Owen the 4 Year Old

Our first baby, Owen turned four on February 6th. Time is such a funny thing. I cannot believe 4 years ago I became a mother, its feels like I have been a mother forever. Yet, how is my baby already 4!? 

Owen's special day started out with balloons for the birthday and some fun presents from Mommy and Daddy. Daddy went out and got him a Planes coloring book and shirt. He couldn't wait to bust open both! In fact, he put on the shirt opened the coloring book and then requested to watch Planes! 

For breakfast Daddy was awesome enough to stay and pop in some cinnamon rolls for our boy. Cinnamon rolls and hot chocolate was a hit! The boys eagerly gobbled it down. 

After coloring and watching Planes; Grandma came over, because again, she took the day off for her best buddy! We ate lunch together and I dropped off the birthday boy at preschool. He was able to bring in Valentine cupcakes we had decorated the day before and wear a special birthday crown all day! Lucky boy! 

Grandma picked up the birthday boy from preschool and then took him out shopping and out on a dinner date to Southcenter and the Rainforest Cafe! He loved it! He later informed me that he ordered mac and cheese and grapes for his special dinner. Grandma and Owen later went to pick up Grandpa at the airport and per Owen's request he was able to have a sleepover at Grandma's house. Really, those two are best buds! 

With Grandma's birthday, Nathan's birthday, and Owen's birthday all within 8 days...  and a family party squeezed in between it felt like the celebrating never ended! But I think all and all it was a success and the boys loved every second of celebrating them! 

At 4 fours years old, our Owen NEVER ceases to amaze. He is crazy smart! Here are a few facts about our Owenator: 

-He can count to 200+ all by himself

-He can count to 100 in Spanish

- He can add/do math at a 1-2 grade level. He can do all these flashcards in well under 10 minutes and begs to do them all the time. He is currently obsessed with numbers and math. He can subtract a bit, but that idea is still hard for him. And He understands fractions pretty well too.

-He can spell countless words.

-He pretty much has taught himself how to read over the last month. Just last night he read "Hop on Pop" all by himself. Seriously.

-Is great at sounding out words and understanding English concepts. If you tell him a "Rule" once he's to it down!

- He also loves geography. We have a couple geography apps on the iPad and he loves them. And boy, do they work! He knows all the states by name, shape and FLAG. Plus he can map them all out on a BLANK map (no state outlines!)

-He can also map out all of Africa, South & Central America, and Australia/Oceania...Yup-I cannot even do that! (Africa... really!?)

-I'm pretty sure he has a photographic memory. He can look at something once or twice and immediate have it memorized and remember it for weeks on end.

-Has a very good/keen memory. He can recount stories/daily actives verbatim and with vivid detail easily.

-LOVES preschool! I was so worried that he would not excel in that environment with so many other kids, but boy he is doing awesome and cannot wait for Preschool Days! He always says that he goes to preschool on "Garbage Days (Tuesdays) and Thursdays!"

-Based on the above fact, he loves garbage day and garbage trucks. He and Nathan always race to the door when they hear it coming and wave to the garbage truck and men. Its pretty cute!

-He loves to draw and write letter/words. He is actually pretty good at drawing. He loves to makes trains, trucks, people, etc. And he loves, loves, LOVES learning how to write ands spell new words.

(Here he has drawn Olaf from Frozen!)

-With his birthday gift, he is also really into coloring right now. That color wonder stuff is amazing!

- He adores his cousin Julia! She comes over every Friday and he counts down the days!

-Him and my Mom are seriously kindred spirits. They are souls mates and best friends. Owen said this to me a couple of weeks ago: "When Grandma gets too old to work, I will work for her." Me: "Awe, thats so sweet. You love her don't you?" Owen: "Yes, I'd do anything for her!" *Swoon!*

-If I let him, he would live at grandma's house over the weekends. He spends the night there at least once a week! He has his own room and bed there.

-He is very impatient and easily gets frustrated and upset. Ugh... its a struggle. I'm feeling like 4 is going to be MUCH, MUCH harder than 2 and 3 combined with this one!

- He can be super lazy and uncoordinated! This kid can't even get himself dressed! Okay- not can't, its that he will not. And it makes me crazy! He wants things done for him a lot of the time! Grrr.... And he still won't learn how to ride a tricycle! He just won't move his feet to do it! That stinker!

-Loves to snuggle. He loves to wrap up in a blanket and snuggle to watch snows. Yes, Please!

-Still loves Thomas and all trains. Obsessed. His dream is to ride the Sounder again. Just last weekend, we took the boys on the monorail-Again. They were in heaven!

(On the Monorail) 

-Loves to build things. Blocks and Legos are probably his favorite toys besides trains and tracks. He can build things all day long. He got these awesome magnet builders for Christmas. He can build all sorts of awesome creations with these! We love them!

-Over the last few months he has started to become really afraid at night. He has bad dreams and often comes into our room. Some nights he will come in 3-4 times. Its gotten a little better lately, and I hope to continues.

-He loves to sing and dance. He loves to have music playing. Shad and I think that he would do very well with picking up an instrument. He is so smart and has always had a love of music I think he would do well to learn something like that.

-When he gets going with a tantrum... Oh boy! There is no stopping him. Seriously. He can go for hours. He just does not know how to let little things go! He dwells on every little detail, its exhausting!

-Is still our sensitive little guy. He won't sit through any long movies. Anything over an hour is too long for both my boys. But any Disney movie is pretty terrifying. Cars, Jungle Book, and Nemo are about as much as he can handle. And even Nemo freaks him out a little bit. Nathan doesn't ever seems fazed by these shows. But we mainly stick to Thomas around here!

-He is a GREAT big brother. He loves Nathan and those two are constantly getting into mischief and trouble together. Owen is always telling Nathan to do naughty things and of course Nathan willingly listens! He also loves Kaisa. No one can make Kaisa laugh like Owen. She adores him and tries to follow him all around the house. He is very sweet with both of them-- for the most part!

-Is a picky, picky eater! I knew Karma would get to me on this one! I am super picky... so it doesn't surprise me that I have a child who is too. Its so hard to get him to try new things. He gags on a lot of things and is very sensitive to texture.

-He very sweet, and considerate. He is a very considerate little boy. He can be very polite at times and generous- when he wants to be!

-Is super observant and bright. He picks up on all adults conversations, i have to be very careful what i say around him! And he observes all the things around him and pays very close attention to detail!

-Since he is so observant and detail oriented, he is a perfectionist! He likes every thing to be in its proper place, and everything to be perfect. He gets very frustrated when things don't go his way exactly.

-He is doing well in primary. I am not sure if he loves it. But he has a wonderful, thoughtful, and patient teacher. And I think he does pretty well there. It will be a good growth experience for him.

-Loves to splash in puddles and play in the snow. What kid doesn't!?

-He loves to learn. Loves it. That is how he plays most time. He wants to read, do math, do flashcards, or spell words. He is just thirsty for knowledge ALL. THE. TIME. Its just how he plays. He'd rather do learning/school stuff than play.

-He loves to play games. Board games, card games, all games. I enjoy it too. Its something Owen and I can do together. :)

-Can be super helpful around the house. He picks up toys and likes to sweep and mop. He loves to clean toilets and bathrooms. Empty the dishwasher. I am really hoping this sticks around for a bit when he can really do it all by himself!

-Has a sweet little testimony of the church and the gospel. He loves to read Book of Mormon stories and learn all about Jesus. He likes to say prayers, all the time. I catch him saying prayers on his own once and a while. So sweet. He absolutely LOVES to sing church/primary songs. And I know that he loves his savior and knows who he is.

-Is so loved! We adore our Owen and everything he is. Sure, he makes me crazy most days, but I wouldn't have him any other way. He is adorable and sweet and We love him to pieces!


Dear Owen,

Oh my, what is there to say!? You are four years old, now! And such a handsome and mature little boy. This year you have grown by leaps and bounds! You have matured to become a talented and lovable little boy. You got potty trained, and started preschool. You leaned so many new things about school, spelling, reading, geography, math, and the world around you. You made new friends and come out of your shy shell. You love your church and school teachers and I am so proud of the little young man you are becoming. I am so privileged and honored to be your mother.

You never stop impressing and amazing us! Your keen mind and ability to lean is endless and amazing. I don't know why I am always surprised by your ability to learn. You are so smart and you absolutely LOVE to learn. Your thirst for knowledge is endless and your mind is so ready and willing to learn. I love it. I hope that you continue to grow and learn more and more every day. It is what makes you truly special. Is is a gift you have been blessed with and I hope that you continue to develop your talents to learn, memorize, and expand your mind. It really is amazing. Something that doesn't go unnoticed by anyone.

You are a happy, sweet, quirky, and caring little boy. You are very considerate of others and a very helpful to mommy. You care about others feelings and always want to help makes others happy. You can be very polite and loving. And you never stop giving hugs and kisses! I love it! You love to snuggle with mommy and grandma and we love every little bit of you. You are happy boy and can always make my day brighter!

You are a very sweet big brother. Nathan and Kaisa are lucky to have you to look after them! You always make sure our little Kaisa-girl is taken care of and are always a friend to Nathan. Nobody can make Kaisa laugh like you, she adores you so much. She just loves having your attention and love. You and Nathan have formed a very fun friendship. You two are such crazy, silly brothers and I love watching your relationship together! Your Daddy and I always say that you are best "Frenemies!" But mostly, you are best buds who care and love each other. Nathan wants so bad to be just like you! You guys like to gain-up on Mommy and Daddy and certainly make us feel like you have us outnumbered! Phew! Its going to be crazy with your dynamic duo!

I hope you know how much you are loved! You have a wonderful family who loves you dearly. Mommy and Daddy, as well as brother and sister. You are such a big part of our little family. We are lucky to have you as ours! You also have a wonderful extended family who also love you so much. You are so lucky to have such a big support system and never forget that you have so many who love and care about you!

I am eager and excited to watch you learn and grow more in the upcoming year. Each new stage is an adventure with you and something we take on together. I love it. You are my little sidekick and buddy. You love Mommy and I love to be by your side in all your new adventures. We are learning this together, you know! You are my first baby, and everything new to you is new to me! You have endless potential to become a smart, competent, and independent young man. I hope to explore some of that with you this year.

As always, I love you. I cannot tell you enough how much I love you. You are my world. I am so grateful for that moment 4 years ago when you came into this world and made me a mother. I am so underserving of the infinite love you give me. And I am so grateful for the unconditional love you give me and the love I have for you. You are amazing. Thank you for being patient with me as I figure out this whole parenting thing. I am far from perfect, but I am trying to be the best mother to I can be. You always keep me humble and I learn so much from you each day.

I love you, always.

Mommy