Ben Update: 4 years 8 months Old

We are in the middle of a really cute, fun and entertaining stage right now, so I feel the need to update on life with Ben at 4 years and 8 months old.

I lovvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvve my little giant 4 year old.  Life has fallen into a really nice routine lately due to a lot more independence and cooperation on Ben's part.  And it's pretty magical, because even with all of his "grown up" qualities starting to kick in, he still LOVES to snuggle.  Win/Win.  Soaking up every minute right now because at any moment, I know this could (and will) change.

 

Ben is weighing in at about 42 pounds and is 44 inches tall.  With a trip to Disneyland approaching this fall, we are staying on top of any growth - 2 more inches and he can join us on the Indiana Jones ride :)  (Not counting on that, but at the rate kids grow, it wouldn't surprise me)!

Likes:

Pretend Play: If he had his way, we would play pretend every minute of every day.  It is 100% his favorite way to spend his time. He loves to act out books, scenes from movies or cartoons he likes, play "family" and "school", or moments from school or from playing with his friends.  Here he is pretend calling Callie with a playdoh phone:

 

Several times a day he will come tell me that I'm the daddy and he is the mommy and then explain what we need to do.  (Him on his big wheel, riding to the store to get groceries, etc).  At school, Greg often picks him up and has to interrupt him and the other kids in the midst of a scene of "school".  A few days ago during breakfast, he was pretending that his plate and his cup were arguing about who got to "sit" where.  Last night, he performed the first 30 minutes of Alice in Wonderland, complete with him chasing the white rabbit, falling down the rabbit hole, drinking the potion that made him shrink, eating the cookie that made him grow, and trying to get through the locked door. :)  It's so much fun - and although I pretty much detest playing pretend, I'll do it anyway just to be around him and hear the things he comes up with.  

His Big Wheel:  Greg and I bought Ben a new bike with training wheels a few weeks ago, but he still prefers to ride his big wheel.  We think he prefers it because we don't make him wear his helmet when he rides it (he is so low to the ground) and because he can cruise around so quickly on it.  Hopefully this summer we can get him up to speed and learn to love his new ride!

Potty Humor: Oy.  Make the mistake at laughing at one too many poop jokes with your little boy and look out.  We are working to correct this, (but sometimes it's too damn funny and we laugh anyway).  Trying to teach Ben about when it's okay to be inappropriate.  I'm still trying to teach Greg ;).  

Days of the Week: Each and every single time we talk about something we have done or something that is coming up, and Ben's response will be "What was that on?" or "What's that going to be on?".  He is referring to what day of the week it was/will be, and it's constant. 

Watching Disneyland Rides on YouTube: With our trip coming up, we have helped get him even more excited by showing him various ride videos.  For awhile, I was worried he would be too scared to go on anything fast (i.e. how I like to spend my days at the park), but now he cannot wait to go on everything I show him - I think we will be totally fine!  With each ride, he will tell me who he plans to sit with (usually Grandma) and it's got me so excited to go!

SCHOOL: Ask Ben what his favorite days of the week are, and he will tell you: Tuesday, Thursday and Friday - aka, the days he goes to school.  When we pull into the parking lot, he will say, "I just LOVE my school"!  He loves it so much that at the end of this month, when he moves to Pre-K (!!!!!), he is going to start going on Mondays, too!  He has learned so much and has come so far in his experiences at school.  His school puts a lot of work into doing a portfolio for each kid documenting their progress in various areas.  They also do "observations", where they write down various things they observe each child doing that align with different acquired skills, along with a picture.  When they sent home the portfolios a few weeks ago, I LOVED reading through it. One of the observations was that when a friend was struggling to get her blankets straight before nap time and stared to cry in frustration, Ben went over to her, gave her a hug, and helped get her bed ready.  

I no longer am concerned about when he moves to Kindergarten (not until Fall 2017).  I'm certain he will thrive and it's been so amazing to watch.

Reading: Ben is nailing about 80% of the words when we read stories with him.  He was given some flashcards for Christmas that he has absolutely mastered.  It's so much fun and we are SO proud of him!

Favorites: Movies - Alice in Wonderland, Sword in the Stone (bringing him up to speed on the classics for Disneyland purposes), Princess and the Frog.  Shows - Dora the Explorer (ugh), Shimmer and Shine (LOL), and Peppa Pig.  Food - meatballs, PB toast, every treat imaginable.

4 has been a great age so far.  So grown up in so many ways but still so sweet and innocent.  Hard to believe that 5 is right around the corner.