reading has been so much fun.
  • Danny is great at doing his chores and can finally complete most of them independently. Putting away his laundry & toys. Putting away silverware & setting the table. Making his bed. Cleaning windows & mirrors. Getting dressed. Feeding the dogs. We're still working on sleeping through the night/staying dry through the night but there's so many things he can do on his own now!
  • Danny loves to play pbskids.org and watch PBS shows. His favorite are The Cat in the Hat, Dragon Tales, Curious George, Sid the Science Kid, & Max & Ruby. His favorite movie is Playmobile's Pirate Adventure.
  • Danny is fascinated by scriptures stories . . . mostly the battles. But I love how his little testimony is growing. Recently, after I scolded Dozer with a harsh yell & a swat, Danny reprimanded me. "Mom," he said consoling Dozer, "You need to be more kind like Jesus. You made Dozer sad. Jesus would be nice." I had to smile, even though I was still mad at Dozer for getting up on the table. Danny is also quick to ask his dad for "special prayers with hands on my head" when he is sick. Usually he thinks of it before we do.
  • Even though he is a "big boy" Danny still loves stories & snuggles at night, tickles, & tackle hugs.
Baby Monster 2006

Airplane Stick Man 2008
Buzz Light Year 2009
Pirate Cap'n 2010

4 comments:

Matt said...

I love our Danny boy. It is hard to believe how big he is now. One other thing I want to remember when he gets old is the game he likes to play called "Why is it taking so long?" when we have to come up with a createive reason it's taking a while to get somewhere. You also need to post some birthday pictures. Your cake was great!

LaRue said...

Wow! Danny is a genunine pirate! And what a ship. I was there for the first Halloween picture. I must say he is getting handsomer every year! Quite Swashbuckling now! Miss you all.

Beth said...

Is he going to take that awesome ship prop with him trick or treating? It would really make the costume. :)

Carrie said...

Great idea Beth! Maybe we could add some wheels on the bottom.