William is 4!

Our little guy just had a birthday and he is officially 4 years old! William has hit many milestones in the last year and we are so proud of him.

Some facts about William:

• He has gotten over his shyness and loves to be around other people! This is great since we are trying to get him prepped for kindergarten next year.  
• He is a very compassionate boy. If he senses you are in pain he will ask you if you are okay and offer to rub you or kiss it to make it all better. Sweet boy.
• William shows great discipline. I have to credit having a strong father for that one. It is amazing how well he will listen and pay attention. 
• I get told all the time what a mature little boy I have. Most people are amazed that he is his age and behaves the way he does. That makes me proud.
• William wakes up full of joy. He greets you with "good morning" and a lot of times starts the day singing the "good morning song" that his daddy taught him. 
• William shows how much he retains what you teach him. If you are caught doing something wrong he will be the first one to let you know "That's not a good choice". Trust me, I get told about my bad choices all the time!
• He loves animals, trucks, robots, all things Disney, fishing, playing outdoors and hanging out with his daddy. Daddy is his favorite person. I have becomes alright with that. Sort of.
• He is showing so much more independence and I have been working hard on letting him do things for himself. Operation un-spoil the child is progressing well so far. It turns out that he really likes doing things for himself! Again, I credit his father for that. He helps so much with the boy child. 
• William has become very talkative and asks a lot of questions. I love it! I love helping him learn and understand things. He asks some really good questions too! 
• William is into Scooby Doo, Phineas & Ferb and programs on Animal Planet/ NatGeo Wild. It is amazing how he really gets into some of these shows. He loves to go down to the man room and watch with his dad. The part I don't like... he puts his hand in the front of his pants like most men do. Gross. Of course his daddy is proud of that! 

Overall William is a vibrant and loving little boy. We are so excited to see all the new things he learns over the next year. We are so proud of him!

My Very Happy Birthday Review & Giveaway

Today is our little William's 4th birthday. Although he does not fully understand birthdays, it has not dulled his excitement! He is at such a fun and curious age. We were so thrilled to receive a personalized board book from I See Me! in the "My Very Happy Birthday" version... right in time for his birthday! William recognizes his name and squealed in excitement when he saw a book that was made just for him.

This sweet book has cute pictures and personal details throughout. The ordering process is so simple. You can take a virtual tour here. William really enjoyed listening to the whole birthday adventure that was all about himself. I love that he can have this sturdy book for many years as a keepsake that he can show his own children. This is such a neat gift idea for your own children, grandkids, family or friends and also for the kid who has everything. Right now you can sign up for the Refer-a-friend program to get $5 off for each customer you refer. There is no limit to how many people you can refer!

I am so thrilled that my friends at I See Me! are offering one lucky Momfiles reader a chance to win a personalized birthday book. Enter below...

*Mandatory- Let us know who you plan to give this book to if you are selected as the winner. What other I See Me! titles do you like? 

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This contest is open to US Residents only and will end on April 1, 2012 at 12:00 AM EST. Please leave your email address in your comment if you do not have a Blogger profile. One winner will be chosen at random. Failure to follow the rules will disqualify your entries. Momfiles is not responsible for any lost or stolen prizes. Good luck!

I received a book for review purposes. All thoughts/opinions are 100% my own.

Our experience with allergy shots

When my daughter Briahnna was about 7, she started suffering from severe headaches. It went from maybe 2-3 times a week to 24/7 over the course of a few years. We took her to the doctor and he recommended an MRI. It came out fine. He had her go through it again. Two tests later, nothing. He couldn't figure out what was causing it. He then sent us over to an Ear, Nose and Throat doctor. She has her first allergy test when she was about 10. Turns out she was suffering from all the elements in the air... dust, pollen, pet dander and everything else. She was put on allergy medication and it started to help. Her headaches stopped and she was feeling normal again. Well that lasted all of about 3-4 months. The ENT tried changing her meds and although it would work for a while, it eventually stopped. There was always the discussion about allergy shots and I was really not sure how I felt about it. I did know that I was really tired of seeing my child suffer like she was. Finally we gave in and started her on the allergy shot. She would go once a week and get check-ups to see how she was progressing every 3 months. Literally within her first 3-4 months there was a drastic change with the headaches. They were getting less and less. Now she has been going for the shots for about 3 years and lives headache free. It was one of the best decisions we could have made. I wish we did is sooner but like I said, I was very skeptical.

Do you or anyone in your family suffer from allergies? Do you get the shot?

Disney has ruined my kid!

You might recall reading a post about our family going to The Magic Kingdom a few months ago. Well apparently little William has not gotten over it. He is obsessed with all things Disney. He is, as I write this post, singing the "Happy Holidays" song that was being performed at one of the parades. He carries around a map of Disney in the house, the car, the store and asks to go to Disney World... several dozen times a day!

Dwayne recorded video of the parades and William watches them repeatedly. It also doesn't help that Disney commercial come on all day long!! When he meets new people he immediately tells them all about the "castle". SMH, I need to hit the lottery quick so we can take this boy back! I really thought he would have been over it by now. I guess the magic is still in him. I won't lie, I want to go back myself! Looks like it will be on the places to visit list in the next couple years.

They insist on growing up

I love my daughters. They are the most outstanding teenagers I have ever known. I don't say that because they are my girls, I say it because it is the truth! They don't act like the average teenager. They push themselves to be the best they can in school, sports and every other area of their life. They carry themselves like young ladies and are a best friend to each other. I am filled with happiness when I listen to some of the conversations they have with each other. My hope is that they always continue to be close and be there for each other.

The girls will be 16 & 18 later this year and Chardie is already looking into college applications. She informed me the other night that although she is a Junior, she has signed up for early application/early acceptance with the college she has dreamed of going to since she was 5. She will find out in November if she gets accepted. *sigh* Although I am so proud and I know that she will get in, I feel like she is half way out the door already. Did I mention that the college is local? She insists that she will always be around because she will still crave her mom's good cooking. Of course I will be there to indulge her! 

Now Brie has turned into this mini grown-up overnight. She stand about 3 inches taller than me and shows no signs of the looking like a little girl. She has really grown up so much not just physically but emotionally. Brie is our very intelligent, lively and colorful child. She keeps us entertained! She is also William's go-to person when he gets into trouble. He will go to Brie and explain what he did and tell her how much trouble he is in (very dramatically) Of course big sister eats it all up and consoles him. She doesn't like seeing him get into trouble but you better believe that if she catches him doing something naughty, she will correct him immediately. 

Little William is going to be 4 later this month. Although I have not missed a single milestone (being a stay-at-home mom) my heart still breaks a little seeing him grow up so fast. I am proud of that little boy though. He has met many milestones in the last year. It's funny, just when you think your kid will never do certain things they surprise you and do it BIG! I am trying to get him prepared for kindergarten. Some days I feel like I am doing a great job but most days I feel like I am not doing enough. That's another post for another day. 

I am just so proud of all my children. They are so inspiring and full of light. I take as much time as I can to watch them, listen to them and take in all the greatness they put out in the world. They are going to do very big things in their lives. I feel so fortunate to have such amazing children!