ON MY REAL BIRTHDAY...
I know no boundaries. Mom and dad take the day off from work to celebrate each and every part of me and all the things I love. It starts with songs and snuggles and then moves to the kitchen for cooking. I requested all my favorites; "a pancake as big as my head", fruit, eggs with tomatoes of course and chocolate milk. I mean really, could it get any better? Why, yes it could. We had a slow morning of board games and TV time and a million questions as to where our day would end up. I was thinking...I had so many great options; I wanted to make sure I picked the best one and around 10 I finally had it. We dressed for the gorgeous weather and headed to the zoo to ditch our van in lieu of a train ride over to Herman Park. It was a win, win situation. A train/park combination and something we had not done before. In fact, we had the train to ourselves. We spent the entire day picnicking, running (still trying to avoid mud splatters), climbing, and laughing just being together. That is what every day of life should be about. Birthdays are once a year, but the opportunity to spend this time together as a family should be endless. I rolled down hills, swung like superman, climbed like a monkey and hunted snakes in every tree hole I found. I explored being 4 all day and mom and dad just wished they were 4 again too...priceless! The last train back to the zoo was at 4:00 and we had to run to make it. Time flies when your having fun and apparently when you are watching a little guy grow too.

1 to 4...BALLOONS ARE STILL SO MUCH FUN!...

SUPER 4!...
We had a blast jumping from building to building as our favorite super heroes do. It really is FANTASTIC to be FOUR!

SWOLLEN...
So, hate is really a strong word...a word that mom would rather me not learn, hear or use. However, given this situation (the day before my birthday party) mom has just about conceeded and used the ugly word. MOM REALLY, REALLY, REALLY DOES NOT LIKE MOSQUITOES! It is near impossible to protect me from them. Should mom apply spray to my ears and eyelids? Certainly not. So, here I am--SWOLLEN! Once again, I have been devoured by a flock of (make that just one) very sneaky, very hungry and even more DISPISED (that's better, right?) mosquito. No OTC cream, pill or prescription worked...believe me mom tried. It just had to run its course getting worse before it improved. The morning after this picture was taken, I could not even open my eyelid--just a slit was there and FYI--I handled it much better than mom, but you probably already guessed that much.

LANDON IS 4!
My buddy Landon and I share the same birthday and Miss Julia was born just 3 days later. Planning our November birthday bashes is always an interesting affair for our mamas. This year they did great! No one had dual parties. It was nice to enjoy one at time. Landon had a painting party. We went to Arts a Glaze, chose an animal and painted till our hearts were content. I picked a pig and went to town painting and creating his story. I named him "Rainbow Pig" given all of his colors. Rainbow Pig had brown blotches of paint on his belly and down his leg from playing in the mud. It was difficult for me to understand leaving him behind to dry, but I was so excited when Ms. Allison delivered him to my house. Rainbow Pig ate breakfast and dinner with me for a week.

FUDRUCKERS...
Yes, we really did drive ALL THE WAY across town to eat burgers with the family; and it was SO WORTH IT! Good eats and fun with my cousins too. Our parents would probably not openly admit it, but we really did run laps around the chairs, giggle until we couldn't breath, drink gallons of punch and test our boundaries more than a few times, but it was FUN! The kind of fun strangers want to avoid, parents ignore and kids long to repeat. Are you up for burgers this weekend?
(On a side note...I am proof that you really can smile beautifully with your mouth full of hamburger. Wes was here too. He was enjoying the fries. At first he flat refused to take his picture, but after mom said how cute Makayla and I looked he told Aunt Carley "Aunt Jenn didn't take a picture of me." HA! Mom knew she could sucker him into the photo session; too bad the picture did not turn out. Sorry Wes; we will do it again soon.)

TURBO...
So we don't get real, winter wonderland, wear this hat so your ears don't freeze off weather here often, but mom knew I just had to have it. Who cares that it was 79 degrees and muggy on the day we snapped this picture. I was thrilled to sport flames! If it is a "rough morning" mom just heads to the "tough guy" looks within my closet and instantly I am dressed and ready to go. Yes, mom tends to walk through what a little guy Uncle Scott called "Bugs Bunny in Happy Land" most days, but she understands my need to be big guy too. Bring on the flames! I am ready for Monster Jam!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY REAGAN!...
Mommy and Daddy love you so much!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!...
If a picture is worth a thousand words you will have fun "reading" these. Mom will post my stories soon. Zoo Boo and more to come.

UNCLE DUSTY...
I was well entertained this weekend. My Uncle Dusty came to spend the weekend with us and I kept him very busy. We played pirates and video games, basketball and built a fly boat. I was like a little strip of velcro. I was stuck to him! Uncle Dusty is leaving for college in the fall. He has choices to make too--will it be UT or Rice? I'm voting Rice. Mom and I will just pick him up on the way to the zoo or the museum. Either way, he promised he would be back soon. I'm waiting!

SPIDERIFIC!...
In the spirit of Halloween mom brought home a tarantula. It is quite huge for a spider and just about amazing when it climbs the walls or hangs from the top of the aquarium. Dad had the pleasure of feeding it...he screamed...apparently the crickets stuck to his finger. Mom had a different experience entirely--still screaming, but no sticking. She had "cricket catchers" (those are kiddos at school) to take care of the feeding. Trouble is...day 1 her volunteer dropped the cricket on the floor instead of in the aquarium. There was some fast moving to catch the run away food. There were more than a few 4 year olds screaming in the process too. I didn't want to touch the crickets...they were stinky (they eat dog food,) but I sure thought the tarantula was spiderific!

THE 3 S's...
A stomach virus, Swine flu and strep throat.  These words continue to haunt mom.  How did I get so sick?  Why did I not complain?  Mom thinks being born premature has given me super human strength.  I endured so much as a little guy that I am not one to complain.  Mom often wishes I would a little more; at least then she would know when I was in need of some medical attention.  She has to use her super mom spy wear and mommy sense to catch things early. 
This evening, I went to bed telling mom that my tummy didn't feel good.  Mom thought I might need to use the restroom, but I decided sleep sounded good.  Mom held me and I was out in 30 seconds or less.  Maybe I was just tired...nope.  It wasn't long after the monitor picked up a sound that sent mom running.  She thought I had fallen out of the bed; she could hear me moaning and sniffing from tears.  When mom opened the door she realized we were in trouble.  I was covered in vomit, as was all my bedding and both pillows.  I was reaching out for mom.  She was trying to comfort me and hold me in a position that would keep the mess contained to the bed rather than the carpeted floor.  Praise God it worked.  Mom picked me up and carried me to the tub where she worked quickly trying to get me calmed and back to bed.  She moved me to the guest bedroom and prayed that was the end of it.  No luck.  As she was hand washing all my bedding in the tub it started up again.  We now had 2 beds and towels covered in vomit.  Back to the tub I go.  At this point mom is worried.  Dad was working late and had not made it home yet and we only had one clean bed left.  I knew the feeling of tummy trouble by this point and was telling mom that I was going to throw up again.  This time the tub caught it.  There isn't much that a mom won't do for her baby and let me just tell you this was a true testament of love.  Bed number 3 was calling my name.  Mom covered the floor and my sleeping space with towels in hopes of a better outcome.  It worked.  She also called dad and demanded he journey home with speed.  Mom was still cleaning beds when he arrived.  Mom disinfected every knob and cabinet in the house that night and made plans for a sub the next day.
When dad started feeling bad (poor dad) mom quarantined him to the bedroom for days.  He had been diagnosed with Swine flu.  He was given medication, but mom wasn't taking any chances.  It was all in vain though.  I had it too.  I never complained (not like dad) so mom didn't have any idea I was still sick until the fever kicked in.  Mom called the after hours clinic and made an appointment.  Sure 'nuff...I had it too.  Now mom was beside herself as all the "bad mama" feelings kicked in.  Apparently moms are supposed to be all knowing.  What's worse is the medication really only works when taken within 48 hours and mom had no idea when I first caught the flu.  Mom began thinking back.  A weekend back mom was so tired.  She told dad that she could not hold her eyes open.  She was just going to lay down for 30 minutes and catch a power nap.  That nap ended about 4 hours later.  I think mom was the carrier.  She had several students who had been sick.  I am sure I caught it from her (we share the same air) and then dad from one of us.
Dad was on the mend but my fever lingered.  Mom began temping me every hour and asking me 9 million questions a day.  She called my pediatrician at the start of the week and back to the doc we went.  It seems the after hours clinic should have tested me for strep as well.  They had been seeing a trend of Swine flu with strep and I was another lucky one.  I had strep.  Another round of antibiotics would do the trick.  Mom was exhausted and still worried about her little man.  I spent most of the week at home only returning to school on Friday.  My troubles came in 3's and we were ready for them to hit the road! Healthier days were on the way.
*Note-the date for this post could be way off.  Mom saved it as a draft and when she published it Blogger moved it to a current post.  Mom can't remember the exact date of all the illness and drama so October is the winner.

DEWBERRY FARMS...

BAD MAMA!...
That is what she is calling herself. We spent the whole summer hopping from beach, to park, to zoo and everywhere in between and I never even got pink! Mom is always slathering me in sunblock--even before school. Mom and dad are both freckled to bits and she wants to keep my skin protected. Today, life and all the excitement just got the best of her. We walked right out of the house without the sunblock. 7 hours at Dewberry Farms later...you could tell. I have not complained one bit about the tight skin, pinkish/red coloration, but mom is feeling terrible. She can not believe she let me get burned. Thank goodness for the long sleeves and pants. My cheeks and nose took the hit, but the rest of my body was covered. On a side note, mom is going to keep sunblock in the camera bag from now on. We know she won't forget that at home.

ELFIN'...
What was meant to be a few minutes of play with my buddies ended up leaving me on the menu. Oh, the mosquitoes; they love me so. Before mom had me, she was the main course. She can remember when she was my age (pre-k years) being taken to school late because her eye was swollen shut. Yep, a mosquito bit her eyelid. She couldn't see so she was just hoping I could hear :) At one point my ear was so swollen on the backside that it folded over--it was "elfin." All that is gone now...globs of a prescription medicine shrunk it right back down to size. Thank goodness we still had it on hand. Here is a pic as it was shrinking.
While we are on the topic of ears, please pray for mine. Mom took me to the ENT on Wednesday and while the fluid has cleared from my ears I have a pretty significant negative pressure in my left ear. Basically, I feel like I have "airplane" ear everyday. After doing a few standard tests and a hearing test it was determined that I can't hear in my left ear the way I can in my right. In fact, I have a weak area in the left tube if you will. Dr. Albright is not sure if that will ever heal or change. It could be from the number of ear infections I had before the tubes or a complication of the tubes--he wasn't saying. This weak area often looks like fluid to the less experienced eye. So when mom heard 3x over that I had fluid in my ears she questioned the pediatricians. Dr. Albright told her she should. It was pretty obvious they were right this time...the doctor did a test while we were in the office for the 3rd S. He did it 3 times and BAM! The truth was easy to see...nothing but a flat line. Like I said before, the fluid has now cleared given the antibiotics and the hope is that over the next month my ears will have time to recover from the seasonal changes and the 3 S's and return to their regular, hearing selves. If that does not happen...well, I will be heading back to the hospital for another set of tubes. Seems like we have played this game before. Given I am already in speech therapy we want to make sure I can hear at 100% all the sounds and words that are being spoken around me. No mushy, mashed up, muffled sounds for me please--articulate. So, please be in prayer that my ears will heal and that Dr. Albright will send me on my way with a smile. Thanks for keeping me in your prayers! I will keep you posted.

BEST BUDS...
A new school year allows for some new friends.  I introduced mom to my new best bud, Weston at the LMS carnival.  His parents told mom Weston comes home talking and telling stories about me each evening.  Mom shared that I do the same.  We are at an age that we can appreciate friendship it seems.  We chased each other and laughed while our parents stood in line for us.  2 super heroes make great friends.

SUPER REAGAN!...
My favorite pass time you ask...SAVING THE DAY of course!

PUNKINS...
It is a yearly tradition dating back to my time in the womb. Mom and dad love this time of year (mosquitoes barred that is--check out my ear in a later post.) They are always so eager to announce the day when the cooler weather arrives. "It smells like fall" they say. It is more than that for mom though. This is the time she recalls toting her "lil punkin" right around in her belly and dreaming of what I would become. This was our 5th family punkin picture and I was plenty happy to dress in my best and pose for a pic or two. As long as I had plenty of time to run the rows of pumpkins with my good buddy Austin and carry a few from here to there I was good to go. The rows were rearranged and mom stuck her finger straight through another, but I was in no hurry to leave. I would have stayed all night. I was on the look out for a honkin'-huge pumpkin; a tall stem and really, really big. I was quite disappointed when we heard the words "cash only." I had to settle for 2 wee-little ones and a sticker. I'll be back!

TORO and the TEXANS...
What could be better than a smokin' longhorn? It was so cool! We were so thankful Mr. Tim gave us tickets to the Texans game. We didn't have time to buy a jersey, but we still sported blue.
It was down right POURING outside, but we did not mind one bit. We pulled right in with our parking pass and high tailed it through security to look around. We would have swam to seats if need be. We were immediately greeted by some tipsy fans from California. The Texans were playing the Raiders and boy do those guys have some spirit. Listen to me when I tell you they literally looked like the dead revisited. Metal spikes sticking out here and there, black on black with some very creepy looking masks. I just stared. I tried to giggle about it. Infact, mom and dad did too...they tried to convince me that those spooky guys were just silly. I wasn't really laughing though. The real story goes that Mom was none to happy to have the very spooky Raiders death masks glaring at me. Oh yes my friends, the most detailed of them all was a few 5 rows infront of us and right in my view. I probably watched that guy as much as the players.
The excitement of the game was amazing! I loved the up and down, scream and shout of it all. I loved the hamburger and the cotton candy and I loved having Uncle Scott just a few seats away. I had a chance to see dad in a whole new srots light too. He didn't have much of a voice as we left the stadium and I think this game was just what he needed to feed the frenzy. He has been playing fantasy football with some of his fraternity brothers and let's just say that Sunday afternoon is reserved for games these days. Are you ready for some football! Count me in...I have to be able to keep up with all the guys in this family...they are real sports buffs!