Duke is Four!

• Weight: 40 lbs 
• Height: 3' 5" 
• Nicknames: Little Man, Bear, Manny, "Duke Manfred" or just Manfred.

• Duke is still all about eating. I have actually put locks on all of the cupboards to " close the kitchen" between meals. His favorites are egg (some days he eats 6!), cereal, waffles, applesauce and pizza!
• Duke is 100% boy. He loves anything that has wheels. He is a huge fan of fire trucks, ambulances, trains and helicopters. He really enjoys playing with this Disney Cars and is now starting to give them voices and talking when he plays with them. He also really like building cars with his Duplo's. 
• He loves to wrestle and rough house! It's his favorite!!!
  
  
  
  
  
  
•  Duke has become very particular about his clothes. If he doesn't like it, he's not wearing it!! I hates dress shirts and will only wear polo's to church. I'm not sure if it's a tactile thing or if he's just determined to have an opinion.
• Duke is a wonderful big brother and likes to help with Leif. He calls him Ee-F, and he loves him dearly. If Sprout starts to cry Duke is racing up to me very concerned letting me know. 
• Bear's language has {exploded} this year! He can now ask for things, and knows the word for just about everything. It can be difficult to understand him but he doesn't get frustrated and will repeat himself until you understand. He still speaks Ewok when he's telling a story but you can usually pick out a word or two. I am sooooo proud of him!
• He will be starting his second year of pre-school in the special ed program and I am so excited to see how much more improvement there will be throughout the course of the year. 
• He now can tell you all of his colors, numbers and he sings a lot of songs. He calls family members by their names and likes to point out each person when looking at pictures. He quotes movies while they are playing and he's a total parrot repeating what you say. for example I will say "Hey Duke!" and he'll repeat "Hey Duke!"

• Duke's favorite toys include; his Monkey, cars, fire trucks and anything else with wheels, legos, play doh, and trains.
• Duke loves shows. He's a big fan of Nemo and Dory. He like to watch YouTube but eventually gets board and wanders off to go play. 
• He is super always saying "Ank you Mommy!" and "Err Elcome."
• Duke and I like to sing our song (1,000 Years pt. 2 by Christina Perri) before bed. He always requests it and it makes my heart so happy!

• Duke is potty trained!!!!!! It was a bit tricky but he's got it down now!
• He is super independent. He like to go and do his own thing. If he wants something he will figure out how to get it and open it. We often joke that we have a Raccoon. 
• He plays really well on his own but loves it when friends come over. He really likes playing with E (when they can get along) but he has a hard time sharing.
• Duke is still 100% Mama's boy. He loves his Daddy but, he and I understand each other better and he's much more cooperative with Mama. He is super sweet and loves to randomly run up and gives to hugs and lots of kisses. He'll also say "Uh-ve u Mama!" (Love You) out of the blue. He makes my heart melt!

• He is no longer taking any naps. He phased out his nap over the summer because of school, but at times he will still toddle to his room or climb on the couch with his blanket and drift off. He loves to sleep!

I just cannot believe that my boy is FOUR!!!