Ryan: 4 years, 3 months

Ryan looks so grown up in his preschool picture, it makes me think that kindergarten must be right around the corner, even though it's almost 2 years away for him.  He continues to enjoy preschool and reports every day whether it's his turn for the "Show and Share" bag. He had a great parent-teacher conference where his teacher said they enjoy his stories and that he is playing well with all the other kids and participating well.

We've noticed some advances lately in letter and sound recognition. He's also really gotten good at putting together puzzles, even doing a 100-pc puzzle with minimal help.

We can tell that staying inside all day makes him a little anxious but a good wrestling match with Daddy usually helps. He constantly tries to wrestle Cohen as well and we've all but given up on preventing it.

Recently, his favorite show has switched to Tom & Jerry Tales and he still like Minion Rush the best on ipad. When asked what he wants for supper, he'll usually say "broccoli" or "we could have tacos" or "do you have any chicken & bean soup?" He also chooses apple slices any chance he gets. The cold temps have also brought out requests for hot cocoa.

Ryan constantly makes us laugh with his sayings and expressions. I can't remember them all and some are "you had to be there" moments, but here is a sampling:

After he accidently pushed the circle button on my iphone:
"Why are all the buttons shivering?"

While playing checkers, I explained a move he could make and he put a finger in the air and answered "Precisely!"

Struggling to get in the "giving" mood while picking out Cohen's birthday present, I told him that if wasn't willing to give other people gifts, maybe he shouldn't get presents for Christmas:
"Nuh-uh, Mommy. because Santa doesn't know about all that stuff so he is still going to bring me some presents."  (We obviously haven't hit the "Santa is watching" storyline hard.)

After waiting in the waiting room at the eye doctor when a red bump on his lower lid wasn't getting any better:
"Ugh! I thought going to the vet would be way more fun!" (He ended up doing great at the appointment where we found out it was exactly what I thought it was (blocked tear duct) and that we should continue treating it exactly as we had been (warm washcloth and massaging it)

"Peek-a-boo, pull it through" - How he learned how to do buttons from Daniel Tiger's neighborhood