Four Years Old!

I can't believe I have a four year old now.  This birthday has been especially poignant for me.  For some reason, the leap from 4 to 5 seems huge.  It feels like we will be officially entering 'childhood' soon and quite frankly, I'm not sure if I'm ready.  I love the new independence and sophistication that comes with his growing mind, but watching time press forward and saying good-bye to the baby/toddler years is more bittersweet than I imagined.

Miles had a terrible cold during his birthday week, so all party plans (basically a quiet family dinner), quickly went out the window.  He missed a week of school, so we didn't celebrate there and had a quiet dinner at home, just the three of us.  I don't think he minded too much.   Presents sort of trickled in all week, so it was actually a nice way to celebrate.  Four years old. 

Watch out! The Scarers Will Get You!

This has been a fun holiday season for us because, for the first time, Miles is really into it all.  We have been having fun creating haunted mazes and then scaring all the toys that wander through.  As you can see in the video, anything can be a "scarer."  In this case it's a cow with bell, a plain cow, tiger, elephant and hippo.  My favorite thing is that with the cow wearing the bell, Miles has incorporated it into the noise this particular guy makes.  It goes like this:  "ding-a-ling, moooooo".  Hahahaha!  I love it!  So, what you'll hear:  "ding-a-ling, mooooo,  mooooooo, raaaaaawwwrrr, spraaaaayyyyy," and then a snorting noise for hippo!

Miles has also been incorporating Christmas into his Halloween play.  He has all the animals or scary guys go to sleep and then tells them Santa will drop off presents.  So, somewhere along the way, he picked all this up. It's not that it was never mentioned, we just didn't make a big deal out of it.   Always paying attention!

Lazy Weekend

While watching a little Blue's Clues together, Miles inched over and found a better spot to sit.

First Day of School!

We did it!  Miles started preschool at Dancing Moose Montessori on August 20, 2013.  

Being Silly

Then and Now

I am going to miss the snuggly days.  Glad they're not gone just yet.....

Edge of the World

Seriously, did we really go on this hike?  Yes, that is the edge of a very steep, giant hole in the ground.  Hence, Craig's death grip.  Actually, the hike itself wasn't too nerve wracking in the end and Miles was super cute and chatty along the way.  "Isn't it amazing?"  "It's so beautiful!"  Just full of commentary and enthusiasm.  This was during our annual trek to Cedar City for the Shakespeare Festival.  We did some camping again and while Craig and Miles held down the fort, I enjoyed a couple of plays.