Slam-Bam it's Graham!

My Graham is getting so big, so fast. He had a major growth spurt while Jason is gone. He seems so grown up. It's fun and exciting to see the boy he's turning into, but it makes me sad to see my little buddy get older. I want to remember my little guy at this age.

Where to begin? Graham is such a funny kid. He is still our "all or nothing" guy. He is either really happy or he's super ticked off and grouchy. Luckily, he is usually pretty cheerful and can snap out of a bad mood pretty quickly.

I love how excited he gets about everything. I love seeing the look on his face when he tells me about the leprechauns that visited his preschool class or after primary when he is telling me about how kids can be "dishionaries"(missionaries), too. He is so animated and excited to tell me about everything he learns or does.

Graham went through a belt phase for a couple weeks. He would put the belt around his head and then a few minutes later I'd see him putting it through his belt loops and tucking his shirt in. Later in the day it would be around his head again.

A few days ago, I was making Graham some lunch (peanut butter and honey sandwich) and he was quiet for a minute or two. He then told me that he was just thinking about how cool it would be to have a shark for a pet. The shark would live in the "water part" of Disneyland, but when we went to visit, all he would have to do is whistle and his pet would come and give him a ride in the water. I asked him what the shark's name would be and he acted like I was an idiot for asking. "He can't talk, Mom. He's a shark."

One of my favorite Graham moments this week was when he told me he thinks he knows how to tap dance. He then proceeded to do a little jig for me in the kitchen.

Graham plays really well on his own. He will sit and play with his blocks, "Lego guys", or the latest McDonald's toy he got in the kids meal, for quite a while. I love to hear his sound effects and little whispers as he plays at the coffee table in the family room.

Even though he loves his toys, Graham would go without food and water if it meant he got more time on the computer. About 6 months ago we started a system. He gets two X's a day. Each X is worth 20 minutes on the computer. He can lose an X by misbehaving or whatever, or he occasionally can gain an X by doing an especially hard chore (AKA Mom needs a break, so clean the toy room so you can have another X). It has worked really well and it's nice to know what his "currency" is. He loves to play the Disney Channel or PBS kids games. He has really enjoyed coolmathgames.com, too. Lately it's been Club Penguin.

I caught this picture one night when I was checking on the kiddos before going to bed. Jason hadn't been gone too long and this little guy was missing his Dad.

There are a couple stories I've been wanting to record about my special boy. This little man is always full of surprises. It seems like Jason and I are always wondering if anything we teach him is sinking in. Let's just say he's not super attentive during Family Home Evening lessons or scripture study.

Well, a couple months ago, Graham came into my room in the middle of the night because a bad dream had woken him up. I scooted over and made room for him in my bed and then promptly when back to sleep. He woke me up a minute or so later and told me he couldn't go to sleep because he didn't want the dream to come back. Me, being the kind and sympathetic mother that I am, told him that he was just fine and needed to go back to sleep. Well, moments later, I felt him moving and could hear him whispering. I turned over to see that he was saying a prayer. He told me he said a prayer that his dream wouldn't come back. He then laid down and went right to sleep. A similar thing happened one day when he couldn't find a toy he really missed. He searched for a bit and then I looked over and he was saying a prayer in the corner. A few minutes later he found it.

It's moments like this (even when they seem few and far between) when I realize the importance of consistency in our family. There are days when I just want them to get in bed or I feel like we are too rushed in the morning to stop for family prayer. But those days are the prayers or family home evening lessons that teach the most. My kids see that even though we are tired or hurried, doing those things are important and worth the effort. We bare our testimonies through the act. Does that make sense?

Back to Grambo. Here's some of the little things he does that make me smile:

-He still says "gremote" instead of remote.

-"Bremember" instead of remember.

-He's really into playing "tricks" on us. Things like, "Hey Mom, did you go under there?" I say, "Under where?" Cue the loud laughter, because apparently, I said "UNDERWEAR".

-Another that I hear at least a dozen times a day. "Mom, I bet I can make you say red. What color is your shirt" I say blue or black or whatever. Then he says, "I told you I could make you say blue." I am then supposed to say something to the effect of, "Hey, but you said you could make me say red!" Again, cue the big smile and finger point, "See! I told you I could make you say red!" He's always disappointed when Lucy rains on his parade and tells him that we already know the trick so it won't work.

I found out this week that Graham will probably be going to all day kindergarten in the fall. My heart dropped a little because I'm not ready for him to be away from home that much. I know he will do fine and will love being at school learning and being with friends, but I will miss him.