Soccer

Fall soccer season! Our first time with a team sport (any sport, I guess). We got to play soccer "games," like volcano, run like a cheetah, red light/black light (dancing)...after a rough few weeks, he ended up really enjoying it. Or possibly enjoying the trip to McDonald's for a chocolate sundae after he went on the field. We love ROAR sports. They do a great job making it really fun for the little ones.

Summer fun

We wrapped up summer with lots of fun. Found a cool park in Salisbury about an hour away and had a blast hanging with Gigi and Pops.

"Picnic with friends"

Carousel boy

Carousel buddies

How does it work?

Cutie.

Come on!

Animals.

Hi, rooster.

Hi dear. I mean, deer.

Donkey.

The Matrix.

Four. More four.

Statistics for the four-year-old:

HEALTHY! Praise God, we didn't go to the doctor between July 2013 and July 2014. And he's in full-time preschool. Miracles, y'all.

Height: 44.25" (98th percentile)

Weight: 39.2 lb. (72nd percentile)

So, long and lean. And yes, he has outgrown almost all of his summer shoes. We're in about an 11.5 now.
 

Discovering the simple beauty of a McD's sundae.

 

His eating has gotten pickier and pickier. He loves chicken and rice. He prefers raw veggies over cooked, and will eat broccoli, carrots, peas and anything with marinara sauce. He will also eat Thai curry and Mai Fun noodles like a champ, but will not touch a hamburger. His favorite is probably pizza or spaghetti or "cheesy noodles" (fettuccine alfredo). Loves chick-fil-A nuggets and any form of ice cream and chocolate.


Bedtime is a struggle. Astonishingly, when the lights go out, he is "STARVING!!!!!" (in a dramatic fashion)

Matching pajamas (same size, even) with cousin Micah.

"Mommy, my tummy is squishy. I'm STARVING."

"Ok, do you want a banana or applesauce?"

"Not that food, Mommy. I need cheese crackers..."

And on and on we go. He likes to have company when he falls asleep. Usually in the form of Mommy. No matter what we try, he says he scared of being in his room by himself. Extra lights, stories, special teddy bears, checking in every few minutes...sigh. It's been a long year or so with that. We're tired.

Google made a SWEET GIF of his candle-blowing at the party! (photos by mommy)

He recently began doing somersaults. Just flips right over. And climbing EVERYTHING. His favorite climbing apparatuses are sofas and dressers.

Shepard and cousin Madeleine enjoying the Fourth of July

His favorite toys are anything that he can involve someone else in. We've discovered the joys of a watergun recently. He likes all of his cars a lot. He really likes to paint or color or cut paper. He likes to build walls with his Gigi at the Lego table. He likes to play store, fashion show, light show (dancing around with glow sticks and light-up shoes), build-a-castle/house, and catch.

Squirtgun + tub o' water = happy

Favorite shows right now are "Sammy 2" (Turtle Tale 2), "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," and "The Reef/Reef 2."

Favorite books are "Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site," "Knuffle Bunny" (1 & 2), "The Foot Book," "The Lorax," and "Llama Llama, Red Pajama."

Climbing

A conversation we just had: We talk about putting all our questions for the day into a "question box" so our brain(s) can rest and go to sleep. This is his side of the conversation with my um-hums and return questions omitted.
"My question box is tight, Mommy...It's very full of questions. And it has lots of buttons...My 'whys' are fragile...when you say 'I don't know,' they break...my 'whys' are made of green glass...and they're fragile...there are lots of buttons on my question box, and they are automatic." 

Mommy shed a few tears thinking about the beauty of all of that. I get so worn out from answering the non-stop flow of questions. But they are so precious to him. We asked him recently why he asks so many questions. "Because I need to know things I don't know yet." Well, when you put it that way...

Love and hugs. I love to watch you grow and learn. ~Mommy & Daddy

Happy Birthday, Shepard!

Dear little guy,

You are growing in knowledge. So smart and inquisitive. I keep trying to get you to put your questions in the "question box" late at night when our brains are getting sleepy. You just want to know everything. You told us so. I love that you are curious.

Make a wish!

You are getting tall. I'm a little afraid at how much you grow and how fast. I'll have to double-check, but I'm pretty sure you've grown 4-5 inches since your birthday last year. And a full 3/4 of an inch in the last MONTH. I'm also fairly afraid that you outgrew all your summer shoes overnight, with July, Aug. and Sept. to go.

Creativity and focus.

Always in the middle of the good time.

You are vocal. This obviously goes both ways, but I love that you know what you want, how you want it and when. And you are learning to be gracious and kind each and every day. I see a strong mind and qualities of leadership. And I pray a lot for the Lord to help us direct you and teach you to be a gracious leader. From "incapacitated" to "deciduous" to "septic tank," the number of words you retain and use are astonishing. It's as if you can't wait to use all the words you haven't even learned yet.

the singing of the "Happy Birthday"-face

You love to laugh. You ask to be tickled instead of having "consequences." (and who can blame you for that, really?) But you are always ready to have some fun. And you've started telling us silly jokes that really don't make sense, except that you find them funny...so we do, too.

Overseeing the lighting technique.

 You are creative and expressive. Your imagination is so healthy, and you love to make up games and situations for us to play along with. Whether it's playing "restaurant" where you take orders and hand out chocolate milk, or setting up "K-Mart" in the sunroom; you always have a plan. I guess I've taught you that...but I do love it when you tell me what's up and then ask, "does that sound like a plan, Mommy?"

I have no idea what you're thinking here. Looking at the cake...

One of the most interesting things we've discovered about you lately is your keen sense of smell. You evaluate most of the world on whether "it smells right" to you. I surely am glad you like my smell, because you are definitely drawing lines on liking, eating, playing with and even entering places based on smell alone. Not sure where this is headed. Perhaps you'll be a "smellologist."  :)

Thinking about sidewalk chalk

Most of all, your Daddy and I love you to the moon and back. We love discovering each new day with you. We pray that you will meet the challenges that life sends to you with grace, truth and love; and send those things back into the world with a great ferocity. We love you the ocean.

~Mommy

(photos from our 4th birthday celebration with a few friends and family on 6/28 at the Harris Street Park)

A tiny snow day

We had the tiniest dusting of snow, so of course, we had to suit up and play for a few minutes. This happens only about once a year. Last year, we had a really good one and I made a MOVIE about it. This year, we just snapped some photos. Is this me getting lazier? I hope not.

Is that a HALO!?

Regis loved it.

Three. The Movie.

It's epic-lengthed. Seriously. Way too long, but time is moving along so quickly that I don't want to skip anything and forget it. So, if you have 15 minutes to watch the sweetest little guy on the planet, here's your chance.

Little tidbits

How did I get my little one in bed last night? He wanted to play with a box that I had that was full of some new-to-us summer clothes. We started pulling them out. When we got to the shoes, he got excited (my genetics, thankyouverymuch). I told him those didn't fit yet, but he could wear them this summer. He said, "I want to go to summer, Mommy." "Well, hon, we have to wait for summer to come to us. It's not quite time yet. It will take a lot more sleeps and mornings before summer gets here." (trying to explain how I thought he might conceive time) "Alright. I want summer. I go night-night." Fine by me.

Also, we have been working diligently on "please" and "thank you." Our little bossy-britches really needs to learn about PLEASE. He's getting it. He will usually say, "Thanks, Mom" when I bring him something. Somehow it's really much cuter than a proper "thank you."

Morning jammie time

Imaginative play is really starting to happen. We regularly have "picnics," "rocket shows," and make "food" in the bathtub. He feeds me a sandwich (foam bath letter/toy) and enjoys one for himself. He gets in a big diaper box and drives his "train." He loves for us to play with him and watch him. I am loving this phase. Still trying to mold and shape his strong will and teach him about obedience, but we'll get there.

~Mommy

All Summer Long!

Thanks to an early birthday present, Shepard will be playing his heart out all summer long. Jerod and Uncle Matt put in at least 10-12 hours on this. It doesn't look like it would take that long, but every step had 28 more steps, holes to drill, etc. I think there were 459 bolts and screws. In playset versus Jones Brothers, Jones Brothers win by a narrow margin. Humidity played a factor in day 2. But the Joneses are persistent. They don't get beat down by some rowdy wood and such.
Here is Shepard when he discovers his new backyard "toy."

Spring, spring, we love spring!

Gigi and Pops were able to visit for a few days back in March. We had beautiful warm weather...and took advantage of it! Here's a trip to the park (and a wee moment on memory lane).



Easter pics coming soon....getting caught up!!

Teasers

Here are some pics of when Gigi and Pops visited a few weeks ago. There will be a video coming soon as well. Shepard LOVES the playground. He's pretty fearless. I have to man the openings, or I think he'd try to jump from 6' up!

Here are some recent pics of Shepard eating chocolate pudding at home. MESSSSSYYYY! Pudding-beard.

He really likes to get stuff like this on his hands and then "wipe" them on his hair. That's my favorite, really. Sigh. Such a little boy!

Learnin' up a storm

Last weekend, Grandma Jones was able to come and hang out. The weather didn't suit to going outside, so we decided to head to the Main Street Children's Museum here in town. Shepard learns like 28 words a day it seems like. His receptive language is through the roof. He can correctly identify all kinds of items in books, like: cow, horse, cloud, flower, TV, mouse, banana, apple, cat, pig, bunny, sheep, clock, lamp, teddy bear, etc. He is really enjoying books these days and will sit in his rocking chair and pretend to read them. He's also vocalizing sounds that are starting to sound more and more like singing. We've been teaching him "Row, row, row your boat," and he's quite good at the "row-row-row" part. He loves to hand us things and say his version of "Thank you." It kind of sounds like dah-dah. And everything these days seems to be "HOT." We're trying to teach him about the stove, hot food, light bulbs, etc. so anytime he sees steam, fog, smoke or hears the microwave, he whispers the word "HOT." I think he does it on the video.
Enjoy!

Running, climbing, and exploring

Shepard loves to explore these days. Anywhere you set him down, he is bound to find out all about it. He is getting so good at running...everywhere! He loves to climb and enjoys the great outdoors. Here are a few pictures that capture his adventurous spirit in Grandma Jones' backyard...