Lukas at 4 and 3/4

Lukas says and does some funny things. I wish I could remember them all, but here's a start...

• Lukas and I were talking this morning about something and he responds, "That's why Heavenly Father gave us brains, to remember stuff." I agreed with him and then he said, "Mom, I'm smart, amen't I?"
• Lukas is all about the "What If's". He can sit in the car and never stop asking 'what if' questions, "Mom, what if I grew so tall that my head hit the ceiling and I didn't fit anymore? What would happen then? What if we forgot to lock the door and then it opened on the freeway? What if we didn't roll up our windows and all the flies would come in? What would happen if..."
• Anytime I am helping Max go potty, Lukas is standing right there saying, "What a big boy! Look Max, you're a big boy like me! Good job going in the potty!" He encourages him a lot.
  
• Lukas and Max fight like cats and dogs. If I didn't intervene, they would rip each other to shreds. They pull, punch, hit, slap, push...you name it, they're at it! They taunt each other to no end. Drives me crazy.
• Why is "poop" such a fun word to say? I'll never understand. Lukas and Max crack up anytime I say bum, butt, pee, poop...anything relating to the potty. Please get over this phase quickly boys.
• We met my mom at Cabela's and were walking around looking at all the animals. He wanted to know how much each animal weighed and which one was his size. He was fascinated by weight this time around. (He weighs almost 40 pounds).
• He has to be in charge of Max. "Mom, Max said the 's' word (which is stupid). Put him in time out." Or, "Max, if you say that one more time I'm gonna spank you."
• Whenever he sees something he wants he'll say, "Mom, can I get this for my birthday?" At this point I think he thinks he's getting an entire store for his bday.
  
• He loves being on the computer and really knows how to navigate his favorite sites: Noggin, PBS kids, Nick Jr.
• He really picks up on things like commercials. He'll come to me and say something word for word that he heard on a commercial. One time we drove by Maverick and he pointed out the window and said, "Hey there's that drink. Not to heavy, not to light." It was beer.
• We were at the store one day in the parking lot and he saw a girl smoking in her car. He leaned over to me and said, "Mom, why is that girl smoking? Does she want to die?" Luckily she didn't hear us.
• Every day it's either, "Can we go to California today?" or "When are we going to Nana's house?"
  

Consequeneces

Lukas was acting up and got in trouble. His punishment was that he had to miss his friends b-day party the next day. Pat and I are just at a loss of what to do to teach him proper behavior. We thought this was the best consequence to teach him that if he can't behave in public, he won't be able to go public places including a friends party. He was so upset. Well, I had time to think about it and decided to give him an alternative to his punishment. If he could do a small list of chores that I laid out for him before the party, he could still go. Instead of sulking and whining about it, he just went and did it on his own. He picked up his toys in the basement, straightened his toy room, made his bed, emptied ALL the garbages on his own and wiped the table and chairs clean. I was so impressed. When he puts him mind to it, he can really get stuff done. He went to the party and had a blast! Way to go Lukas! You made good choices.

Preschool Graduation

What perfect excuse to make a big deal, right? Well, normally I totally would, he's my first!! But he will be going to one more year of preschool before he starts kindergarten so no big after party or graduation cake. Nana and Papa came to cheer him on and I know that made him feel special. He had a little speaking part that he memorized and did so well when it was his turn. He is quite squirmy and could hardly sit still in his chair for the program. Luckily he has more time to practice. I am amazed at how much he has learned this year. He started out not knowing how to write any letters and coloring crazy all over the page and now he can spell his name and color details in the lines!! I'm excited for him to learn more and for the fun experiences ahead of him. Thank you Silver Pups and we'll see you next year! :) Now what am I going to do with my rowdy 4 year old all summer????



Papa and Nana with the little graduate!


Can you fast forward 13 years and picture these guys at high school graduation? Best Buddies!

Kindful

Lukas saw me cleaning the kitchen today and came over to help. I told him he was my best helper. And he replied, "Yea, I saw you and wanted to be kindful." I love my little kindful helper!

Lukas' Thoughts on Marriage

Lukas' CTR5 teacher told me today that another girl in Primary (Kylie Kener) said to Lukas, "I'm 4 years old and you're 4, and so we could get married."

I wanted to know what he thought about it so I said, "Do you want to marry Kylie?"

He said, "No."

I was thinking, he said no b/c he didn't get along with her, but instead he said, "I'm not big yet. I'm not a daddy. When I'm a daddy or a mommy then I can get married."

So then I asked him, "So when you're big do you want to marry Kylie?"

And he responds, "No, I am going to marry you."

4 1/2

Lukas is 4 1/2 and growing so much. I am so proud of him b/c he has slept in his bed for 12 night straight! He doesn't get up in the middle of the night or come in my bed to sleep. He gets up to go potty, but doesn't wake me up. He'll just get up and go and get back in bed. This is monumental for us!!!!!!!!!! YAY Lukas! The bedtime fairy is practically out of rewards. (And we're still working on Max)... Lukas is way into TMNT and loves to fight like one. He is getting better with Max but at the same time is so bossy and totally freaks out if Max doesn't do just what he wants. He still hasn't mastered his impulses and hits or pushes Max all the time. He loves preschool and knows how to spell/write his name. He likes to write Max's name and daddy's name, too. He is learning his letters (identifying them and sounding them out) but is far from reading. He likes to play with friends and always wants someone to come over. For the most part he is well behaved, however I find that I'm a little bit controlling and have to have things a certain way so I get frustrated with the kids if it isn't going as planned. (I'm trying to relax. Really.) He is so smart and picks up quickly on things. He likes playing games, doing puzzles, coloring or playing ninjas. I can't belive he'll turn 5 this year.

I can't believe how big Lukas is getting. He helps Max get his pj's on, brushes his teeth on his own and can get milk himself. He is such a great helper and loves to cook, clean and help me with anything I ask. He is still very emotional and does not like to take NO for an answer. Although he is learning so much and maturing every day. He has his crazy hyper moments, but entertains himself so well. He loves to play on the computer, playstation, color (which he totally colors in the lines and can spend hours doing), he loves to go to Tommy's or Whitney's or just play with his toys. He does so well in Primary and Preschool and LOVES his teachers. He has a very shy side to him and does NOT like to get up with the Primary to sing during sacrament or gives talks in Primary. He is a great big brother most of the time and helps Max a lot. It's really fun to see his personality come through as he gets older.