I remember looking at this handsome boy when he was born. He had such dark features. Austin was born with dark hair and dark eyes, and I remember being so excited that I had a baby with dark features. I remember looking at his perfectly round little face and thinking how grateful I was for him. Jim and I had really struggled with infertility and we were ready to start really invasive fertility intervention when we found out I was pregnant. Austin has been such a blessing, a miracle, since the moment we knew he was on his way to us.
Austin has always been a little snuggler. He loved to be held as a baby, which was a total contrast to Jackson. I loved every minute! I loved being able to rock him and love him and stare at him. Jackson was such a drastic life change for me and everything was so new that I don't feel like I took the time to stare at him and smell him and memorize him as I did with Austin.
Austin has always been silly and he LOVES attention. He loves all eyes on him all the time. He loves music and dancing. He seriously is the best little booty-shaker that I've ever seen! He loves to dress up and pretend. When he was 2ish his very favorite thing to do was to steal Jackson's underwear and wear them on the outside of his clothes. He did it all the time!
Austin has always been very physical too. From dancing and snuggling, to hitting and punching (we're working on that) and everything in-between. He seems to be a kinetic learner, so it makes sense that he must use his body for everything. Even his face is very expressive. He makes the most funny faces when he talks- you can almost tell what he's saying just by watching the faces he makes without hearing a word. As a baby he turned over and crawled quicker than his brothers because he's always been a mover and a shaker.
I'm so blessed to be his Austin's mommy. He's my little lovebug, my thinker, and my little sweetie pie. He's extremely emotionally intelligent, and he spoke very early. He likes to express himself and he constantly surprises me with what a huge vocabulary he has! Just recently he told me a dream that involved the words: resume and the Texas Broadcasting System. What?!?
What 3 year old talks about the Texas Broadcasting System!?
I remember when Jackson started pre-k, I couldn't imagine Austin being big enough to go to school. Then I feared he would be my child that would scream and cry when I left him at school just like he screamed and cried when we took him to nursery the first time, but by the time primary rolled around he was off and running! And when Jackson started school last year he told everyone that HE was going to school and that he was in preschool. He fully believed that he was going to school and it was quite heartbreaking when he didn't get to go to class when Jackson did, but next year is HIS year!
I can't believe he's old enough for preschool.
Time flies!
So here we are, Austin's 4th birthday.
He's ginormous! He weighs the same as Jackson, if not a pound or so more and he's only 3 inches shorter (but he's 2.5 years younger). This last winter he grew several inches and climbed from a size 4 to a size 6. Even his feet are huge! He started the winter season in brand new size 11 tennis shoes, 3 weeks later they were too small! We just bought him size 13 tennis shoes a few weeks ago. I am amazed at how much he has grown in such a small amount of time! This summer he and Jackson will be sharing clothes. Jackson is in size 7 pants/shorts for length only, but Austin is biting at his heels in size 6. They'll be sharing shirts and dress clothes. I feel very confident that Jackson will be wearing Austin's hand-me-downs in just a year or two.
It's insane!
So on to Ausitn's 4 birthday celebration(s)!
His birthday usually falls around Spring Break. My only child who does not have a summer birthday. This year he had is party before his actual birthday because it was during spring break and everyone was off work/school. 4 is a simple year, so we had a very simple party at home with just family.
First, he decorated his cake- a new tradition that the boys really look forward to.
He told the baker exactly how he wanted the cake decorated, colors, swirls, and all! Then he added his own creative touch to it.
I love his tongue hanging out. He was really concentrating!
We wore party hats, we ate cake, and opened presents!
Harrison actually kept his party hat on!
And took lots of pictures!
Notice his "smile" was the same in every picture. I'm pretty sure he was sick of taking pictures.
Maggie hugs always gets real smiles!
Fun times with grandma-
And there were presents...
He was so cute! He was genuinely excited and grateful for every gift! He kept saying, "Oh, I weawy weawy wanted you to get this for me!" or "Oh, I have wanted this forever, since I was a baby! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
Then we went to the Jumpin Jungle to let him play and jump! Remember, he's super physical, so I just knew it would be the perfect place for him!
Yeah, I was wrong.
He was terrified to jump or climb. He's so adventurous, I don't know what happened!?
Usually, if there's a bouncy house he runs to it and jumps right in (pun intended, I'm so clever), and I have to threaten his life to get him out OR I have to get my big butt in the bouncy house and drag him out kicking and screaming, but that day he was terrified for some reason...
Basketball was about the only "safe" fun he was willing to have.
Daddy finally forced him into a bouncy thing and he just screamed and cried.
Happy birthday to him...
Everyone else had fun, though!
Even Harrison!
I forgot socks! Thank goodness Sarah was prepared! She played with Harrison while I searched for socks.
Harrison had a blast bouncing!
That's me with him, by the way. I bought some socks from the bouncy place.
Daddy even took Harrison down the big slide!
Austin refused. :(
Guess what...?
In the last 30 minutes or so that we were there, someone started to play!!
He wouldn't stand up to jump, but he was at least having fun.
I love this picture. Austin and Jackson having a little brother pow-wow.
To finish Austin's day off, they got to spend the night at grandma's house!
Austin could not have been happier!
On Saturday night Austin got to have a birthday date with grandma. Grandma takes the boys out on individual dates to whatever restaurant they want, but they always choose Casa Ole (a tex-mex place). Austin got the royal treatment! The staff not only sang to him and brought him a sundae the size of his head, one waitress gave him some quarters for the coin machines in the front of the store and another waitress brought him 4 dollars and pinned them to his shirt. I am super impressed with how Casa Ole celebrated his birthday and I will be writing to tell them.
Back at home, Jim grilled burgers while Jackson blew bubbles for Harrison.
Austin's birthday fell on a Sunday this year (another reason we had his party during spring break). He requested bacon and eggs for breakfast, and pizza, mac & cheese, and tomatoes for dinner. Dinner wasn't my favorite, but he loved every bit of all his favorites! He opened a couple cards he got in the mail and a couple of small gifts that we set aside for his real birthday.
He even wore a "birthday boy" pin to church and got to pick from the goodie bag in primary!
I think he had an excellent 4th birthday!
I can't believe he's 4!? ...Have I mentioned that yet.
Crazy!
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