4yrs old!

Dylan recently celebrated his 4Th Birthday! We can hardly believe that he is already 4....where has the time gone?!
Dylan had such a wonderful birthday celebration this year! We decided not to do a big party but his birthday was still a special one spent with his family. This was also Dylan's first Birthday celebration at pre-school. Dylan's pre-school teachers really made his day special. We took Birthday treats and juice as well as a book for story time and Dylan got to take 2 toys for show and tell! We had our own little celebration the Saturday before Dylan's birthday during the Iowa vs. Iowa State Football game. Since the Dylan was born the weekend of the big instate rivalry football game, we have felt it sort of a tradition to celebrate every year during this game.

Dylan was so excited to pick out this Hawkeye cupcake Birthday cake and the big #4 for his candle!

Such a precious moment....we asked him to make a wish before blowing out his candle. He briefly closed his eyes and seemed to think really long and hard about his Birthday wish this year.

Then he blew out his candle and gave pounds to Daddy! Another year down for the big guy!!

And for not being much of a sweet eater he certainly dug into the frosting on these cupcakes. Yummy!

On Dylan's actual Birthday he came home from pre-school with a birthday hat and sticker he got to wear during the day. Dylan was made 'King' for the day, he was SO proud! I was a bit nervous when I went to pick him up and couldn't find him in the mix of the kids on the playground. Well he was easy to spot after I learned he had the 'Birthday Kings' hat on his head!

Look at all of those colorful presents for the Birthday Boy! He must have been good this year!!

Dylan got numerous phone calls that evening. Grandpa's and Grandma's and Grammie all called on the phone with wish the Birthday boy a very happy day! He was very happy to talk to each and every one of them!

The cards are always first! Dylan loves to open the cards as much as the presents I think. This Elmo birthday card from Cassie was such a huge hit. He has slept with it in his bed every night since :)

Christmas this year sure is going to be fun watching Dylan dig into the gifts! He very carefully folds back each and every piece of wrapping paper, each time peeking in to see if he has peeled back enough paper to reveal the gift inside!

He got some BIG noisy toys too! Those are the best Dylan says. He likes to hear those trucks roooaar!

Daddy was gone for work on Dylan's actual Birthday so we put Daddy on speaker phone and all sang 'Happy Birthday' to Dylan together. Even a few miles between us will not stop the Birthday celebration from happening!
Happy Birthday Dylan. We hope all of your 4Th Birthday wishes come true!!!
And check out these colorful cupcakes Dylan took to daycare for Birthday treats!
Dylan sure has a place in the heart of many. For the next week he was so fortunate to have a Birthday present arriving on our door step every day! He got this adorable Mickey Mouse & pj's from the Eddins family! Cassie & Cody sent him some super soft Thomas the Train pj's and a few 'Cars' goodies! The Pelley's got him a fuzzy warm Nike Sweatshirt & game and Grammie sent him 4 Birthday presents that all arrived on different days. Uncle Nick came by with a super fun BIG Tonka truck and more Cars...Uncle Tony came by and Dylan had so much fun putting some big $ bills in his piggy bank from him. And then Grandpa and Grandma Holub came over and brought more Birthday presents for our little man. The true meaning of 'Birthday week' came true for Dylan this year!
Last week we went for Dylan's 4 year checkup and we are very proud to report that ALL is good! Dylan weighs in at 32 pounds which is the 10th % on the growth chart for his real age, not adjusting back to being a preemie! He was 38 1/2 inches long and in the 28th % for his actual age on the growth chart also! He is growing like such a big boy. He even had to pee in a cup for the doctor, quite a site and he had so many questions but he got it done! Funny! Dylan got 3 shots including the flu shot and he did not even let any tears come out. SUCH a tough guy! After the second shot he said, 'ouch mom that hurt'! That's my tough guy!!!

Dylan we are SO proud of the little man that you are becoming. Each and every day we smile and giggle with something new that you have learned that you share with us. Pre-school has been such a wonderful new adventure for you and you are really enjoying each and every minute of it! You yearn to learn new things and reading is something you really enjoy. We are so happy for you and the wonderful life you have ahead of you. A lifetime of possibilities is waiting for you and we are SO lucky to be your Mom & Dad and to be able to watch you along the way. We love you Dylan to the moon and back....Happy 4Th Birthday little buddy!~

The perfect place...

This is it, week one of pre-school down for the memory books! The week went great! The night before it all began we packed his backpack up with all of the items on his supply list. It made for one over loaded backpack but all necessities for super fun times at pre-school! Look at our little man, such a handsome little guy!

We started the week with a full day of childcare. I dropped off Dylan and he wanted carried in. As soon as we walked thru the doors he squirmed to get down and he was off saying, 'you go to work now mom'! I was shocked, not sure what I expected, but it was definitely a bitter sweet moment. I left and then cried my whole way to work, of course....how can it be that our little miracle baby boy is now off to his first day of school?!
I went back later that morning for the parents 'Get acquainted' hour. I picked Dylan up from the childcare and when I arrived the kids were all on the big rug singing the hokey poky. It was SO cute! Dylan didn't want to leave, but as soon as I told him we were going to his pre-school room he was happy. He insisted on carrying his back pack full of supplies. It was far too heavy so he had to drag it, I was giggling inside as I saw the independent Dylan coming out.

We arrived in the class room and got a very warm welcome from his 2 teachers. He unloaded his supplies and found his name place to hang his back pack. It was then free time for the kids, 1 hour of play time to 'get acquainted' with their school room. He played with several kids, there are 16 total in his class with 2 teachers. Most of the kids were there which was nice to put names with faces and also to meet some of the parents.

Dylan just made himself right at home, cooking away at the kitchen, doing a few puzzles, playing with dinosaurs and cars.....lots of super fun things to see and do. I wanted to get him acquainted with the potty's as well. His room as 3 different bathrooms, and they all have different potty's! How neat is that?! They all are very small potty's that come up to about my calf and they have little sinks in the bathrooms also. Each potty has a different style of seat to accommodate to different kids and what they are use to. All of this is brand new and I was just thrilled at the neat things that this school offers for Dylan. He truly is in the perfect place!

Dylan playing with the dinosaurs and one of his teachers getting to know the kids!

Picking up his backpack from his 'special' spot!

The hour was up and he didn't want to leave. But it was a little easier for him once he found out that he didn't have to leave with mom and the childcare kiddo's were playing outside, which is what he got to do next. I was off to continue my day at work and he was eager for mom to leave!
I picked him up that night and he was so excited to tell me about his day. One of the assistants at childcare said he had a great day and he sure didn't take long to warm up either. That was great news for me! In the car he started being quite naughty, I associated with he probably didn't nap during rest time, it was a busy day for him. It was home, supper, bath and bed for Mr. Dylan.

Day two went great. It was the first real day of pre-school! He was a bit shy when I dropped him off but as soon as the assistant acknowledged Dylan he was all smiles and ran off to play. Just a few tears for mom this day. Brad and I were both able to pick him up and it was nice for Daddy to see him in his element. Dylan was very excited to have us there to get him. He ran over and got his back pack and carried it all the way to the car. But again, as soon as we got in the car the naughtiness began, not sure what is bringing this on. I had told Brad how naughty he was after the first night but I am not sure that he really believe me....that is until he saw the little pistol himself! HA! Maybe because he is having so much fun with the kids that he hates to come home in fear he may miss something?! We were praying that this attitude did not stick around!!

Day 3 of pre-school. At drop off Dylan was a bit quiet but very eager to get in and start to play. I went to leave and he just stood there and looked at me, not with sad eyes but like he wasn't quite sure what he wanted to do. The assistant came over and asked for a morning hug and asked how his weekend was and he was off then to talk and play. This night he was much more pleasant when I picked him up. No fits at all, thank you lord! He told me about his day and told me some of his friends names. I get so excited for him to open up his backpack for me to see what homemade art work he has brought home. This adorable pic was on of his firsts for pre-school! How cute is that?! Dylan was excited that we hung it on the fridge for everyone to see!

We can't even express what this feeling is like, taking your child to school for the first time! I picked him up tonight and he was playing with 4 other boys that were a bit older than him. Such a big boy making friends on his own and socializing with all of these other kids. It sure is a very neat feeling, I just can't quite describe it. We are very proud of Dylan and we are very, very happy that we chose this school for Dylan. It truly is the PERFECT place for him, we are very excited about what this 1st year of pre-school will bring!~

Growing up!

Well the summer has just about come to an end. The last summer before Dylan starts school....ahhh! Neither Brad nor I can believe that our little man, our little miracle baby boy is now starting pre-school....this seems crazy! Where in the world has time gone?!
We have had SO much fun with Dylan this summer. We have been very fortunate that we have traveled and taken some fun getaway's and spent a lot of time out in the pool too!! He started the summer in diapers and now is potty trained, what a feeling that is to know that we helped him learn to go pee in the potty! Sounds silly but it really is amazing! He has grown up SO much, learning new things and yearning to learn which is what makes us so proud. The things that come out of his mouth make us laugh on a daily basis. He is thankfully.....very polite, always please and thank you and so sincere and SUCH an AMAZING big brother and very cautious of Danielle and always concerned about where she is. He like little Mr. Hen at daycare worried about the kids all the time. He comes home every night with stories about his day. There are definitely times that he is a little pistol, and has embarrassed us with his fits....but for the most part he is a very good little boy, we are proud that he is our son.

This morning just after he woke up he told me, 'mom I have a splitting headache'! I giggled, never had I heard such a serious phrase from him, and by the way he was acting I was fairly sure he didn't have a headache. While watching the news the other night he said, 'mom, I would like to go to the Laundromat'. Ok, really Dylan?! I mean how does he even know what a Laundromat is?! Every single day he says something that makes us laugh and even drop our jaws because we have no idea where he gets some of the things he says! I really need to start writing them down because there are so many funny things, but I just can't remember them all! But there is still that little innocent boy inside him that says things at the darnedest times, fully knowing how funny he is being....and also down right embarrassing!

This weekend while in Des Moines with my family for our weekend trip to Adventureland.....I was standing in the elevator with him just heading down to our room from my cousins room. The elevator was PACKED, I mean, you could not have fit a piece of paper in between anyone in there. So the doors just close to take us down and it was silent when all of a sudden Dylan says really loud, 'Mom I gotta take a big poop'! OMG, can I tell you that I about died right there, of course the entire elevator full of adults erupted in laughter. I did NOT know what to say I was SO embarrassed.....I said, 'well Dylan thank you for telling everyone'. Of course, Dylan had a huge smile on his face, grinning from ear to ear. I, on the other hand, was trying not to smile because I was just so shocked he said this! Everyone was hysterically laughing. Thankfully just a minute later, which seemed like an eternity, the doors opened and I flew out of there as fast as I could. I hear a couple guys behind me say, 'that was really funny, kids sure say the darnedest things'! Oh my lord!!!! One time that I really wish his Daddy would have been there! One for the memory books!

Last week we had my summer, work family outing, that I planned, and it was at the Kernels Game. Like every year in the past, it was about 105 degree's this day! Daddy stayed home with Danielle because of the heat, while Dylan and I went and enjoyed the game....in the blistering heat! But Dylan really had a great time at the game and I loved having him along side me enjoying every minute of it!

And now as we wind down the summer, this is the last full week that Dylan will be at daycare. He officially starts school next Wednesday! I am blissfully happy and Daddy is still in awe. Just don't know where time has gone, our little fighter who was born far too soon is now a very mature little boy heading off to school....WOW....look how far he has come and he has his entire life ahead of him with endless possibilities! Parenthood is SO rewarding, but now with sending him off to pre-school, teaching him and trying to prepare him for new things, our hearts are filled with joy, lots of joy and very proud feelings for our child. We are very excited for Dylan and his new journey in school. We are really excited at everything that this school offers for Dylan! He got this cute little postcard letter in the mail yesterday, from his new teachers. I started welling up with tears just reading this. Dylan felt so important getting mail from his new school, it made him even more excited for his first day. Little things like this just mean so much to these little ones....how extremely thoughtful of these teachers! Melted mommy's heart!

So come along on the ride with us....as our son begins his journey into a lifetime of learning! We love you Dylan SO much. Can't wait to hear all about your first day of school!~

I'm a Big Boy Now!!!

Potty Training Day #11!
Memorial weekend we decided that there were going to be NO more diapers in this Holub home for Dylan! With pre-school starting this fall there was no better time than NOW to rid of them! With the long Memorial Day weekend here and no real plans to venture away from home the timing was right!

I had gotten a few tips from friends who are going thru this same thing with their kids. The only difference being that their kids are girls. Well I was still very glad to take the tips anyway and add a few of our own idea's into this weekend long strategy.

We woke on Saturday morning, took off Dylan's diaper and told him that they did not make diapers for him anymore. That he was too big for them so now we wear big boy pants! We made a huge deal of his new Spiderman, Diego and Thomas the Train undies and after being a little confused for a few minutes, soon Dylan became very excited! We have two potty chairs and we let Dylan choose which one he wanted to use. He chose the smallest one, which we feel is probably some what uncomfortable for him, but his choice!

How adorable is this, 'look at me mom'! SO proud of himself!

The first day it took him about 2 hours before he actually went. When he did we praised him up and down and his reward was M&M's! 2 for a small pee and 4 for a big pee and 8 for poop! Cheap incentives and he gets SO extremly excited to get his reward. When I saw him actually go for the first time it just brought a big smile to my face and lots of tears to my eyes. I was SO incredibly proud of Dylan, such a great feeling as a parent to see what showing your child some encouragement pays back for a reward....your child being so proud of themself! Because he did SO good the first day his next reward was swimming time in the pool! It was my biggest worry going into this, that we would be finding poop and pee all over the floor in the house. Thank the lord that has not been the case! He has only had 6 accidents in 11 days, and only one of those poop and that was on day #2! His pee accidents were on the way to the potty one time and the other times he was standing up so thankfully none on the carpet and we caught them all right away.

Monday he had been doing so wonderful, we decided to yet again venture into the pool. The circumstance was that he needed to have a 'big pee' first' because there was to be NO peeing in the pool...yuck! First though, that morning we visited the Cemetary and on the way home, just as we were pulling down the street he told us he had to go potty. This was like music to our ears! He really deserved some fun in the pool after that! Since then though, he has not been regular about telling us he has to go, so we place him on the potty every hour if he has not told us.

With the weekend going so well, I was a little concerned to send him to daycare for fear of a lapse. No worries with our sitter because she was totally on the same page as us and knew before hand what she would be dealing with on Tuesday morning. But I was worried how Dylan would handle going for her, sitting on her potty etc. She has M&M's there for Dylan also and supports us and our routine 100%, this is a huge blessing, especially when working on potty training! So this week Dylan has done wonderful there, only having one accident and that was in the morning one day after I had just dropped him off. The issue in the morning is that he loves to sleep until literally just a few minutes before we leave the house, leaving minimal time to get dressed, brush teeth and eat breakfast. So having to sit on the potty takes some time getting up a few minutes early, well...sometimes that is not on Dylan's agenda!

We let him eat breakfast in his undies to help remind him he needs to go sit on the potty!

We are doing pull-ups at night time. We clearly are not ready to use just the undies at night yet, but that will come! We are very proud of our little man. He gets extremly proud of himself when he goes on the potty. He even knows by looking in there how many M&M's he gets according to how much he went! We praise him up and down, give high fives, sing 'yay Dylan' songs and the most rewarding thing ever is that he thanks us...he thanks us for the incredible job he just did! He says' oh thank you thank you thank you mom and dad', he runs around and jumps for joy, it is just adorable! We are very proud of our little dude, there is absolutly no turning back now! Quitting cold turkey with diapers I think was the best decision for Dylan, this way he is not confused on why today he doesn't get diapers but tomorrow he does?! We don't want to send mixed messages and he even knows that they don't make daytime pull-up's, only night-time ones;) We hope and pray that things continue to go well! But Dylan clearly knows he is a BIG boy now with no diapers. Where does the time go?!~

Grandparents love....

Dylan has had some extra loves from a few of his Grandparents and Great Grandparents in the past few weeks!

My Dad came for a visit and brought along the puppies! Halen and Roxie came over to play and Dylan was SO in aww by them. He loves animals so much and he really loves Grandpa's puppies! It was very cold the day they came so Dylan watched from the window in the living room as the puppies rolled and played about in the front yard.

Grandpa spent some time building things with Dylan. He loves his blocks and he loves to build things. His little mind is going non-stop all of the time, we never know what each moment will bring, what he is going to want to do next! He is SO much fun to be around.

We also visited Great Grandma Holub. She was very excited to see the kids. She of course had lots of goodies all ready for the kids. So after some goodies it was time for play time! Aunt Connie and Cousin Kenzie were also visiting that day so we got to spend some time with them as well. Dylan soaks up the attention like a big sponge! He cracks us up constantly. He was having SO much fun at Grandma's house. Being a curious little thing and giving Grandma a run for her money! He was a busy little dude and she loved every minute of it! When we went to leave Dylan cried and cried and cried, it broke our hearts, he was having SO much fun at Grandma's house. We promised him another visit in a few weeks!

Last weekend we visited Great Grandmother Phillips! She was SO surprised to see how BIG Dylan had gotten since our last visit. He was just running around like crazy, asking all kinds of questions and being a little monkey. He knew right where the snacks were and grabbed some cheerios. Then it was time to play with is favorite little flashlight. I tell ya, he rarely needs toys when he finds so much entertainment with tools! Grandmother got a huge kick out of Dylan, and of course loved her snuggles with Danielle. He wasn't much for sitting still for a picture though, he was too busy just being a kid!

Dylan started swimming lessons a few weeks ago at the Marion YMCA. He LOVES it to say the least. Mom and Dad were pretty hesitant, first because this is his first experience in the water for lessons without mom and dad right there joining him, and second because we know he can't touch so we in our minds tried to figure out how the lessons were going to work! Well.....no worries for us, it has gone without a hitch! The class size is 5 kids and 3 instructors along with a life guard at the pool side non-stop. The class is for 3-5 year olds, Pike is the beginner course. It is perfect for Dylan. He has no issues at all getting his face wet, blowing bubbles or kicking his legs which is great! The instructors are excellent with the kids giving them the learning time they need until they accomplish the new skills at hand. The kids just sit on the step while awaiting their turn. It is SO much fun to watch and while the instructors take them out in the water working on skills Dylan always yells to us, 'mom, dad, look at me!' It is just priceless! The instructors look over at us with big smiles as Dylan is so proud of him self. We are incredibly proud of him also! We will keep these lessons continuing that is for sure, Dylan LOVES it!

This weekend we had some quality family time playing outside and inside and relaxing too.
It was a perfect wind down to an incredibly busy week! Now gearing up for another busy week and looking forward to the next weekend with our little ones, already!~