Birthday continued...

What a fun fun fun day!! We celebrated a day early because J.R. had the day off, but Elliot didn't know or care - he was just excited to be having a blast!

Our fun actually began the night before when we put up our tent in our backyard and Elliot and daddy had a little campout. The next morning Elliot woke up came inside to a big surprise. Everything was decorated and set up for his birthday. HE LOVED IT! Before even touching anything he ran to me and gave me a huge hug then did the same to dad. That was the icing on the cake for me. I have such a good boy!

After opening gifts we got on our suits and went to the YMCA to play in the pool for the first time this summer. Again...SO FUN! After the pool we came home and blew out candles and ate cake, THEN had dinner. We all slept VERY good that night. So fun to have a son old enough to really appreciate and be excited about special days. 

Here are some pics of our day....

A little bit about my big boy Elliot:
-He's such an actor. He loves to make us laugh and hams it up even more when we do.
-He has a keen ear for music. Picks up on melodies no matter where they come from and can repeat it back. Once we were at the store and there was music sort of playing in the background that I'd never heard before. Neither of us mentioned or even hardly noticed the music. Later that day after we were home I heard Elliot start humming a melody and sure enough it was exactly what we had heard earlier. He memorizes things according to how they sound. If you put a rhythm and distinct inflection on any information he will memorize it easily.
-He's big into super heros and bad guys right now. All imaginative play is fighting bad guys. His favorite is spiderman. He throws webs and runs "super super super super...(on for about 20 more supers) fast"
-He loves being with other kids. Even though he's really good at playing by himself he really loves when other kids can play. He makes friends everywhere he goes. Parks, YMCA, Chick-fil-a...instant best friends everywhere. I should really make friends with the moms and get their phone numbers.
-He's so brave. He sleeps in his bed all night "till the sun comes up" with out any problems now.
-He says prayers like a pro...a very entertaining pro.
-He likes to read scriptures and asks to read some of the verses himself. (of course I tell him what to say)
-He'll do anything for a reward. Whether is earning points, getting a treat, putting stickers on the board. All those things work great for him. Especially if it's something chocolate and sugary.
-He's addicted to sweets. I've tried to rid our house of unhealthy food lately but Elliot gets so desperate for sugar that one time I found him hiding in the pantry eating handfulls of brown sugar. Geez!
-He's still a very picky eater. He's at least been trying new foods....occasionally. But, chicken nuggets and spaghetti o's with meatballs are still a major staple in our house. Won't eat bread, rice or pasta - unless it's spaghetti of course. I seriously wonder where he gets his energy.
-He loves to watch "moomies" He watches the same movie over and over then switches to the next one. Thanks to two little brothers taking a lot of time he watches a lot of T.V. too. He likes Curious George, Clifford, Zoobomafoo, Phineas & Ferb, Looney Tunes and Tom & Jerry the best right now.
-He could play on pbskids.org all day if I'd let him.
-He's a big time hugger! He loves to hug and kiss and cuddle. I LOVE IT!
-He loves to entertain his brothers. He tries so hard to get them to laugh and even though they love his attention he feels like a failure if they don't actually giggle out loud.
-He's can't say his S's and sometimes switches the letter C for the letter P. He calls the swimming pool a cool. He calls his friend Corter who is actually Porter. He stutters by repeating himself over and over if he can't think of the word he wants to use, then finally stops, cocks his head to the side and says, "what is that thing called?"
-He loves the colors red and pink.
-He likes to wear his "easy" pants the best because they can be pulled up and down really easy. He always waits to pee till the very last second so easy pants are a must. He dresses himself when we have time and I don't care what he decides to wear. ;)
-He's thoughtful and observant and loves to make mommy and daddy happy!

WE LOVE YOU ELLIOT!
I can't believe it's been 4 years. I remember the day you were born like it was yesterday! You changed our lives forever and keep making it better and better every day! You're one AMAZING kid!
Happy Birthday!