Hyrum Happenings {Monkey Bunky, Books, and Preschool}

Hyrum has been so sweet lately. He has suddenly become very attached to a stuffed animal monkey that Andrew bought him when he was first born. He named him "Monkey Bunky Wunky"... and surprisingly, the name stuck. Monkey Bunky goes everywhere with Hyrum and even sleeps in his bed at night. Neither of my other boys played with stuffed animals much, so this is particularly cute to see from Hyrum.

One day Hyrum told me it was Monkey Bunky's birthday and asked if we could have a birthday party for him. How darling is that? I could not refuse such a sweet request. We had some leftover pumpkin cake from cub scouts, so I told Hyrum that we could do a little party. Hyrum found some of his little cars to give as presents and then "wrapped" them up in inside a magnetile box for presents. We put candles on the cake, sang Happy Birthday, and then Hyrum helped Monkey Bunky open presents. To top off the cuteness, Hyrum and Monkey Bunky were wearing matching shirts! I don't know how long it will last, but we are enjoying Hyrum's imagination right now.

Hyrum has also really been into writing books and drawing pictures. He will draw pictures for me, and then hang them up all over the house with painter's tape. Other times, he will ask if I will help him write a book. Luckily, Grandma C. bought a huge stack of old computer paper at a yard sale for really cheap, so Hyrum has all the scratch paper he could ever want. He rips off some pieces of paper, staples them together, and makes lots of little books. He draws all of the pictures and then tells me the words he wants on the pages. He has written about everything from food to farmers. Right now he is a bit obsessed with fidget spinners, so they usually appear in his stories somewhere. He is definitely a creative kid and likes to do projects like his big brothers. Here are some of his books:

My favorite line: "This is a chicken. He got out and got his fidget spinner."

Hyrum started Preschool this year. He goes to a home preschool 2 days a week for 2 1/2 hours each day. It has been so perfect for him and me. His teacher, Mrs. Taylor, is one of the most kind women I have ever met. She is organized, loves the children, and does such a great job teaching them while also having so much fun with the kids. Another thing that I love is that she takes tons of pictures. I love being able to see all the fun things that they do in  preschool.

I had the option of putting Hyrum in the BYU preschool, which I am sure would have been great, but it was four days per week and was quite a bit more expensive. I decided that since he is my last boy at home, I would rather not have him gone so much, so soon. I still get some free time on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and I also get to hang out with him the rest of the week. He will be going to school full-time soon enough, so this has been a great solution for us. 

Mrs. Taylor asks for lots of parent help, so I have been in to his classroom to volunteer 4 or 5 times this year. It is fun to get to know the kids and see how Hyrum interacts with them. I have also been able to go on a couple of fieldtrips with them. On days that I'm not helping, I try to head to the gym. It is amazing how freeing it is to have "me time" to do whatever I want. I am entering a new stage in motherhood, and I'm sure it will be both hard and wonderful. 

I will save most of the pictures for my scrapbook, but here are some of the things he has done at preschool so far:

Field trip to the Pumpkin Patch

 Making Pizzas

 Playing in the fort

Visiting the Fire Station

Field trip to Home Depot

Four year olds are so fun! Hyrum is full of life and imagination. He loves to learn and explore and socialize. He is pretty independent, so I don't have to do as much for him any more, which is nice. He has a stubborn streak that comes out at times, but overall, he is a pretty nice boy!