The Miller Family: McCoy is 4!

I seriously can not believe that my baby boy turned 4 on Oct. 9!! I feel like every year goes by faster than the last, especially now that Violet is here. I can't tell you how many times a day I look at him and think about how great it would be if I could just slow things down or press a pause button, even just for a day! I LOVE being his mommy and am so blessed to spend each day with him!! I am also blessed that he has an early birthday, so I've still got an extra year before he starts kindergarten;)!
I took McCoy to his 4 year check-up today. He is 36 1/2 inches tall and weighs 37 lbs, which means he is in the 80th percentile for height and 50th for weight. Dr. B was a little concerned about the weight since he's always been 75th or 80th for weight also, but considering he just had his tonsils out and has barely been eating, he is ok with that. It's breaking my heart to see him so skinny, but I'm hoping in a few days his appetite will come back:).
Dr. B was very happy with all of McCoy's developmental milestones. His speech is still behind and he's had some speech therapy but we are taking a break and I'm just trying to work with him at home.
So, all that being said, here are some things I want to make sure to remember about McCoy at 4:
1. Personality-wise, the majority of the time he is very happy and very active. He is not a fan of sitting still;)! He does not like for us to get on to him and he knows just what smile to give me, when he knows I'm angry with him. It's impossible to stay mad after his sweet smile;).
2. His favorite thing to do is play outside. He likes to ride his jeep (that he got for his birthday) or bike, play basketball, baseball, or golf, or go on walks. He got a full size goal this year and it is amazing to see how many shots he can make! He has an amazing golf swing(left-handed) and he loves to play baseball, but refuses to play with the tee anymore. He would rather Kirk or I pitch it to him. And he normally swings a bat left-handed also.
3. If he can't play outside, he likes to play with his trains (Geo Trax and Thomas), read books, color, or play with play-doh. His favorite books are Little Engine That Could, Too Many Toys, the Clifford books, Polar Express, and any Toy Story books. Lately, he's been big on practicing writing his letters and talking about the sounds they make;). He really likes for me to help him write his letters but I'm working on giving him the confidence to do it on his own...even though I love to help!
4. His favorite movies are Toy Story (not 3, though), Cars, and Polar Express. I try to make him wait and not start watching Polar Express until after Thanksgiving but since he's had his tonsils out, he pretty much gets to watch whatever he wants;).
5. He LOVES his baby sister!! He loves to play with her on her activity mat. Kirk and I laugh because he is always in her face. You would think that she would get annoyed but he can definitely get the most laughs from her! I'm pretty sure she feels the same way about him as he does about her.
6. He's not a big eater but his favorite foods are peanut butter and jelly, Nutri-grain bars, pink ice cream, yogurt, and bananas. However, those foods are nothing compared to his love of chips and cheese dip!!! Whenever we ask him what he wants for dinner, that is what he says. He also has his favorite places to go and get chips and cheese dip. And he can tell us how to get there;)!
7. He no longer takes a nap but does have quiet time in his room. He can play with his toys or watch Leap Frog videos but he has to stay in his room. He goes to bed around 8:00 and falls right to sleep! Oh, and about going to bed...he still wears a pull-up at night time:(. I know, I need to work on it! Sometimes he wakes up dry and sometimes he's soaking wet. I'm just not really sure how to go about working on that... Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!
8. McCoy LOVES preschool and his teacher, Ms. Luann. He had a preschool assessment a month or so ago and he tested a little low for his age developmentally. I was a little concerned, but after looking at the test there is some things he can do that he didn't and some that I was surprised he could do. However, there are definitely somethings we need to work on, like buttons and zippers, putting small puzzles together, recognizing other people's names, holding a pencil properly, hopping on one foot and galloping/skipping, and speaking clearly. He also always wants to be first and can't stay in line...definitely need to work on that, but it didn't surprise me! But she did say he plays really well with others, which makes me so happy:)!
9. He can say his ABC's, recognize all his letters, and tell me the sounds they make. He's also doing really well at writing his name and he loves to practice. When he first started school, he wasn't very good at tracing but now he's doing great! He knows all his colors, shapes, and body parts. He loves music and playing dress-up! Ms. Luann also told me how amazed she was at how well he can throw a football. That made daddy very happy;)!
We love you so much, little man and look forward to all the years to come...just not too fast;)!!

Here are a few random pics of McCoy from my iphone...