4 year old boys know the importance of stretching.... before jogging 1 mile.
4 year old boys know the loyalty, devotion, and friendship of a sister is THE. BEST.
4 year old boys are tough and athletic and focused and sweet.
4 year old boys still snuggle with their mommies.
Cameron woke up on the morning of his birthday, came down the stairs, and said "Is it really my birthday today?" followed by "My heart got bigger overnight."
He is the ridiculously perfect balance of thoughtful and caring plus independent and confident. He is so outgoing, yelling out car windows, calling out neighbors by name ("Hi, Janet!!"). His favorite obsession is playing Go Fish, and he has convinced Sophie to nickname him "Chubba Wubba." when they are reunited after school, he frequently asks her, "Sophie, are you so glad to see your Chubba Wubba?" or "Aren't you sad that your Chubba Wubba skinned his knee today?" The sweetest was when he asked her if she would still call him Chubba Wubba even though he is now four. They agreed to use the moniker until he turns 10.
He is a master builder of legos, a professional {toy} monster truck driver, a mini-Doug, a shark connoisseur, a maze master, a band-aid addict, a band-aid waster, a cuddle munchkin.... I just can't get enough of this little man. I'm so thankful to have him as my son. He is naturally hysterical, innately kind, intensely loyal and protective of his big sister, frighteningly brave, and frequently naughty!
His birthday was spent building legos, meeting Daddy at Red Robin for lunch, playing with Sophie, and then celebrating as a family in the evening. So many times throughout the day, Cameron came up to me and either gave me a hug or kiss, told me thank you, or stated that he loved me more than New York or more than the whole solar system or more than 66 gazillion trillion numbers. His depth of affection is endless, and I want to bottle this 4 year old up forever.
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| unwrapping birthday prezzies! |
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| the Eagle Manta Ray he has been dreaming about for months! |
Other amazing Cameron comments as of late:
1. "My eyes are so good that I see New York City from here. Now, I can see Jesus on the cross in the distance."
2. "Daddy is the Man of the World."
3. "Put out your hand. You gotta feel how hard my high five is right now. Now that I'm 4, it's so hard."
4. {a few days after accidentally swallowing gum and being scared it'd stay in his tummy forever....} "Mommy, if somebody, not me, but somebody accidentally swallowed a dandelion seed, will it grow in their belly?" After my answer, he went outside again but returned a few minutes later... "Mommy, are you sure it won't grow a dandelion in that naughty boy's belly?" This back and forth happened for about an hour, before he admitted that he accidentally swallowed one of the dandelion seeds and was really concerned.
5. This next anecdote is quite honestly one of my favorite parenting moments to date. We ordered some caterpillars to watch their life cycle and then release them as butterflies. We have done this before as a family, and the kids have both done it at school. The day came to release our butterflies... As our second butterfly fluttered out of the net and into the great, wide open, as if in slow motion, a bird swooped down and ate the butterfly in one, mid-air bite! I thought it was fascinating and yelled out in shock and surprise. Sophie screamed bloody murder and immediately began sobbing, a tantrum that didn't end for at least thirty minutes. She was devastated and apparently scarred for life. She didn't want to release the other butterflies, she yelled out to God about her hatred of birds, and she lay in the fetal position in the middle of the grass shaking with sadness for her "pet butterfly." Drama. I was laughing. Cameron was laughing.Then he went up to her, put his arms around her, and said (with a straight face), "Sophie, that's called the circle of life." Hysterical. That made me laugh even harder as I ran to grab my phone to call Doug at work. That boy.
That is 4. We are so thankful for Cameron Ries Whitfield!
