Happy BDay Alec

(On the first day of school last week)
Hard to believe it, but our first baby boy turned 4 years old today! We had a fun b-day weekend, which started off with picking Grammy up at the airport! Then we had a small party with a few friends and neighbors on Saturday evening. Alec had a ball playing with the kids and we had a pinata in the yard, which was a big hit. Today he celebrated his actual b-day today at school. I had called a few weeks ago to see if Veolia (our trash and recycle company) did any sort of tours or anything, which they don't, but the plant manager was super nice and said he would do a private tour of the facility for Alec, so my mom and I surprised him with a trip to Veolia for his own private tour of the trash facility after school. It was quite possibly the cutest thing I have ever seen. Alec got to tour the dumping zone, he got to climb up in an actual truck, and check out the whole facility. It's funny b/c as he was telling the manager Jim about how he was a recycle can for Halloween last year we realized that Jim was actually the same guy we ran into last year who gave Alec his vest. Anyway, he ended up totally remembering Alec, which was cool and a very strange coincidence. It was a really fun thing to do and Alec really enjoyed it. He also had his first t-ball practice this afternoon and we ended the day with a quiet dinner at home where Alec got to open presents and play. All in all a great day!

Some stuff about Alec at 4:
* He has more energy than any other kid his age that I know. He is literally running circles around the house, climbing things, and jumping off of things w/i minutes of waking up every day and he never stops. He is SO physical and athletic. We struggle with ways to burn all of his energy and he is only 4. He learned to swim and ride a bike without training wheels this summer, he now rides his bike 3-4 miles with me each time I go for a run, and he has just started to run with me. Yes, run with me. We are signing him up for a little 1K race over Thanksgiving when we go to Savannah and I have been telling him about it and about how it is a long race and that the point of it is to run it all and not to win, which is a little hard for Alec to fathom b/c he is also very competitive. Anyway, it's a 3/4 mile run, so we decided we would do a little training. I took him out for the first time a few days ago and thought we would go 1/4-1/2 mile, but of course Alec never stopped and made it .8 miles on his first trip out. He was drenched in sweat and huffing and puffing, but he is so tough and determined. Matt laughed when I told him and said, "Great Erin, just what we need, Alec to be in even better shape." We know it will be really hard for him come the winter in Illinois b/c he does not do well with being couped up, but we are prepared and have him signed up for soccer, t-ball, indoor hockey, gymnastics and swimming. Wow, seems like a lot when I write it down, but believe me, even that won't tire out our little maniac.
* He loves his dad more than anyone in the world, he loves Charlie (although sometimes a little too much, we certainly have to work with him on being gentle with the baby,) he loves to mow the lawn and take out the trash, he loves to play with friends, he loves his toys (preferably his lego planes, his trash trucks, building track, and his doctor kit,) he loves to read stories before nap and bed (the only time of the day he sits still,) he loves to play games, he loves school and he loves the song "Urgent" by Foreigner.
* He sleeps 12 hours at night and about 70% of the time he takes a 2-3 hr nap (there are some perks to his craziness.)
* He is incredibly brave and adventurous - he is not afraid to do or try anything new, thus his diving this summer.
* He is very tough - we discover cuts, bumps and bruises on him all of the time and never know where they come from. He has taken a few really bad falls off his bike, one just last week where he went over the handle bars, and he always gets up, gets back on, and keeps going.
* He is very strong willed, opinionated and stubborn (unfortunately he got these traits from both of his parents) and this makes parenting him very challenging at times. He does not like to be wrong, he doesn't like to say he is sorry, and he will battle wills with us often, especially when a time-out is involved.
* He got a clean bill of health at his 4 year appt. He weighs 39 lbs and is 3 ft 5" tall. 75%. The doc said he looked great, and actually told me he was advanced, which may be a nice way to say a fearless lunatic, but he called it advanced:)
* He is very chatty and has a really deep voice for a 4 year old.
* He is very intuitive and perceptive and surprises us with a lot of the things he says, remembers and figures out.
* Like his dad, he has a great memory.
* He is wild, crazy and adorable and we love him so much.

Happy birthday Alec Randall aka Beanie Stout, Chonie Lonus, Chonie Bop, Bop and Bopster. You are exhausting and irresistibly lovable all at the same time:)

With his buddy Morgan at his party on Sat

My pics of the pinata didn't come out well

He got to open one present this morning before school, his own running/biking watch

Headed to school, Grammy has b-day treats for his classmates in her bag

With Jim at the trash center


I didn't get his first name, but this trash man's real last name is Dumper.




He got to keep all this stuff, plus a few Veolia baseball hats and a real pair of trash gloves.

Opening presents this evening

He got his own digital camera

and Operation

and lots of legos, Daddy is in heaven!