“Hasn’t he grown!” a random relative said to me over the Christmas period.

While I knew that remark was coloured by the fact they hadn’t seen him in almost a year, it suddenly dawned on me that he had, in fact, grown, and not just in height.

Last year was busy. Insanely busy in the true sense of the word. Things happened that I never dreamed would happen, good, bad, and indifferent, and somewhere, in the middle of all that, my middle child grew up.

Looking into those endless blue eyes that often twinkle with mischief but sometimes stare back still, clam and deep, I wonder how it happened without me noticing.

How did I not notice that he was charming, sociable and funny?

His confidence has blossomed and his imagination has grown to match. He is quirky and, I suspect, a little different to your average four year old boy. Still obsessed with all things green. Still wanting to be a chef… or a lion tamer. He has no interest in super heroes, but plays both boy roles in the Narnia stories and puts his own, little boy, spin on all the games and fantasies his sisters concoct.

Once I thought he would be ‘the death of me’. That he would wear me down until there was nothing left but a dried out shell of a person, crinkly and crumpled in a dusty corner. Now he is the one who builds me up, whose funny high pitched giggle makes me smile when I need it most.

It’s funny how the things you think you will never cope with, morph into the things you think you could never live without.

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He Snuck Past Me… is a post from: picklebums.com

My big boy will turn four tomorrow, though we’ve kind of told him he turned four today, because we want to have his brother’s birthday tomorrow, instead of on Sunday when it should be, because we have a ballet rehearsal and Sunday and well, our life is complicated like that! So in honour of my four (but not really quite yet) year old, here are some things I know about my Big Boy.

My big boy is tall and still very very very blonde, but his curls are all gone.

My big boy is a crazy mix of wonderfully lovely and wildly difficult.

My big boy says his best friends are Zoe and Izzy, but his big bestest friend is Willow.

My boy hates to be kissed, but loves to let me kiss him so he can wipe them off while I pretend to get cranky!

My big boy still has a thing about arms and will seek out a bare elbow to rub if one is available.

My big boy loves green.

My big boy likes Barbies. He has a boy one called Mint.

My big boy loves Star Wars. He likes Yoda best, because he’s green.

My big boy is going to be a chef when he grows up. He is going to have a restaurant called ‘Rainbow’ and only cook food that his mum makes and food that is yummy.

My big boy didn’t say a word till he was nearly two and a half, now he speaks beautifully.

My big boy has been known to say such phrases as “Go away, you person! ” and “f*$%ing, Shit, Bugger!”

My big boy is frightened of dogs.

My big boy howls when things don’t go his way.

I know that my big boy is four years old, but it still seems like only yesterday that we were waiting and waiting and waiting for his arrival.

Happy Birthday Morgan Muski Butterfly Marshmallow Poop Face Car….

Playing along with Yay For Home’s Things I Know link up

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Things I know about My Big Boy is a post from: picklebums.com

I may be wordless here today but if you pop over to Childhood101 you can read what I have to say about getting outside when it’s cold!

And then pop on over to My Little Drummer Boys for an Aussie Wordless Wednesday!

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Wordless Wednesday – Rugged Up! is a post from: picklebums.com

This is Noah at 11 months old.

This is Morgan at 11 months.

This is Zoe (on top) and Izzy at 11 months old.

So who do you think Noah looks like???

Ok so this isn’t exactly wordless… so shoot me! I know that the lovely Trish from My Little Drummer Boys won’t mind so I’m linking up with her Wordless Wednesday today!

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Wordless Wednesday – Who Does He Look Like? is a post from: picklebums.com

I vote for #4, but don’t tell the others…

Playing Wordless Wednesday at My Little Drummer Boys.

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Wordless Wednesday – Who’s the Cutest? is a post from: picklebums.com

This boy makes me laugh and cry all at the same time…..

I play Wordless Wednesday with the lovely My Little Drummer Boys.

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Wordless Wednesday – This Boy. is a post from: picklebums.com

He is so difficult to photograph at the moment, but here he is before his first day of 3 year old kinder (preschool). Wearing his fancy new ‘uniform’ – a bright red Sunsmart Polo from Stubbies

He had a great first day and thanks to everyone who left encouraging comments on my Letting Go post the other day!

I’m playing (Almost) Wordless Wednesday with My Little Drummer Boys – pop on over and check it out!

{I was not paid to write this post, however we were lucky enough to receive three Sunsmart Polos thanks to Stubbies and Switched on Media.}

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Preschool For the Big Boy! is a post from: picklebums.com

You’d think I’d know this from past experience. Not just because I’ve been here before as a parent, but also because this used to be my job. People used to pay me to wrangle three year olds for 8.5 hours every day.

Three year olds are tiring.
Three year olds are hard.
Three year olds have multiple personality disorder.
Three year olds are something else.

I’m sure I’ve subconsciously blocked all memory oh those hard bits and only kept memories of the good bits, other wise I’m sure there is no way I would have had another child…. let alone a fourth one. (Yes I’ll be writing this post all over again in three years time!)

But there are good bits.

That’s the odd thing… there are loads of good bits, really good bits. Moments when they are just so gosh darn cute you are sure they are simply going to burst from all the gorgeousness. Moments when they are just so lovely and so loveable your heart swells with pride at this beautiful young person you are raising.

And then, the good bits vanish, and you are left with a screaming, flailing, snotty creature that you are sure can’t possibly be related to you.

There is punching and yelling, spitting and kicking. The word ‘no!’ and ‘go away’ ring in your ears constantly. And the tears…. so many tears.

The suddenly he crawls into your lap and tells you he loves you…. and the whole Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde cycle begins again.

As hard as it is to parent a three year old, it must be just as hard to be a three year old.
To be so grown up one moment and then so little and out of control the next must be very confusing and frustrating. To be one giant vicious cycle can’t be much fun.

I am trying to remember that.

I am trying to remember that he is still little. That he is dealing with a new brother. That he is just three.

I’m  trying to set firm but fair limits, because I believe he really needs them right now. He’s going to push those limits  but he needs to find something strong and solid to bash up against when he does it. Even when that causes floods of heart broken tears, which it always does, then he needs to find comfort and understanding.

I’m trying to give him time. Even when he tells me he needs this in the most frustrating ways – sitting on his sisters head with his fingers in his ears while I am feeding and not able to get up and give actions to my words. Especially when he tells me in the most frustrating ways.

I’m trying to give him words. Even though most times he can not use them, hopefully one day, when his world settles down a little those words will be waiting for him.

I’m trying not to sell him on ebay….. even though I think his blonde hair and blue eyes would fetch quite a price.

And I thought two was tough!?!

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He’s Three. is a post from: picklebums.com

We called the baby ‘Number 4′ before he was born.
Then he became known as ‘Quatro’ while the world waited for us to decide on a ‘real name’, but now that he has one, he is rarely if ever actually called Noah!

We call him “No No” or “Noey” and even “Nobody”.
Some times he gets “No-bo” or “Noob” or “Noo-bi-do”.
A friend’s little girl calls him “Baby No Name”, which I am quite taken by.

Yes…. we are attempting to scar our child for life with his many terrible nick names. But it’s ok…because we are scarring all our kids equally when it comes to nick names.

Morgan was named ‘Muski’ by the girls when they were waiting for him to be born and iot has totally stuck. We took a long time to name him too and while the world waited, the girls added to his nick name with loads of variations until he became known as …
“Morgan Muski Butterfly Marshmallow Poop Face”

Of course we also shorten his name… to ‘Morgues’.
Yep, his nick name means the building where they store dead people.
Now that’s gonna scar!

And the girls?

Izzy’s name is really Isabella but no one ever callas her that.
She gets called “Bizzy” or often just “B” which seems to confuse people because of course Izzy starts with an I not a B, but it makes total sense to us.
Sometimes she gets call “zipper” and quite often “feral Sheryl”

Zoe gets “zoob” or “Zobo” or “Zoo-bum”, because in true Aussie style, if your name is already short then we’ll lengthen it instead!
And a derivative of that? “Goober”…. lovely.

And then there are the multi use nick names…. because I often can’t remember which child I gave which name to, so it’s easier just to call them all…

Chooky Bum, or just Chook
Snookie La
Bood, or Boodie
Stinky
Oliver Boliver Butt (A prize for those who know which Dr Suess story this is from)
Pickle Knickers (say it out loud it makes your lips feel happy)
and of course.. Picklebum!

Surely I am not the only one who is scarring their children with terrible nick names. Please share and make me feel better!

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Nicked Names. is a post from: picklebums.com

Sometimes I go all out and set up elaborate play spaces and activities for my kids. But some days I am all about making life easy and keeping it simple. Today was an easy, simple kind of day.

When Muski asked to get out water play this afternoon, I thought for a moment about finding the plastic tub and setting up the little table with towels and various accessories…. I also thought about just saying no. It’s cold and it wasn’t long before we had to leave for school pick up… Then I stopped and thought about how we could make this work for everyone, how we could keep it simple and make it easy.

I filled the kitchen sink with a little bit of soapy water, dumped in some dirty plastic bowls and cups etc and passed him an apron. Muski spent the next thirty minutes, washing, re-washing, stacking, and drying this dishes.

He got to play with water, and I got the dishes washed! Simple. Easy.

We are playing along with Childhood101′s We Play Link up again this week… Loads of great play ideas to share so go take a look!

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We Play Washing Dishes. is a post from: picklebums.com