The Middle Man

That's our Huston. He is the lovely age of 4 - just turned 4 in April - and I don't know what your experience is but the 3 to early 4 range for my boys have been more trying on me as a parent than the 2 year old stage. In some areas it is a very sweet and fun age, but there is such a battle at this point against pouting and whining that it nearly does me in.

Huston has this natural battle going on, then added to that he has the older brother that tries to become his third parent and he has the younger brother that often destroys or wants whatever Huston decides to play with. All of those elements added to the mix we often see this face at home and it is usually paired with a scream, a whiny complaint or a huff in anger...

No this pouty face was not staged for the picture - he was once again told the dreaded "no"-word. If looks could kill I think I'd to of been killed 743 times over this past year. But among all the difficulties of the age, Huston is a delightful little guy. He loves being a big brother, especially to his new baby sister. He is proud when he accomplishes a big boy task. He is often overwhelmed by a process that is placed before him but after he tries and is walked through the procedure step by step and eventually tastes some success, his little face brightens up with pride in his accomplishment. He is very observant and freely compliments people on the things they have done or the new things they have changed. He tells people that he likes their hairstyles or decorating and will notice details that often totally pass me by.

He has loved his morning away in his preschool class. It has allowed him to have an outlet outside his brothers and he has thrived on that. He can't wait until fall to have his Wed. morning school start again. So the majority of the day we see this shining little face and we will try to patiently await the moment when he can flash that silly grin more readily than the pout!