My Boy

As I mentioned before, Mak turned four and a half this past Tuesday. This past 6 months has FLOWN by. He's such a fun little boy! Here are some things that Mak is up to at four and a half...

He's VERY interested in surfing, hence the latest photos of him. He has been fascinated with watching the teenagers surf at the beach this summer. He loves to ride the waves on his little boogie board, and he got a skim board at Wild Dunes last week. He's still about 20 pounds too light for the thing, but he definitely gives it his all! He falls on his rear EVERY time, but sometimes manages to glide a little bit before doing so. I love watching his determination! We are headed back to the beach again this weekend for my grandmothers birthday celebration, so maybe he will perfect his form. :) OH, but heaven forbid if that child gets his face or hair wet! He still HATES that. Collin and I think it's hilarious that he can spend hours in the ocean, yet the top of his head never sees a drop of water!

This summer has been fun for him. He says that he's on "sun" break. Last week he asked me for the first time when he would get to go back to school. I think we can be a little boring for him. I've tried to keep him busy, but I think all of my activities are getting a little predictable, and he's ready to go back and see his friends. He will be doing Montessori again this year, and will have the same teacher. She has come by a couple of times this summer to visit, and Mak has talked to her on the phone some. He (and CB) LOVE Miss Middleton! Earlier this week we were shopping and ran into the grandmother of one of Mak's classmates. She told us that her granddaughter came home from school very sad that last day. When she asked her why she was sad, the little girl said "I was lonely because Makgill wasn't there to play" (the 3K kids didn't go that last week). I love that he has great school friends! And, so far, I've counted 5 kids from his class at church that will be at Montessori with him this year. Yay!

I'd have to say that the biggest thing that is consuming that sweet boy right now is getting taller. Specifically, tall enough to ride Test Track at Disney. He has a growth chart in his room and checks it 5 times a day. Unfortunately for him, he did not inherit Collin's dad's height gene, so it has taken a little longer for Mak to reach that point. By our calculations, he should be plenty tall enough, but I'm not making him any promises. We shall see!

Mak and Clara Beth have been playing together so well recently. Earlier this week, when I was feeling bad with the strep throat, Collin had an evening session. So that meant that I was home with the kids for a while before bedtime. I was felling pretty yucky, so I was just laying on my bed reading while they played in the playroom across the hall. They played NICELY together for over an hour and didn't need me once! And I think they would have gone longer, but I went in there to tell them that Tal was coming over to play for a few minutes. The activity that they play the best together is "doctor". They set up the art table like a hospital bed and either CB or one of her dolls is the patient. Aunt Erin got them some great tools from the OR (masks, hats, etc...) that they use. As much as I enjoy playing with them, it's REALLY nice that they can entertain each other!

Discipline is getting a little out of hand with Mak. Sometimes I feel like it's all I'm doing from the time he wakes up until bedtime. He definitely has a little sass mouth on him, and that's one thing that I can't stand. And the blatant not listening. Or doing something that he KNOWS is against the rules. And remember how I said the kids are playing so well together? They are, but the can also carry on a pretty good fight. Discipline is a constant battle, and from the looks of things it won't be ending anytime soon. Although I do think a lot of it can be related back to those boredom issues I talked about earlier. Maybe it will get better when school starts back? We can hope...
He is Soooo into writing right now. He wants to write everything, and is doing a really good job with it. Some of his favorite things to write are friend's names, our menu, and notes to friends. I love watching his brain work, and can't wait to see what new things we pick up at school in the fall.
He's cuddling more than ever, which I'm pretty cool with. It still MUST be on his terms, but it seems to be happening a lot more frequently. And he can say the sweetest things. I could kick myself for not writing them all down, because of course I've forgotten a ton, but here's one from the other day. We were talking about Clara Beth and her baby dolls, and I called her a good little momma. Then Mak comes up, gives me a hug, and says "You're a good little momma, too". Oh, sweet boy!
We love this boy so much more than I ever knew was possible. No one in the world can frustrate me more than him, but then he turns around and does something that makes me SO PROUD. I have loved spending every day with him this summer, and I have a feeling that I will have some separation issues when school starts back, even if he doesn't. And as much as I miss my "baby" Mak, growing up is SO FUN!

You are AMAZING, Big Boy! We Love you like crazy!