Anderson: Four

Anderson. My bundle of joy. The ultimate cuddler. Giver of ALL the hugs and kisses. Our Anderson was born with a smile on his face, and remains one of the happiest kids around. That doesn't mean that he doesn't have your typical four-year-old tantrums. He does. And he can whine with the best of them. But, besides those short-lived bouts of disgruntlement, Anderson is always happy, smiling, and laughing. He is easy going, easy to get along with, and easy to be around. He is funny and has perfect comedic timing. He usually has everyone around him laughing and is loved by all. 

Weight: 36 pounds

Height: Who knows?

Milestones:

Anderson started preschool this year and is loving every minute of it. He is learning how to write his name, can identify some letters (Mom REALLY needs to work on this one with him), and knows most of his numbers. He intrinsically understands how things "work," and has a very mechanical mind. Mom (who struggles with this type of thing) will try to put together toys without luck. She can always ask Anderson for help, and after studying the object in question, he figures it out every time. He makes the most impressive structures with his blocks, magnets, and tracks. He LOVES to build and is really, really good at it. Anderson is also very in control of his body. His motor skills are impressive and he definitely didn't get his mom's "clumsy" gene. He is incredibly coordinated and can scale some impressive structures without issue. He very rarely falls, spills, or knocks things down. Another seemingly "silly" milestone is that Anderson can now dress himself, buckle himself into his car seat, and get snacks without help (to name a few). He tends to "play" helpless and wants Mom and Dad to do everything for him. Dad started working with him on the tasks that he *should* be able to do on his own, and as expected, he knew how to do them just fine. He just didn't want to put in the work. Being more independent is definitely a major area of focus right now. 

Loves:

Cars. Cars. and more cars. Anderson is OBSESSED (to put it mildly) with Hot Wheels. He has told Mom and Dad that he wants so many Hot Wheels tracks that they, "cover all the floor." He lives, eats, and breathes Hot Wheels. He even carries around a little brochure of Hot Wheels wherever he goes to show people which "cool" set he wants to get next. He is a bonafide fanatic. Accompanying his love of cars is a love of money. He's always trying to collect/earn money so that he can buy (you guessed it) more cars. He stores his earnings in his very own piggy bank and often counts his money to see if he's earned enough yet. Besides cars, Anderson loves anything that he can build with. He especially likes his magnets and will build (surprise, surprise) "garages" for all of his cars. He also loves to build marble runs with his Picaso Tiles set. Like his dad, Anderson is obsessed with music. Every time he is in the car he requests music. He has his list of favorites. At the top of the list? Hamilton. He may have inherited his Dad's obsession with music, but he also seems to have inherited his Mom's love of musical theater. Hamilton is his number one request, and whenever he is listening to it in the car, he asks Mom to roll the window down so that "everyone can hear." Anderson also loves to bug his sister and it ALWAYS antagonizing her. 

Hates:

Food. No, seriously. Besides his small handful of favorites, Anderson doesn't like much food. He is the epitome of "picky eater" and every meal time usually consists of a melt down of some kind. Dad is great at getting him to try new foods, but most of the time, he hates whatever he tries. Mom blames Dad and his own picky eating for Anderson's proclivities. It's exhausting. Besides his food aversions, Anderson doesn't "hate" much. He argues with his sister and gets upset when she tries to tell him what to do, but more often than not, they get along fine. He's generally happy and easy going, which makes Mom and Dad's lives easier!