On Tuesday, May 14th Dawson
turned FOUR! I cannot believe how quickly the past four years have gone!
Since we celebrated all day Saturday with the tractor show and then his birthday party, we didn't make too big a deal about his birthday being on Tuesday. We did however spend the first half of the day enjoying the Knoxville Zoo!
Last year I decided that every year starting
at age three I will ask him the same 20 questions to see how they change over
the years. So here's the interview with Dawson at age four (I put his 3 year old answer from last year in parenthesise just for the sake of comparison):
1.
What is your favorite color? Green
(Green)
2. What is your favorite toy? My Gator, Mower, Trailer, Campfire (we had a fire in the firepit the previous night and he calls this campfire), and my horse hospital-a new birthday gift.
(My trailer and my John Deere!!)
3. What is your favorite fruit? Red and green apples
(strawberry)
4. What is your favorite tv show? Word World!!!
(I don't know!)
5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Macaroni and Cheese
(Chicken Salad)
6. What is your favorite outfit or things to wear? My Ninja Turtle Shirt from Target (we purchased this the day before), shorts NOT PANTS, I really like khaki and white shorts the best!
(Gym Shorts, boat shoes, bow ties (hopefully he doesn't want to wear these three together!))
7. What is your favorite game? Candy Land and playing Temple Run on Mommy's Phone
(playing ROWDY with Daddy (laughing!))
8. What is your favorite snack? Goldfish
(Suckers!)
9. What is your favorite animal? Kittycat
(owl)
10. What is your favorite song? Wagon Wheel
(Veggie Tales)
11. What is your favorite book? The Cat in the Hat and Charlotte's Web
(The Three Little Pigs by Dr. Seuss (any book title he talks about right now, he always says it's by Dr. Seuss))
12. Who is your best friend? Wait a second, Mommy, I'm trying to tell you something about working in the yard and you asked me another question! -proceeds to tell me about how he needs to mow the grass, then answers the question: Colt, Charlie, Carter, and some more like all the ones that were at my party
(Charlie Gibson, Daddy, and Jude)
13. What is your favorite cereal? Lucky Charms
(I don't know!)
14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Swing and ride the John Deere Gator
(Ride mine John Deere and chase the birdies)
15. What is your favorite drink? Apple juice
(Juice)
16. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas! Hey, do you think Charlie the Elf will hid in our house again at the next Christmas?
(I don't know!)
17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? Panda
(Panda! Panda Doggie and Panda Turtle and BBB (big brown blanket))
18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Cereal
(Biscuit with the butter not melted (??))
19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? Corn (?!)
(Mac and Cheese)
20. What do you want to be when you grow up? I'm going to be a farmer!
(Bentley!)
(Green)
2. What is your favorite toy? My Gator, Mower, Trailer, Campfire (we had a fire in the firepit the previous night and he calls this campfire), and my horse hospital-a new birthday gift.
(My trailer and my John Deere!!)
3. What is your favorite fruit? Red and green apples
(strawberry)
4. What is your favorite tv show? Word World!!!
(I don't know!)
5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Macaroni and Cheese
(Chicken Salad)
6. What is your favorite outfit or things to wear? My Ninja Turtle Shirt from Target (we purchased this the day before), shorts NOT PANTS, I really like khaki and white shorts the best!
(Gym Shorts, boat shoes, bow ties (hopefully he doesn't want to wear these three together!))
7. What is your favorite game? Candy Land and playing Temple Run on Mommy's Phone
(playing ROWDY with Daddy (laughing!))
8. What is your favorite snack? Goldfish
(Suckers!)
9. What is your favorite animal? Kittycat
(owl)
10. What is your favorite song? Wagon Wheel
(Veggie Tales)
11. What is your favorite book? The Cat in the Hat and Charlotte's Web
(The Three Little Pigs by Dr. Seuss (any book title he talks about right now, he always says it's by Dr. Seuss))
12. Who is your best friend? Wait a second, Mommy, I'm trying to tell you something about working in the yard and you asked me another question! -proceeds to tell me about how he needs to mow the grass, then answers the question: Colt, Charlie, Carter, and some more like all the ones that were at my party
(Charlie Gibson, Daddy, and Jude)
13. What is your favorite cereal? Lucky Charms
(I don't know!)
14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Swing and ride the John Deere Gator
(Ride mine John Deere and chase the birdies)
15. What is your favorite drink? Apple juice
(Juice)
16. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas! Hey, do you think Charlie the Elf will hid in our house again at the next Christmas?
(I don't know!)
17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? Panda
(Panda! Panda Doggie and Panda Turtle and BBB (big brown blanket))
18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Cereal
(Biscuit with the butter not melted (??))
19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? Corn (?!)
(Mac and Cheese)
20. What do you want to be when you grow up? I'm going to be a farmer!
(Bentley!)
Last year we laughed about how Dawson wanted to be Bentley the dog when he grows up, this year, however, he's going to be a farmer. He really does talk about being a farmer all the time!
At four years old Dawson keeps us on our toes! He is constantly asking us questions and loves to talk to us nonstop. Dawson keeps us laughing too with his questions and comments. When we first got our new van (he had never ridden in a van before), he looked inside, pointed to the row of seats in the very back and exclaimed, "There's a couch back there!?" A lot of the time his comments are so funny because they are exactly true, but not something most people (people that are older that 4 and have a filter) would say! He's very honest!
Dawson has always loved to read, and he still does! In January we started reading some chapter books with him, and he really enjoys reading a chapter a night out of these books in addition to his 1 or 2 other books we usually read at bedtime. We do the chapter book after Carter goes to bed so it's Dawson's big boy time which I think makes it even more special. So far we have read the following chapter books: Charlotte's Web, The Mouse and the Motorcycle, Runaway Ralph, Stuart Little, and Mr. Popper's Penguins.
Dawson loves it when we have time (aka Carter takes a morning nap-which is rare these days) to do "school" at home. He picks up on things SO quickly, I'm always amazed. He asks to do "school" frequently, and he really does like learning new things! In August he will begin going to preschool a few hours a day two days a week, and although I am SO sad that he will be gone from me for this time, I know he will really enjoy learning and having his "big boy" thing to go do on his own!
Dawson really is a good kid. Today, in fact, I asked him where all of Carter's snack went so quickly, and he responded, "Well Carter and I shared it because in our family we share." So sweet. (John has told him this exact phrase about sharing about 1 million times, but this was the first time he has said it.)
A few more random things I want to remember about my sweet Dawson as he's turning four...
-Dawson gets up at 7am every morning when his "okay to wake" owl clock turns green. When he wakes up in the morning and after nap, he knocks on his door. Then we go open it to let him out. He goes to bed in the evening between 8 and 8:30. Dawson takes a nap in the afternoon from about 1-2:30, occasionally it's shorter or longer, but he still very much needs this nap as he plays hard during all his waking hours! He's a good sleeper at nap and at night, and he never puts up a fight about it and usually goes to sleep very quickly!
-His very favorite "treat" is Market Pantry brand "gummies." He likes to hold these in his mouth, suck on them, and rub his "rubbing spot" on the top of Panda's head (Panda the Pillow Pet). He also rubs this spot on Panda as he's going to sleep. I have had to sew this spot up at least 8 times already!
-Dawson likes to play librarian in the playroom. He sits on a stool and attempts to read books to Carter. Then he stands the books up when he's done just like the librarian does at storytime each week.
-He also loves building with his Lincoln Logs, playing with his tractors, cooking in his play kitchen, doing playdough, and doing art projects!
-If he had his way would we spend every waking moment outdoors walking through our neighborhood, playing in the backyard, swinging, playing in the sand, or best of all riding the John Deere tractor or Gator.
-Dawson loves his Daddy, and he especially loves the silly nonsense games they come up with. The favorites right now are "Kiss the top of the head game" (John chases Dawson around the playroom, eventually catching him, and kissing him on the top of his head) and "Wild Dog" (John crawls around chasing Dawson while pretending to be a wild dog). Silliness!
-Dawson loves to stay busy! If I don't have something (a playdate, an outing, an activity, anything at all) specifically planned, he tries to come up with something to do which is usually an involved plan!
-Although I wrote this update on Dawson's 4th birthday, I purposely waited until today to post it so I could include his stats from his 4 year check up which was this morning. I've listed the info here:
Weight: 39.8 pounds which puts him in the 50th percentile for weight
Height: 42.2 inches tall which puts him in the 95th percentile for weight!
Doctor's Comments (our doctor always gives us a written out sheet of "patient instructions" to leave the office with as a recap of the appointment and any reminders, so this is what Dawson's said from his 4 year check up): "Dawson's growth is right on track and he really is perfectly proportioned. His exam is completely normal. He has excellent vision and hearing. We don't need to see Dawson back for a year. Dawson can start kindergarten in 2014 or 2015, but I think it's always better to be one of the older boys in the class instead of one of the youngest-we are talking about 13 years of school-not just the first year." The doctor had asked when we planned to start Dawson in kindergarten, and I told him August 2015 unsure of what his reaction would be. I felt encouraged though that he (like John and I) thought 2015 is perfectly fine-allowing him to be one of the older kids AND giving him an extra year home with us! :)
So at the doctor's visit Dawson had a hearing and vision test. During the vision text one of tiny pictures they showed was a tiny bird with its feathers sticking up (it was hard to tell what it was for me!). Dawson looked at it, and said, "Oh, it's a hedgehog!" The nurse got a kick out of this. She said on this one as long as the child recognizes that it's an animal, that's an acceptable answer because the picture is so strange. She did mention that today was the first time she had ever been told it was a hedgehog, and was impressed that Dawson knew what a hedgehog was. They vision and hearing test were set up almost as little games, and when we were leaving the office Dawson said that he had fun playing all the games! He didn't have to have any shots, but they did stick his finger to do a blood count. When they did it, Dawson didn't even blink! Then he smiled and said, "It's just like when you check your blood sugar, Mommy! Look, it's my blood!" (He's been really into watching me check my blood sugar, so he thought this was so cool!) The nurse also mentioned that a lot of kids are not so excited to have this done! :) Dawson had a great check up, and I think he really enjoyed the fact that it was just he and I at the appointment (Pop kept Carter), so he acted even bigger while it was just the two of us!
There are so many things I could write down about Dawson at this age. He is so tender-hearted, loving, and he has a great sense of humor! He loves to be silly and laugh. We have so much fun with Dawson every day, and I cannot believe he's four...but we have loved the past four years!
Here is a picture of our big four year old!
At four years old Dawson keeps us on our toes! He is constantly asking us questions and loves to talk to us nonstop. Dawson keeps us laughing too with his questions and comments. When we first got our new van (he had never ridden in a van before), he looked inside, pointed to the row of seats in the very back and exclaimed, "There's a couch back there!?" A lot of the time his comments are so funny because they are exactly true, but not something most people (people that are older that 4 and have a filter) would say! He's very honest!
Dawson has always loved to read, and he still does! In January we started reading some chapter books with him, and he really enjoys reading a chapter a night out of these books in addition to his 1 or 2 other books we usually read at bedtime. We do the chapter book after Carter goes to bed so it's Dawson's big boy time which I think makes it even more special. So far we have read the following chapter books: Charlotte's Web, The Mouse and the Motorcycle, Runaway Ralph, Stuart Little, and Mr. Popper's Penguins.
Dawson loves it when we have time (aka Carter takes a morning nap-which is rare these days) to do "school" at home. He picks up on things SO quickly, I'm always amazed. He asks to do "school" frequently, and he really does like learning new things! In August he will begin going to preschool a few hours a day two days a week, and although I am SO sad that he will be gone from me for this time, I know he will really enjoy learning and having his "big boy" thing to go do on his own!
Dawson really is a good kid. Today, in fact, I asked him where all of Carter's snack went so quickly, and he responded, "Well Carter and I shared it because in our family we share." So sweet. (John has told him this exact phrase about sharing about 1 million times, but this was the first time he has said it.)
A few more random things I want to remember about my sweet Dawson as he's turning four...
-Dawson gets up at 7am every morning when his "okay to wake" owl clock turns green. When he wakes up in the morning and after nap, he knocks on his door. Then we go open it to let him out. He goes to bed in the evening between 8 and 8:30. Dawson takes a nap in the afternoon from about 1-2:30, occasionally it's shorter or longer, but he still very much needs this nap as he plays hard during all his waking hours! He's a good sleeper at nap and at night, and he never puts up a fight about it and usually goes to sleep very quickly!
-His very favorite "treat" is Market Pantry brand "gummies." He likes to hold these in his mouth, suck on them, and rub his "rubbing spot" on the top of Panda's head (Panda the Pillow Pet). He also rubs this spot on Panda as he's going to sleep. I have had to sew this spot up at least 8 times already!
-Dawson likes to play librarian in the playroom. He sits on a stool and attempts to read books to Carter. Then he stands the books up when he's done just like the librarian does at storytime each week.
-He also loves building with his Lincoln Logs, playing with his tractors, cooking in his play kitchen, doing playdough, and doing art projects!
-If he had his way would we spend every waking moment outdoors walking through our neighborhood, playing in the backyard, swinging, playing in the sand, or best of all riding the John Deere tractor or Gator.
-Dawson loves his Daddy, and he especially loves the silly nonsense games they come up with. The favorites right now are "Kiss the top of the head game" (John chases Dawson around the playroom, eventually catching him, and kissing him on the top of his head) and "Wild Dog" (John crawls around chasing Dawson while pretending to be a wild dog). Silliness!
-Dawson loves to stay busy! If I don't have something (a playdate, an outing, an activity, anything at all) specifically planned, he tries to come up with something to do which is usually an involved plan!
-Although I wrote this update on Dawson's 4th birthday, I purposely waited until today to post it so I could include his stats from his 4 year check up which was this morning. I've listed the info here:
Weight: 39.8 pounds which puts him in the 50th percentile for weight
Height: 42.2 inches tall which puts him in the 95th percentile for weight!
Doctor's Comments (our doctor always gives us a written out sheet of "patient instructions" to leave the office with as a recap of the appointment and any reminders, so this is what Dawson's said from his 4 year check up): "Dawson's growth is right on track and he really is perfectly proportioned. His exam is completely normal. He has excellent vision and hearing. We don't need to see Dawson back for a year. Dawson can start kindergarten in 2014 or 2015, but I think it's always better to be one of the older boys in the class instead of one of the youngest-we are talking about 13 years of school-not just the first year." The doctor had asked when we planned to start Dawson in kindergarten, and I told him August 2015 unsure of what his reaction would be. I felt encouraged though that he (like John and I) thought 2015 is perfectly fine-allowing him to be one of the older kids AND giving him an extra year home with us! :)
So at the doctor's visit Dawson had a hearing and vision test. During the vision text one of tiny pictures they showed was a tiny bird with its feathers sticking up (it was hard to tell what it was for me!). Dawson looked at it, and said, "Oh, it's a hedgehog!" The nurse got a kick out of this. She said on this one as long as the child recognizes that it's an animal, that's an acceptable answer because the picture is so strange. She did mention that today was the first time she had ever been told it was a hedgehog, and was impressed that Dawson knew what a hedgehog was. They vision and hearing test were set up almost as little games, and when we were leaving the office Dawson said that he had fun playing all the games! He didn't have to have any shots, but they did stick his finger to do a blood count. When they did it, Dawson didn't even blink! Then he smiled and said, "It's just like when you check your blood sugar, Mommy! Look, it's my blood!" (He's been really into watching me check my blood sugar, so he thought this was so cool!) The nurse also mentioned that a lot of kids are not so excited to have this done! :) Dawson had a great check up, and I think he really enjoyed the fact that it was just he and I at the appointment (Pop kept Carter), so he acted even bigger while it was just the two of us!
There are so many things I could write down about Dawson at this age. He is so tender-hearted, loving, and he has a great sense of humor! He loves to be silly and laugh. We have so much fun with Dawson every day, and I cannot believe he's four...but we have loved the past four years!
Here is a picture of our big four year old!
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