Turning the big 0-4

A few days before Collin's birthday, I celebrated my birthday with a low-key shopping trip with my mom and then dinner with our family.  My mom showed up in a similar shirt, so we took a quick pic together.  This was probably our first January shopping trip where we didn't buy at least one set of the same thing . . . although I bought a shirt she already had and she bought a pair of pants I already had, so it's not like our tastes in clothes is growing distinct!

On Collin's fourth birthday, he got to open a few gifts as soon as he woke up, starting with some new "I can read" books.  Cas likes these books and is excited about teaching Collin to read.  I abhor these books.  They're terribly written, boring stories.  I'm sure I'll appreciate them more when Collin is showing an interest in reading, but now we're stuck reading them.

Collin was excited to open Clayface, another action figure villain.  This was the year of villains - Solomon Grundy, the Joker and Clayface were fighting men Collin requested by name, I guess to even out the battles since originally his stash was full of the good guys.

That evening, we completed our annual birthday interview.
1.  What makes you happy?  When Mommy tells me things that I like and gives me hugs.

[Side story on this:  I often tell Collin he's my favorite little boy in the whole world, and he'll say back to me that I'm his favorite mommy in the whole world.  The other evening, unprompted, he told me that I was his favorite mommy in the whole world that he'd ever seen.  I replied thanks, that was so kind of him.  He said, and don't you have something you want to say to me?  So I fed him the favorite little boy line, and he corrected me that I needed to add that I had ever seen.  Silly boy, fishing for very specific compliments!]

2.  What is your favorite animal?  Elephant
3.  What is your favorite toy?  Action figures - Clayface
4.  What is your favorite thing to eat?  French toast with honey and syrup, peanut butter & jelly
5.  What is your favorite thing to drink?  Mango and cranberry juice and strawberry and chocolate milk
6.  What is your favorite thing to do?  Play with action figures
7.  What is your favorite movie?  Shrek
8.  What is your favorite game?  Freeze on the ice with Aunt Debbie
9.  What are you really good at doing?  Riding bikes, playing with action figures, eating [this is NOT true for dinner, but he is a good breakfast & lunch eater], coloring and painting
10.  What is your favorite part of being a big brother?  Making Maya giggle
11.  What is your favorite color?  Pink, blue, red, green and turquoise
12.  What is your favorite song?  Santa Claus is coming to town
13.  Who is your best friend?  Cooper and Jacob [at school]
14.  What do you and your mommy do together?  Play in game room, play outside
15.  What do you and your daddy do together?  Play in backyard, sword fight, tumble and wrestle
16.  What is your favorite sport?  Football - go Aggies
17.  Where is your favorite place to go?  Chuck E Cheese, SkyHigh trampolines
18.  What is your favorite book?  IronMan book
19.  What is your favorite restaurant?  Ruggles Green and Chick fil A
20.  What did you do on your birthday?  Ate jello, had friends over to play, saw Aunt Debbie and Grandma Jewell Rae
21.  What do you want to be when you grow up?  Astronaut

Oh this boy, he really is our favorite little guy in the world!  He is a creative storyteller, an incredible big brother, a fierce warrior against pretend bad guys, a great reader, and we feel like he's our little attorney-in-training, with a rebuttal for EVERYTHING we say.  We are so thankful God gave him to us four years ago!