4

Ethan is 4!  It's unbelievable how incredibly far we've come from the little nursing piglet that arrived in the sweaty Madison summer four years ago to the rambunctious, emotional, creative, monster-slaying, bike-riding, strawberry-eating little boy we have now.  He is so funny and thoughtful and wild.What an adventure parenting him has been.

To celebrate the occasion, we had a wonderful birthday party this past weekend, which involved tie dyeing (see photos below), strawberry shortcakes, and running around whacking fellow crazy boys with beach balls. 

After witnessing a few birthday parties recently that involved the movemnet of huge numbers of perfectly wrapped birthday presents, Ethan earnestly said to me after his party (to which I requested guests not bring gifts), "I don't think I got enough presents."  We're trying to emphasize quality over quantity and cultivate appreciation for how blessed we are to have loving family and friends and a few rocking presents.  Not sure if Ethan is on board with the deeper philisophy, but he is loving spending special time with his favorite people and playing with his gifts: play tent, two wheeler bike, bug stamps, Toy Story undies, and, of course, legos. 

Happy birthday, buddy!