Paxon, Paxon, Strong and Able

Paxon is almost 4. Almost. I feel some level of disbelief as I type that. A lot has happened in the last 4 and 1/2 years to make life complete and completely different than life without children. In what feels like the blink of an eye, the needy, wonderful, newborn we fell in love with has become a smart, savvy, and capable kid.

This spring, we moved from tricycle to big boy bike. I thought we should wait until Pax's birthday, but Travis insisted that he'd miss out on "prime bike riding season" if we waited until October. Since I'm not the cyclist in the family, I caved, and on a random day, for no reason at all, we gave Paxon his bike. Pax is a cautious child, and he prefers to completely master tasks before doing them independently- do it right or don't do it. After a hesitant start related to using the brakes, he is now a biking master, frequently making the very hilly, 1 mile loop around the neighborhood. There are no other words to describe it- just pure cuteness in a bike helmet. I think Travis was right to give him the bike before he turned 4, but even with training wheels, he seems like a big kid as he zooms down the sidewalks. Almost.

The big boy bike is not the only way Pax is moving up in the world. He's literally moving up. Last week, bunk beds arrived at our house via G-Daddy's delivery service. My parents were changing some things around at their home and mom asked if we'd want my old bunk beds that I got when I was 3 (and later were passed down to my brother). Paxon is delighted with his new sleep situation. Suddenly, my "cautious" child is sleeping on the top bunk. He's reminded me multiple times this week how much he loves his new beds. Apparently, he and Asher both think the bottom bunk is Asher's bed. I'm not sure Asher is quite ready for the big boy bed transition, but Pax insists he's almost there. Almost.

I think I'll cling to the "almost" for now.