A Letter to Casper on His 4th Birthday

Dear Casper,

You are 4 years old today! The past four years has gone by in a blink of an eye and has been so much fun. It is very hard for me to believe that exactly 4 years ago your dad and I were sitting in a room at Triple hospital anxiously waiting for you. You were born fighting and strong and all of the nurses in the NICU called you a rock star, and you were. You still are my little rock star. You fight for what you want (and, while at times that is frustrating, it is such a great quality for life and I am glad you have it)and you are just so cool and funny, too. I know I tell you all the time that you are getting too big and to stop growing, but honestly, I actually can't wait to see you grow and who you become through the years.

You are 4. And you love Transformers, Legos, and ALL superheros. Your favorite shows are Transformers Rescue Bots and Wild Kratts. Your favorite color is (usually) red. Your favorite meal is either spaghetti or scrambled eggs and bacon, or maybe tacos (you change your mind a lot). You love to make up songs and silly moves.

I love you so much, Casper. The past four years has been awesome and I can't wait to see how much you grow until you are 5.

~Mom

Brand new.

The first time I saw you.

Our first family picture.

Your first day home.

First day home.

At the pool at Ko'Olina (probably 9 months old)

Mowing on your 1st birthday.

First cake!

A 1st birthday present.

Walking in Annapolis

2nd birthday cupcake

2nd birthday (you got tools!).

With dad.

3rd birthday at home.

Tae Kwon Do.

Just riding.

With a turtle.

4th birthday.

Blog Lovin'

Trying something new here....

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Review - Cartoon Cuts, Fairfax, VA

**Disclosure: I received a complimentary children's haircut in exchange for providing an honest review. All opinions expressed here are my own and Cartoon Cuts had no input into this blog post or opinions expressed here.  

On Tuesday night we headed out for dinner at Silver Diner followed by Casper getting a haircut at Cartoon Cuts at Fair Oaks Mall. It was Kids Night at Silver Diner, which was a nice surprise. The crafts kept the boys busy while we waited for our food and they both left with balloon scorpions!

Yay! Dinner!

Next, we headed over to Cartoon Cuts. We were greeted by Munaza, one of their "Fan Favorite" stylists. She was so friendly and welcoming to Casper, which is a huge deal. We've had stylists in the past who don't really connect well with children, and those haircuts just didn't go well. Munaza clearly knew how to work with kids, though, and was full of ideas to keep him occupied while he got his haircut.

The salon is clean and full of bright colors. There was a giant poster on the wall with about 5 boy haircuts to choose from. I never know how to descrbe what I want for Casper's hair (or my own,a ctually, but that's another story lol) so I was really glad they had that. I almost went with the faux hawk, but since it is his birthday next week (4 year old pictures this weekend!) I went with something  little more classic. I think they called it the "Popular." There are tvs at every station to keep the kids preoccupied while they get their haircut. they also have toys for the kids to play with in case they don't want to watch a show. Munaza gave Casper a rubber iguana to play with, and at one point, when he was getting a little tired of the haircutting, she asked him to count the spikes on his back, giving us enough time to finish the cut!

Cartoon Cuts gave me a coupon to give to all of my readers, you can get that at the bottom of this page if you are interested in checking it out. I highly recommended going in on a weekday of you can (they are open until 9 I think). We have gone on the weekends and it is a madhouse with a long wait. 

Watching Scooby Doo

Owen checking it out

Counting the iguana spikes

Looking good!

You can find this Cartoon Cuts location at Fair Oaks Mall next to Cheesecake Factory. Their number is 703) 359-2887. Website here: Cartoon Cuts

Old School Blogging - April

It's time for Old School Blogging again! Marriage, babies, and bliss this month!

1. How did your husband pop the big question?
We had been talking about getting engaged for awhile and had looked at rings a few months prior. It was a weekday, and I was at home doing homework and looked like junk because I had been studying all day. He picked up Chinese from our favorite place on his way home from class. After we ate, he handed me my fortune cookie and I tried to trade with him because there was a little burn mark on mine. He wouldn't trade with me, which made me kind of annoyed (haha) and when I cracked mine open, a gorgeous engagement ring was inside!

Here are some wedding pictures, the only engagement picture I have isn't digital.

2. What are the three most surprising things about married life?

How the time goes by so fast (I can't believe it's been 5 years already)! That I learn more every day about how to work on our marriage (and it is work a lot of the time, especially with the kids now). That I still think he is as handsome as the day we met in 2001.

3. How did you find out you were pregnant for the first time?

 We had been trying for a couple of months already, so when I was late I took a test. When it came out positive, I put it into a box with a tiny Ohio State baby onesie and gave it to Chris.

 

 

4. How did you choose your first baby's name?

Family name (after Chris's dad and brother). Paul Andrew Casper Bing III (such a big name!)

5. Describe where you see yourself in 10 years from now...

Hopefully traveling with Chris more, doing photography and maybe writing. With awesome boys almost grown.

6. Describe how you find bliss, either with words or images.

Warm sunshine and beach sand between my toes. And coffee or tea in a pretty cup.