Interview with a 4-year-old

 On May 19, this little guy turned four years old.  Four.  Four.  Four.  I really just cannot get my mind around it.  I spent 4 years in high school.  4 years in college.  4 years total in China.  There is so much in my almost 32 years of life that has lasted 4 years.  It seems so long at the beginning, but goes by in a flash, and here I am, with a son who is as old as my favorite days of life in Athens and Chengdu, China.  Wow!!  Brett and I have exclaimed over the past year that we LOVED age 3.  It was the most challenging age so far, but SO MUCH FUN!  And in the past few months, we have realized that our baby turned into a toddler, and our toddler is now a little boy (but if he heard me say that he would say, 'Actually, mom, I'm a BIG boy').  

 Well, this big boy is exactly that...SO BIG!  He is tall and skinny with not an ounce of baby fat on him anymore...these pictures are not actually from his birthday but from a few different occasions in April, and they all represent something that I want my memory to cling to forever...his first (and many to follow) ice cream cone at Ikea in China, him walking countless stairs in downtown Chengdu...when we moved there, I had to carry him, but he morphed into a stair climber...his favorite face to make at almost age 4...his train conductor hat as he plays with one of his loves...trains (cars top the trains by only a 1/2 %!), and his darling smile.  He is a treasure!

 We had a party at a nearby playground a few days before his birthday, because we flew to Shanghai on the big day in preparation to fly back to the States on the 20th.  I'll hopefully post about the party later...So, at the Shanghai airport, we celebrated at Burger King (I know, you're thinking, that is so gross, and you haven't eaten at the BK since you were 9, but, overseas, these fast food chains are like a dream come true!)

 We had a little dance party and got some stares from a few locals and Harrison managed to poop on the floor in the bathroom, which is another story for another day, but amidst all the fun, we managed to ask him some birthday questions, which is a new favorite tradition of mine, learned from my precious friend Anne Coleman.  We have continued the interview throughout the week and here are some of the answers....

Me: Harrison, what was your FAVORITE thing about being 3?
H:  Ummmm, turning 4!
Brett:  Well, buddy, you're growing SO fast...let's slow down a little so we can do lots of fun things, okay?
H: Yeah dad, like eat ice cream!
Me: Harrison, who is your best friend?
H: Cameron and Gunner
Me: What is your favorite color?
H: Dark blue, blue, and light blue (He likes to cover his bases, huh?)
Me: Harrison, what's your favorite food?
H: Watermelon (while he was eating watermelon)
Me:  What do you want to be when you grow up?
H: A King or a tiger.
Me: Who is your hero?
H: Daddy.  (No prompt here...probably one of Brett's favorite moments ever!)

My favorite is the very first question...He loves being 4!  He always says to me, "Mom, I can do it, because it's easy for a big boy."  He also says "Actually" ALL the time, which is really funny to me!  He has flown at least 40 times in the air and has landed his feet in 5 different countries, he is a tender, shy, loyal and cautious little guy, and I love him, I love him, I love him.  I'm so glad God chose me to be his mom...the hardest, but most rewarding job I have ever had.  Happy Birthday, Hare Bear.  I am so glad you're my boy!

jet lagging

Well, we are here...back in the good ole' US of A!  I have neglected to write much about it or anything lately as, of course, there was much to do to leave China and arrive here, but I also think I was just avoiding processing the inevitable...leaving.  Did 2 years really just pass by?  Was it all just a dream?  So much of it was impossibly hard, but in a strange way, I loved it.  I miss it already and will miss it forever.  And here I sit in the fog of jet lag, with one kid playing couch potato, loving watching American TV again, and one baby screaming her lungs out since the time won't let her know when to stay awake or go to sleep.  We are trying to unpack and settle in to my dad's house for the summer before we move back to Orlando in August.  I'm not sure how I feel about any of it.  Sad, excited, overwhelmed, but mostly grateful.  Grateful for our time overseas, and grateful to call America my home for a time until we possibly go elsewhere.  I hope to come back and share a little bit about our time there as I have a few more minutes to hang out here on the blog.  I most definitely will be reporting on a brand new 4-year-old boy very soon!! Until then, I will just try to stay awake and enjoy the sunshine and green grass, while missing my friends halfway across the world, and hoping to make new ones here.  I'll be back soon!