Since I spent the extra $5 at JC Penny to have the jpgs of AF's 1 year picture, I thought I should probably share them on my blog.  One fun thing that I did with our 4th was to take his picture each month on his birthday holding a sign that said how many months old he was.  I enjoyed periodically showing these pictures here and reporting on what he'd been learning to do.  Now that he's almost 15 mths (sniff, sniff) I stopped doing it, but I do need to share the crazy things he's been up to since turning the big 1.  I know for a fact, although I didn't keep as good of track as I would have liked, that my other kids weren't getting into this much mischief this young.  I should have known when he was walking just before 10 months.  Oh, the things a 4th child figures out! 

So here's a list of his latest:

• He has figured out that the door from the hallway to the garage doesn't always latch and if he pulls on the doorstop he can get out to the garage.
• He loves to color, especially with big sister's colored pencils.  His pencil grip is better than one of his siblings but I won't mention who!
• He can now reach the buttons on the TV and at the end of a movie will go up and turn it off.
• If he can tell we are going out (I am helping the other kids with their shoes), he will go into the shoe bin, where nothing is paired together, and bring me a pair of his shoes.
• He can climb up to the chair where the computer is and clicks on the mouse with one finger.
• He loves to dance, especially to the Backyardigans theme song.
• He can ride in the cozy coupe, but only go backwards.
• He knows the sign in sign language for milk and actually does it when he wants his milk!or I'm pouring it.
• If I pucker up he will kiss me (and won't stop until I kiss him back all over his cheeks) and he gives the wonderful hugs!
• When I lay him down to go to sleep at night, I turn on his mobile to play him a lullabye and he looks at me, starts pulling his own hair (his comfort) and giggles like he's just so excited to be in his bed:)
• The other day I got sidetracked after changing his diaper and later found him in the kitchen trying to open the baby lock to the cupboard where the trash is.
• At the park he can climb up the steps, go across the bridge and go down the slide all by himself.
• He loves to play peek-a-boo.
• He loves chocolate, thanks to his Daddy, and will come running if he hears a wrapper in the kitchen.
• He can stack 3 blocks (and knock down any tower that his siblings have spent hours making with pure joy).
• He loves to wipe the kitchen table with a sponge and tries to sweep the floor (Didn't get that from me! He's definitely Daddy's boy.)

All this is being written so I can take a second to smile at what he's doing because for the better part of the day I am putting away the latest cupboard or drawer or closet or hamper contents he's taken out and spread all over the house; get him off the kitchen table for the 100th time; search all over for something he put SOMEWHERE (found a bill in AK's pajama drawer); trying to decide if THIS fall is serious enough to call the doctor when he's fallen off something he's climbed up on and bruised or cut his head AGAIN; cleaning him and the bathroom because one of the kids left the door open AGAIN and he's unrolled the toilet paper, put it ALL in the toilet and then played in it; keeping him from scribbling on big sister's writing assignment - she doesn't appreciate his pencil grip as much as I do; taping up pages of books he's ripped; cleaning up spills because someone left their cup where he could get it AGAIN; and generally trying to make sure he doesn't kill himself (And did I mention that I have 3 other kids???)

But as I am about to give my oldest her 7th birthday party on Saturday (though her birthday isn't actually until the 29th), I am trying so hard to enjoy the season he is in because it does all seem to be going by way too fast for my liking.  The verse I am praying for him these days is that he would continue to grow and become strong, increasing in wisdom and that the grace of God would be upon him(Luke 2:40). 

Hope you are having a great week!

-J