BOOBAH TURNS 4

Another year of hyper-activity has passed us by, and Tobin is now a big 4 year old. Much like the energized bunny, He just keeps on going. From 7am until whenever he crashes (sometimes as late as 10 or so if we don't feel like dealing with that hassle), Tobin is constantly into something.

I haven't asked him outright about future professions (though I hope to in a video interview soon), but I'm thinking crash-test dummy would be a good fit. There are two constants in his life: Banging his head (and most of the rest of his body) into things and spilling every drink he gets. Appropriate birthday gifts would consist of a helmet and sippy-cups... (We took care of the helmet - and elbow/knee pads - along with his new bike.)

Tobin's completed his first year of pre-school, and surprisingly done quite well. I say surprisingly, because we're never sure if 'angel Tobin', or 'devil Tobin' will show up. From what Ms Leigh has told us, about 99% of the time it's been 'angel Tobin'. (He never locked her out of the house like his big brother once did, so that's a big plus!) In fact, he's always eager to be her big helper which is a great joy for us to hear. Taking it up a notch, he's also gained the interest of not one, but two of the cute little girls in his class. Both are friends of ours, and have informed us that their daughters are picking special outfits to wear to school for when they see Tobin. I've jokingly been telling the dads, "She's going to have to bring her 'A' game, she's got competition!"

Another feather in his cap, has been kicking diapers altogether. Early in the 3's, it was daily diapers that he managed to shed, and just at the buzzer, he's got a proven track record of staying dry through the night. We're THRILLED! (And he's got at least a year or two on his old man on that last one there...)

Being the rough and tumble boy he is, we got him into soccer this past spring. When he was focused on the game (and not posing for pictures that other parents were taking, or making faces at us, or trying to say "Hi" to Allegra), he played really well. The other 98% of the time though, was somewhat aggravating to Mom and Dad. We're going to try again in the fall and see if it sticks a bit more. If not, I'm thinking something like Lacrosse (where he can swing a stick at people, and it's legal in the rule-book) may be a better fit for him. Guess time will tell.

Never being the one to shy away from anything, Tobin's always the one to test out all of Blane's plans. Blane of course, as the older brother, is both Tobin's best friend and biggest adversary depending on the minute. Yet most of the time Tobin braves any punishment and consequence to do his brother's bidding. The few blissful minutes a day when they play nicely together is a thing to behold.

Also learned from Blane, Tobin is hugely self-sufficient - really, moreso than we'd like him to be. He gets himself breakfast (and every other snack he feels he's entitled to), dresses himself - whether in something we'd pick out, or a costume of some sort (Red Ranger being his favorite, just before Pirate) - without our assistance, and feels able to do anything we can do. That's great, except for when we disagree, and he gives us the fist and a trademark Tobin face (of which there are more each day).


Tobin - from the minute you wake me up in the mornings with a kiss and a hug to the moment you fight sleep with your last ounce of energy, you're a supreme pleasure, pain in the rear, and source of non-stop laughs for all of us. The things you think up, whether hilarious phrases like "this is a great cup of joe", or ridiculous faces, or some insane booby-trap weapon thing, just blow us away. We don't know whether to discipline or congratulate you on your ingenuity. (Unfortunately, I think we lean towards discipline much of the time because you're all about destruction, which costs us time and money - So sorry for stifling that creativity...)

Everyone agrees that you're the toughest kid around, and we can't wait to see how you'll harness that attribute. However, I wouldn't be surprised if you went the complete opposite direction and flexed your brain instead of your physical toughness one day - I guess we'll just have to keep guessing until then. So in the meantime, we'll do our best to clean up your spills, repair the things you insist on destroying, and enjoy the sweet spirit you possess when you decide to grace us with it. We know great things are in store from you - I'm just hopeful we can weather the hyper-active storm that you embody until that time comes. :)

I love you buddy - and I adore the frantic race out to my car in the mornings to tell me goodbye with a hug and kiss before I leave for work. Happy Birthday kiddo!