One year older

Today is Nathanael's fourth birthday. The little man has been asking for days if it's Sunday yet, ever since they told him at preschool that his birthday would be on Sunday. And, even though he did get to open a few presents today and wear his birthday hat, the day was a bit anticlimactic for him because he didn't have a party. All day he kept asking if his friends were coming over. Poor kid. What made it even worse was that, because we have some sickies in the house, we were stuck at home. All. Day. Long.
Nathanael has gotten so big. At four years old, he looks more like 5 or 6. He is quickly catching up to Sam in size and, in fact, they could very nearly share clothes. They are just one size apart in both clothes and shoes. Nathanael is still a ladies man and I think his preschool teachers are pretty smitten with him. Mrs. Gray is his favorite and he tells me that she is beautiful. The other day I asked him what makes her beautiful and he said "because she's sweet."
He has made strides since he started preschool. Because of his wild and rambunctious nature, and because he just isn't interested in sitting down for school time at home, I don't get to work much with him. But he is recognizing some letters now, particularly N, L, O, X, I, C, and perhaps a few others. He's very interested in writing letters lately and does a really good job with his handwriting. But his favorite is cutting. He loves to cut up paper. For no particular reason.
Nathanael is absolutely in his element when he's outside. He got a bike for Christmas and he loves to ride it! He'll play happily outside for long periods of time and also enjoys digging in his sandbox. He is wild and wily. Today I caught him hiding behind the couch, having gotten into my gift closet and helped himself to a chicken the lays gumball eggs that was put away for Easter. I took the locking doorknob off of Claire's room and put it on the closet door instead. That'll solve the problem for at least a few days, until he finds something he can use to unlock the door.
I pulled Nathanael aside for his birthday interview this afternoon and got some great answers.

How old are you? "Um..let me count my fingers. One, two, three, four. I'm four."
What makes you happy? "When you give me lots of treats."
What is your favorite animal? "A cheetah!"
What is your favorite thing to eat? "Hot dogs"
What is your favorite thing to do? "Play outside."
What is your favorite TV show? "Jake and the Neverland Pirates"
What are you really good at? "Playing sports."
What is your favorite movie? "Little People"
What is your favorite color? "Red"
What is your favorite song? "Oh no, whatcha gonna do." (Veggie Tales song about Daniel and the Lions Den)
Who is your best friend? "Um, you"
What do you and Mom do together? "We unload the dishwasher."
What do you and Dad do together? "We go over to Mimi and Pop Pop's house
What is your favorite sport? "Baseball"
What is your favorite place to go? "ToysRus"
What do you want to be when you grow up? "A missionary"
What is your favorite thing about school? "I like to play with Benjamin."
What are you scared of? "Monsters"
What do you like most about our family? "Claire"
What was your favorite thing about being 3? "I don't know"
What makes you excited about being 4? "What's 4 mean?"

Happy birthday to my wild, handsome, sweet boy!