Whoa, four years. You are like, this BIG BOY now. I can't believe it. You can hold rational conversations with big words and everything. And of course, still be totally impossible at times.

Well, aren't we all.

I'm so excited to hang out with a big four-year-old boy. Wow, you can do all kinds of things now. I think back to your birthday last year, when your baby brother was brand new, and no comparison. You were just a little boy then, and you are definitely a whole different boy now, with all kinds of ideas and opinions and my oh my...don't you love to debate with me on some of them. That's fine, I don't mind a good debate from time to time.

We had a good day today, didn't we? It wasn't too fancy or anything, but we packed in some fun today. Started off with you and your brother at Kids' Club while I went to a Pilates class. You love Kids' Club, and you love it even more when your baby brother doesn't cry and scream and embarrass you with his ear-splitting loudness. Today he wasn't loud and he didn't scream. He must have known that it was your birthday. What a nice brother. Mommy was glad about the not-screaming too.

After Kids' Club, it was time for school. There are a bunch of kids with food allergies at your school, but Mommy found a gluten & dairy-free brownie mix at Trader Joe's, and got some veggie chips and strawberry fruit leathers too, and brought them to school for a party snack.

The kids are used to getting rice cakes for a snack at your school, which seems like a nasty snack to me (styrofoam, anyone?), so they were all pretty damn happy to see veggie chips and strawberry fruit leather and brownies. Big success!

You got to pick a story for Miss Marianne to read to the class, and you wore a crown at the snack table, like a Birthday King. You are so cute.

You played Hide and Seek with your friends today at school, and it consisted of all you kids counting randomly (14! 17! 28! 29! 30!) and then all rushing off like a swarm of bees. Not sure who you were seeking, or who was hiding.....maybe a little unclear on the concept? But everyone had fun, and that's the important part.

Then we went home, got a snack, took Baby Brother potty, and headed off to the playground for a spell....then to the toy store to pick out a birthday toy, and finally to Baskin-Robbins to get a quart of strawberry ice cream at the drive-up window.

By the way...whoever invented the DRIVE-THROUGH ICE CREAM WINDOW should win a Nobel Prize. Best thing ever. Oh wait, there is *one* thing better than drive-through ice cream, and I'll get to that in my next post. But back to Julian's birthday.

So, we got home with the ice cream and set up your miniature golf course (the present you picked out). I made a yummy dinner with lamb tenderloins, broccoli, and carrots. It took a little persuading to get you to eat your broccoli, and then it was on to the ice cream, with FOUR candles on top.

What a fun day...we just played and played and played. Good times! I'm so proud of you. You are so smart, and so sweet and loving, and even very polite when you want to be. Happy birthday, my dear boy!