Little Dude is 4!

It's hard to remember that Little Dude ever looked like this, or even this. He has really grown up a lot during the last year; it's been a big year for him, with moving two times, potty training (mostly), having his older sister start school full-time, and gaining a new little sister. Some of those changes have been rough for him--he's definitely our most sensitive kid and gets overwhelmed easily with life. But he's also very sweet and asks for hugs multiple times a day. He loves putting together puzzles, especially our large one that is a map of the United States--he knows where every state goes and most of their names. Little Dude also loves eating quesadillas, making peanut butter sandwiches, helping me unload the dishwasher, and smiling at his baby sister. He loves going to Sunbeams at church and somewhat tolerates sacrament meeting. Another new development for him is reading. He still mostly loves listening to me read books to him, but can sound out a lot of words and read a few things on his own. Playing with Duplos and watching Signing Time are two more of his favorite ways to pass the time. Each week we have been learning about different countries and Little Dude is particularly excited about flags. He colors a flag each week and hangs it on his wall, and can tell you what the name of each country is. I love it when we're driving around and he sees a flag and yells "I see Brazil, Mom". Little Dude is going to go to preschool this fall and is looking forward to seeing his plants that he planted in the garden grow during the summer. We're glad it's finally May 28 and we can celebrate our special little guy!