Gray Growing Up

By request of GrandGene, I'll post some pictures of the boys today. Our sweet middle boy turns 4 in a few weeks! I don't know if anyone else has experienced this, but with both boys, age three proved to be more cranky/grumpy/tantrumy than 2 and with Joshua, age 4 was a vast improvement. I think this will also be the case with Gray.

The sweetness that sometimes took a temporary leave of absence during this year of being 3, seems to be returning as he nears 4. Here's just one example of typical Gray that I didn't see as much of this past year, but lately has been pretty normal: Joshua tends to claim and hoard whatever objects he can get away with claiming and hoarding. He is a "stuff' guy and has even taken some of the things that were specifically gifts for Gray and put them on his dresser for safekeeping for himself. There is a pillow that looks like a leopard that someone gave us several years ago and it's not Joshua's, but he acts like it is. A few days ago, Gray requested a turn sleeping with this pillow but we kept forgetting till last night. Of course Joshua pouted a little about giving up the pillow and before we knew it, Gray had ran to his room and come back with his special pillow with his name on it and told Joshua, "You can sleep with my pillow." Joshua rejected it and threw it on the floor and Gray carefully arranged it by his bed and said, "I'll just leave it right here if you want it." Joshua would be absolutely sick at even the thought of sharing his pillow with Gray, but Gray thinks nothing of it. He just seems to be naturally generous and compassionate and I'm reminded of my prayer when he was just a baby that he would be a compassionate person. Love that boy!!

And I know I give him a reputation for being spacey, but lately I've seen some real hope in the practical thinking/life skills department. Just now he wanted an apple and on his own, scooted his chair to the counter, got one, and even washed it off. I was shocked. And though his fits over eating his dinner were plentiful last night, when I told him this morning that he had to eat his leftovers for breakfast, he did not flip out like he always does, but went to the refrigerator and got his plate himself and told me cheerfully that he didn't have too much to left to eat. I don't think he's ever *not* whined (or screamed) in this situation.