Because of Wade

Wade turns 4 years old today.  

I've been a parent of four kids for four years.  

First gathering of all four kiddos.  

Sometimes it feels more like four minutes.   A blurry four minutes, whizzing by so fast it's easy to forget and miss everything.  That is one of the reasons I started this blog after Wade was born...to remember and capture moments. 

This is the first picture I ever put on my first blog post ever.  This is Wade circa 2011.

Because of Wade we remember to not forget the silly, the fun, the messy, the funny, the sometimes hard moments, the love.

Because of Wade, moments like him serenading the dog in the kitchen in his underwear are captured forever.

When he's older, he's going to be so glad
I captured this moment, right?

"He's a mixture of all of us," Lucy said the other day.  "He likes football like Peyton, likes to play pretend like me and likes to be silly like JT."  

He's also his own little person
who is in love with costumes right now.  

She's right.  He is a mixture of all of us.  Sometimes I don't like the middle school-ness part, like when he puts a shirt on and asks me if "this looks lame" or when he tries to play tackle football with all the older kids in the neighborhood.  

Wade wants to be big so badly.  

He dresses up in his brother's uniforms, watches all the boys' games (rain or shine).

He helps with setting the table, he loves to vacuum and wants to do it all by himself.  Don't even think about trying to help because as he'll tell you he's "not a baby anymore."  Sure he puts his shoes on the wrong feet and his underwear on backwards, but he's so proud because he did it himself.  

When I had my fourth baby four years ago, I dreamed he would be my sidekick while the older ones were at school.  

Wade is that dream come true.  He is my little buddy, my pal, my shadow, my sweet, funny boy.

Wade was recently given the title "Homework Enforcer."  He simply reminds the  kids to do their homework in a very loud voice through his fancy homework enforcer shouting tool (otherwise known as an old paper towel roll).

He's not the greatest laundry helper, he's more of a hide-and-seek type of laundry guy.  But he always makes me laugh.

Because of Wade we got busier, crazier and time somehow got faster.  But also because of Wade we remember more, laugh more and love more.

Even though he can't wait to be big, I cherish these sweet days together where he still needs a little hand.