Happy Birthday Kuba!

Wake up sleepy four year old!

Our family tradition is to make a birthday tray with breakfast, flowers, candle and birthday present...and then wake up the birthday person. This morning Anders awoke at 5 a.m. eager and ready to get the tray ready for Kuba. We were able to postpone it until 6:30 hoping Anders would fall back asleep, but he just couldn't. So we tromped downstairs, got the birthday breakfast tray ready and then went back upstairs singing Happy Birthday all the way.
Kuba was so sleepy it took about four rounds of Happy Birthday and lots of gentle shaking from Anders until Kuba's sweet little self woke up.

I can't believe he is now four years old.
It's been a full year of being three with lots of growth. Not only is Kuba tall, but he's smart as a whip. He is also feisty, passionate, creative, and SO FULL OF ENERGY.

This was the year of the stutter, when Kuba's muscular coordination for speech was colliding with his blossoming vocabulary. Right hemisphere/left hemisphere striving for balance. He regained his verbal gait quickly and continues to be a fast talker with an amazing vocabulary. He is a funny boy with a quick wit. He is also an inventor and a game creator.

This was also the year of his imaginary friends. Bingo, Eli, and Eggy have been a very active part of his imagination for so long now that we have all grown to love these little characters...a rabbit, a lion, and a cheetah. They accompany us most always these days and the progression of details that unfold around them continues to amaze. Recently Kuba took us all for a walk to show us where they live (they live in a house in the grass in front of QT's - a local creamy joint) and recently their mother has come into the picture. She doesn't have a name though. For me these imaginary friends are yet another indicator that this little boy has one hell of a creative imagination.

Kuba has been taking dance and drama classes this year as well as gymnastics class. He's absolutely full of life and everything he does has some form of rhythm and movement in it. His musical instincts are unbelievable and it's been like this since he was a baby. He got a super guitar from his grandfather for his birthday and we added an old drum set to the collection of instruments he already has. We are still thinking and wondering about how best to meet his need and instinct for music.

I remember before Kuba was born when we were just a family of three and it was just Anna, Anders and I, I couldn't imagine how life would be with another baby...and now I can not imagine life without him. What an incredible, incredible little boy he is. Happy Happy birthday Kuba! May your fourth year be full of rhythm and joy.