Alex is Four!

It's hard to believe that Alex has come from this.....

to this in just four short years!

I can't help but get a little emotional just thinking about how he's grown and changed over the years -- from the little 6 pounder when he was born to an active, talkative 4-year old! I enjoyed cruising down memory lane (which in my world is looking back through all the digital pictures on my computer that I have of Alex from the last four years) and seeing how much he's grown! We spent Alex's first birthday in Texas. Roger, Alex and I were living in Salt Lake and we flew down because my Aunt was getting remarried the day after his first birthday. So we enjoyed celebrating with the family here in Texas. Of course, Alex was a little sick on his first birthday. And you can see in his eyes that he wasn't feeling his best. By his first birthday, he was already walking -- he'd started walking about a month before his birthday. He was always ahead on the physical milestones. He was an active boy: he used to love walking our neighborhood in Salt Lake! And he was working on talking, eating and drinking from a sippy cup.

What a difference a year makes! By Alex's second birthday, we had moved to Arlington. Roger had accepted a job with the Arlington Police Department and was in the academy. We had moved into our new home just about a week before his second birthday. We were very new to our ward in church and hadn't made a lot of friends here yet. So we celebrated his second birthday with our close friends, the Lucas family, and of course the family in Texas. And Nana visited from Utah for the day, so that was fun too! Alex was still an active 2-year old. And still very sweet.

Alex's third birthday was so fun because we had a big party with all our friends from play group and a couple friends outside of play group. We had a party at the bowling alley, so all the kids bowled, ate pizza, and enjoyed cake and helping Alex open presents. I think last year was another year of tremendous growth for Alex, including a growth in the family. Alex is still a very sweet little boy. He is full of energy from the time his eyes open in the morning until he finally settles down at night. He loves to talk...wonder where he got that from (McNiel gift of gab)! Any chance he gets, he loves to be outside playing. And I think from being pregnant and needing a more comfortable place to burn off energy, Alex also enjoys the mall.

Alex becomes more aware of the world around him every day. And one of his greatest qualities is compassion. He genuinely is concerned about anyone unhappy or hurt. While he keeps me on my toes (and exhausted sometimes), Alex is a sweet and caring kid. And nothing melts my heart more than hearing, "Mom, I love you" or "You're my best girl!" Now if only I could be his only girl for the next 20 years or so... Happy Birthday Alex and looking forward to this last year before you head off to kindergarten!