It's official! Sylvan is four years old and a certified BIG KID. This year was the first time he really got excited for his birthday - and had specific ideas about it - so we had a party with a few school friends and family (Mer and Gpa were in town) at the carousel on the National Mall. So much fun! Sylvan has had several first experiences in the past few months - first visit to an aquarium (where we saw some awesome seals and sharks and got to "pet" a ray), first trip to the bowling alley (where they have now have cool barriers to prevent gutter balls...), first fishing trip (in Arlington, with friends Callie and Eric Olson), and first real Halloween trick-or-treating (Sylvan decided he wanted to be a diver). He has also started swim lessons. He is less enthusiastic about this but is nevertheless making great strides. In general we've been in awe of his development. He's a very verbal kid and has an impish sense of humor, which makes for fun and interesting dinner conversation and lots and lots of questions. He loves to draw, color, and paint, and seemingly overnight his scribbles have morphed into somewhat recognizable shapes and forms. He can draw a pretty good straight line! He's a sensitive kid and absorbs EVERYTHING he hears, so we are working hard to include him in relevant conversations and help him navigate the crazy world around him. Long before Sylvan entered our lives we avoided social media and watched very little TV, a strategy which has served us well with him, too. His favorite things to watch are a Canadian show from the 1990s called Mighty Machines (picture all manner of heavy duty vehicles at work, sharing their daily routines through voice-overs and the occasional song), and the Great British Baking Show, which has become a family fun activity on Friday nights.