James at 4 1/2

James is oficially 4 1/2 today. 5 seems exponentially older than 4 to me, so it is a little alarming how rapidly our Bubba is approaching his 5th birthday! Here are a few things I always want to remember about James at 4 1/2:

-He almost always has a stuffed animal tucked under one arm. It is usually Crickety, his bear, but lately Bouncy, his jaguar, has been sneaking into the place of honor. Tim and I kind of feel bad for Crickety, and will replace Bouncy with Crickety in James' arms when we check on him at night. It is totally normal to feel sorry for your kid's favorite stuffed animal, right?

-He is such a snuggler. He always asks to snuggle and will often tell me he has a long list of things to do, which always begins with snuggling.

-He still uses the words yester-year and yester-night instead of last year or last night.

-He loves to play a game he made up called the animal guessing game. You take turns thinking of an animal and giving your partner clues until they guess correctly. He is pretty much awesome at this and will come up with clues like, "My animal is a nocturnal predator." or, "My animal is a marsupial whose habitat is Australia." Seriously, he is like a little animal Encyclopedia.

-He has such a sweet heart. Tonight he cried while looking at Mac's baby pictures because he said he missed Mac being so little.

-He is so creative and loves to build, create and invent things. Legos are still the number one most played with toy, and lately cardboard boxes have been coming in a close second. He has been super into building since the leprechaun trap on St Patrick's Day and after showing him the video "Caine's Arcade" on Youtube that went viral last week, he is even more inspired to create things out of boxes. (PS-if you haven't watched that video, you should. It will totally make your day.) His school is also doing a longterm project this month on recycled art, which is right up his alley. 

-If you ask James what he wants to be when he grows up he says a weather man.

-He tells all of us countless times a day that he loves us. Pretty much the best thing ever.

Happy half-birthday Bubba! We love you so much!