Happy 4th Birthday, Orion!

My baby boy ("I'm not a baby! I'm a big boy!") turns FOUR today! Orion had a very fun day today even though we aren't having his family birthday celebrations for another week or two! He even got to talk with his Aunt Allie and Aunt Rachel last night on Google Hangouts :)

His Papa Lambes took him out for breakfast this morning, and as soon as he got back we went to the YMCA so I could go to my usual Tuesday class, and the workers at Child Watch threw him a little birthday party complete with a birthday hat, balloons, and a card with candy inside! So sweet and unexpected!

When we got home he wanted to go to church to show Daddy his balloon. Then after Nathan got home we went to McDonald's for lunch at Orion's request, and then home in time for Desy's nap. O played Mario and Ninja Turtles on the Nintendo (classic!) in the afternoon, then after Des woke up the boys made cupcakes with their Ra and had dinner. 

The movie Planes came out today, so we got that and some gummy worms for O so he'd have a gift to open on his birthday (the rest are being saved for the family parties). We watched part of the movie, talked to his Nana and Papa Jones on Skype, played more Ninja Turtles and went to bed. What a fun birthday!!

Interview with the birthday boy! I just asked him a bunch of random questions and wrote down what he said :)  Mostly accurate, but some things I have no idea why he answered the way he did!

Name? Orion Lawrence Lambes
What day is your birthday? November 19
How old are you? Four!
What's your favorite color? Red
Favorite number? 4
Favorite letter? B
Favorite shape? Triangle
Favorite food? Macaroni and cheese
Favorite candy? Gummy worms
Favorite game? Ninja Turtles
Favorite movie? Peter Pan
Favorite TV show? Team Umizoomie
Favorite book: Sam and the Firefly
What do you want to be when you grow up? A farmer
What is your Daddy's job? Painting
What is Mama's job? Watching me
Favorite place to go? Five Below (they have gummy worms)
Favorite restaurant? McDonald's
Favorite animal? Giraffe
Do have brothers or sisters? Desy!
Any pets? Bill (the cat)
Favorite song? Edelweiss
Favorite ice cream flavor? Vanilla
Who is your best friend? Eliana
Who's your best friend at church? Ben
Favorite cereal? Life
Favorite thing to do outside? Jumping on the trampoline
Favorite drink? Apple juice
What toys do you like to take to bed with you? Scout and my Tardis
What's your favorite holiday? Halloween
What are you good at? Ninja Turtles
Who is the coolest person ever? You (Mama. Finally, someone thinks I'm cool!)
Favorite toy? A car
What makes you happy? Eliana
What makes you sad? Bees
What are you scared of? Monsters, ghosts
What's your super power? Running


What he's up to:
-His favorite thing right now is playing NES. Nathan fixed his old Nintendo last week, and Orion has been crazy about playing Mario and Ninja Turtles. He actually does alright! It's also good bonding time for Orion and his daddy.
-Orion can read most words up to 4-5 letters. I'm never sure whether he just has more difficult words memorized or if he figures them out. He doesn't always feel like doing the work of reading, but he's really good at it. He can spell his name and short words (if he really thinks about it).
-He can write his name, but not clearly- we're working on his fine motor skills with tracing, lacing, etc.
-Orion continues to be a great sleeper at night for the most part. Very occasionally he'll wake up very upset during the night. He gets growing pains in his legs, so I don't know if that's why he gets so wound up or if he has nightmares. Regardless, it's not a problem he has often, and usually it helps if I just lay in his bed til he falls asleep.
-I finally switched his pants up to size 4T this week because the 3's looked like high-waters! I've always had to keep his pants a size smaller than shirts for a while after switching sized because he's thin. He's really filled out though, so he doesn't look sooo skinny any more! I think he's pretty much average now.
-Orion is a VERY picky eater. Enough said. His favorite foods include popcorn, spaghetti with Parmesan, PB&J, and fruit.
-Orion is doing really well memorizing verses for Awana. He has to memorize a verse a week, and he never has any trouble remembering them, even if we only get the chance to work on them a couple times. Most weeks we work on his verse for a few minutes every week day right after Desy goes down for his nap.
-I'm proud of how much more social Orion has become since he was a toddler. He was always such a loner. Now he thinks everyone he meets is his friend and likes to talk to people and play. He still likes to play on his own, but he's really come out of his shell.
-O likes to sing and hum.
-He gets to start singing in the children's choir at church this coming year! Wow!
-He talks. SO. LOUD.
-Orion is still a total Mama's boy. He loves to give me hugs and kisses :)
-Orion and Desy oscillate between being best friends and screaming at each other... because that's what brothers are for.