My Four Year Old

Almost 4 weeks after Leo's birthday, I am still finding it hard to believe that I have a FOUR year old. When did he suddenly get so big, and so grown up? It's been a busy few weeks, and life with a Four year old is so much fun. All of a sudden he's an actual little boy, not a baby. Not a toddler, a little boy, who walks, talks, and even starts school in September. As if I wasn't finding it hard enough to digest that my baby is Four..He's now starting school in a matter of weeks!

My four year old is funny. So very funny. Not a day goes by where he doesn't have me chuckling away at something he does, or more often than not something he says. According to Leo there are certain songs I can't sing along with, because they are 'boy songs'. It's amazing how young they are before the context of gender roles comes into play. Although having said that, when he is zooming around on Mario Kart with Mario at the helm..It's Peaches Pink car that he covets the most, yet he hates Pink...Because 'It's for girls!'.

My four year old is clever, and he knows it. He knows things that I didn't even realise he knew. We have been practicing our letters somewhat recently, only through fun games usually involving Mario and Luigi.. They are his absolute superheroes at this moment in time, and thanks to them he now recognises the letters M and L straight away. While we were looking at DVDs in Tesco recently Leo pointed at the Shaun the Sheep DVD and picked out the 'M' of the word 'Movie'. I almost choked on my Caramel Cappuccino he caught me that much off guard. 'M for Mario Mummy!' he shouted. The amazing thing is he recognises the letter for a number of words beginning with 'M', which of course is pretty great as this is the year my little man is going to learn to read!

My four year old has a love for adventure, and after our recent holiday to Tunisia he has been determined to return. Unfortunately due to everything that has happened in the country recently it hasn't been a possibility. He's picked up that something awful has happened through the news, he knows that a bad man has hurt lots of people. He doesn't understand how and why this has scarpered our plans to return however. It was just yesterday that Leo told me that he wants to go back, he wants to see his friends and party in the hotel bar again like before. Of course I explained that one day we would take him back, but at the moment no one is out there because of everything that happened. His reply? Well.. Obviously I am just being mean and 'I'm not your friend now Mummy! I want to go back to Tunisia!' was the only fitting answer he could muster.

My four year old loves to get outside, he loves to run, hop, jump and skip and scoot. Scooting is one of his passions, and not a day goes by over the summer months where he doesn't take one of his prized possessions out to play. He never ceases to amaze me with the control he exudes over his scooting, from the movement to the handling, he really is a proper little skater boy. All he needs now are a pair of Heelys to really complete his look!

He loves to keep me on my toes, and he loves popping the roof on the Mini, turning up the music far to loud and playing his current favourite song. 'Life is Life' blasts from the speakers as we drive along the road turning heads...All the while I can't help but smile as I see Leo bopping along and singing as loud as his little voice will let him. 'Life is Life, na na na!' he sings at the same time demanding 'I want it nosier! A little more, a little more!' when the volume isn't to his satisfaction.

My four year old is my entire world, and I am especially excited for the new challenges that are heading our way this year. I love that he is still a complete and utter Mummy's boy, and there is nothing better than snuggling up together for a movie night under the duvet with a big bag of popcorn, and of course a whole array of naughty treats! While we were away Leo actually shouted at a man who asked to dance with me. He ran over and broke up the two step within seconds. My little body guard.

He's growing up so quickly, and school is going to age him entirely. As soon as he puts on that uniform for the first time, he is going to be a school boy.

And I know he is so very ready for it.

Leo's Fourth Birthday

4 years ago Leo arrived.

Life as I knew it had changed forever. 

I was responsible for a small person, and it was now my job to shape and mold him into a gentle and caring young man. To show him the ways of the world, to teach him manners and feed his hunger to learn. It's the biggest responsibility I could have ever taken on and it has been so incredibly rewarding, even at the most challenging of times.

As I look back over the last 4 years I can't help but smile at how he has excelled and the things he has achieved as he has transitioned into the beautiful boy that he is today.

We spent a beautiful day together on the 27th June for his Fourth birthday. It was a day of gifts, giggles and family time. Games of Mario Kart on Leo's shiny new Nintendo Wii U, where Leo thrived on beating family members as he whizzed past showing us all that he meant business!

For Leo this was the first year that he understood the true nature of having a birthday. He knew it was something to look forward to and he knew that he was going to be spoiled. Leo had told me early on that this year he wanted a Thomas cake, and that was what I had been planning for the last few months. In my head absolutely everything was going be Thomas the Tank Engine. Until of course he discovered Super Mario and decided that actually...A Mario Kart cake was much more up his street. Yes my then almost FOUR year old was all about Mario..

Suffice to say that coming up with a new cake in my mind that I would be able to do justice for my special boy was a whole other story. I would usually attempt a practice cake a few weeks before hand... But this year there was just no time. So the night before Leo's big day was yet another year that I stayed up late, of course not as late as I did on that very same night all of those years ago! 

I was so pleased with the finished cake (A separate post on how I actually made this will be going live very soon!), it had taken hours, there were moments that I wished I had just paid to have one made, but when this cake was presented before me, complete and ready for Leo the following morning I just wanted to give myself a massive high five, and I may have even fist pumped the air!

With the cake ready, I now had to make sure that absolutely everything was in place for the morning when Leo came down stairs. I made a little hideaway in between the nook in the sofa, covered it with a sheet and placed all of his cards and gifts inside, then it was just a case of filling it with number four balloons! 

The next morning Leo didn't wake up as early as I had expected him, it was almost 9am by the time he catapulted into my bedroom and announced that it was now his birthday and we MUST now get up and go downstairs. Of course you don't argue with birthday boys (Or Leo full stop as a general rule of thumb!). As we marched down the stairs with speed, Leo stopped dead in his tracks! There before him was a birthday banner, and this only fueled his mission to get downstairs. 

He marched like a man on a mission, what he thought was waiting for him I will never know, but he knew something exciting was unfolding. It took seconds for him to scout out the room and find his present treasure trove. 'Mummy! There's presents in here!' He announced, or I should say squealed. Diving in head first he pulled out his finds, of course they were all fittingly wrapped in Mario paper!

Mummy and Daddy had treated Leo to a Nintendo Wii U, we thought it would be a nice treat to enjoy as a family, and of course we had to make sure that our budding racer had his own copy of the new Mario Kart 8 to go along with it. 

Leo now even has his very own Mario hat! The boy was ready for his special day.

When the excitement of presents had died down and breakfast was settling, I decided to pull a surprise from the car. We were borrowing a rather exciting 16 foot Water Slide for Leo's big day, and with the weather being on side we were looking forward to getting into the garden and having a play!

Leo had been really looking forward to me bringing home one of the water slides to play with, and to be honest I had shared his enthusiasm! What I would have done for one of these back in my childhood, kids today quite simply don't know how good they have it!

The slide was so easy to set up, it was just a case of laying it flat, plugging the fan into the mains and of course attaching it to the inflatable, filling the included water weights and securing them either side so that there are no toppling incidents...and boom! Time to play!

Leo and his cousin wasted no time at all getting the water out, it was a mild day but I think they soon regretted just how much water they had invested in those first few moments. There was teeth chattering and a few tears, until of course Leo discovered the water cannon! This quickly became Leo's favourite part of the water slide, as it enabled him to shoot Josh with water and stay dry himself, the plan was flawed from the beginning however, and soon Josh had seized control leaving the birthday boy regretting the initial soaking!

This slide is pretty epic to say the least, the size of it (I could have gone down myself if I wasn't absolutely to chicken by the thought of the cold water!), the included hosing that you simply have to attach with Velcro, it means that there is always a constant stream of water! If your childhoods were anything like mine...A water slide was your typical garden slide with tarpaulin draped strategically at the bottom...and a hose. Of course what would happen is, you would shoot down the slide at speed... fly off the tarpaulin and feel your landing... Or if you were feeling a little more adventurous...the slide would be placed in the paddling pool (Usually popping the pool I hasten to add!)...But it was fun while it lasted. 

The 16ft Water Slide is everything you need for fun in the sun and even boasts a splash pool, making this model a summer's day necessity.

As you can see both of the boys were so pleased with their afternoon of fun and games. The water slide really helped us celebrate Leo's Fourth birthday in style and just looking back at these memories we made, I know it's not going to be a day either of them forget in a hurry!. 

The slide was played with on and off all afternoon and well into the evening, and Leo's favourite time with it was when he was all on his own, climbing up and sliding down after it had all been dried off. Watching him climb and play about with such ease really did highlight just how grown up he now is. Those baby days are so far behind us now, but I am completely and utterly besotted with the little boy he has become. 

The day went by far to quickly and with Leo requesting Granny's homemade Chinese feast for his Birthday dinner, we were all ready to devour a banquet fit for a king! Birthday dinner was followed by cake and Happy Birthday! Leo's eyes spoke a thousand words as the sparklers were lit (In my honest opinion...If the cake doesn't take off then it's not a real party!). 

The world is now our oyster, and this age right now is just amazing. Another birthday under our belts, another day full of smiles and one Four year old boy. A Four year old boy due to start school in a matter of months, a caring, beautiful little man that has grown up far to quickly for my liking!

Thank you Toyz World for letting us borrow the water slide for the weekend!

Disclaimer: We borrowed the BeBop Water Slide for the weekend. I have not been compensated for this post. All views and opinions expressed are completely honest and my own.