Eli is 4!!

Eli turned 4 years old this week. I'm still stunned how fast the time passes with kids.
He's still trapped between the stuborness and tantrums of toddlerhood and the independence and complex thinking of big-kidhood. He can be incredibly sweet and considerate and smart, or he can be a royal pain. He is getting bigger (at least taller, but not gaining much weight it seems). He has so much to say, which is often the cause of tantrums because he wants to tell me about something instead of putting on shoes or brushing teeth when we are running late. His conversations are pretty interesting or hilarious. He has an amazing memory for details, which isn't always so great from the parental perspective, as he will rehash some slight from last year. He now tells stories from when he was two years old as if they were ancient history. He also has a pretty good sense of direction and is quite the backseat driver if I divert from the usual route to a frequent destination. He is still obsessed with transportation, trains especially. He asked Santa for more wooden tracks and a bridge for his train set and a pretty dress for Lena (aww!)

He is still a good big brother although we have some pretty rough turf battles over toys. Eli doesn't have anywhere to play with just his own toys without her destroying the train track setup or threatening to swallow anything with small parts. He also takes away toys Lena's toys, so the screaming never ends. 95% of our waking hours at home are spent in the same 12x15ft common area that serves as living room, dining room, office, play room, and tv room. The kids have to share an 8x8ft bedroom so there is no escaping each other unless naptimes are staggered and no place to set up separate play areas in the current configuration.
I guess entire extended families in the developing world manage to survive in huts the size of our kitchen, so hopefully two siblings can learn to deal with each other in our townhouse.

Eli enjoyed his birthday party with a few friends 2 weekends ago, complete with an awesome train cake made by our friend Craig. He also liked the mini blueberry muffins I sent to school for a special snack (yes, I was THAT mom that didn't send cupcakes, gasp). I stopped for frozen custard on the way home, so he got his share of birthday treats.
It seems like his 3rd birthday party just happened-- this year really flew by. Happy birthday Eli!