Sievers Stories...: Knoxie

Oh sweet Knoxie...

You just turned four. How does time go by so quickly? How is it possible that you've grown into a little boy right before our eyes?

My hope is that someday you kids will read this blog for yourselves, so I figured that maybe I should tell you a little about yourself as a four year old.

You are my middle child. THE middle child. You exemplify middle child. You know the saying, "Which came first, the chicken or the egg?" Well you, Knox, make me wonder about this in a different way... Were you just born with your middle child-ness? Or did you learn it through experience?  Whichever way it happened, you do "middle" quite well.

You see, you are stubborn and hard-headed beyond belief (and I thought your brother was bad!). You have opinions and you stick to them just because you can. You need examples, you say? Where should I start?

When being forced to wear a pair of sweatpants that you don't like, you tell us that, "Actually they aren't pants, they're just long shorts." Which I guess, to you, means they're okay. God forbid you have to wear gray sweats. Or how about the fact that you love only things that are green? According to you, everyone knows that green cars are better, green crayons are better, green socks are better, and green cups are better. Duh.  Or maybe we could talk about your fashion sense.  In your eyes, it is ONLY permissible to wear Puma shirts with navy or black track pants that have a stripe down the side. No tags please. Oh, and don't forget the green socks.

You are a little boy with some quirks... You strip down to your skivvies the MOMENT you walk into the house.  Your motto? "Underwear All the Time." You could live on fruit snacks - but only if they're the ones from the Cars movie. And it takes you a good 45 minutes to get through a pack because you suck on them - three at a time. You fall asleep in weird places ALL THE TIME... on a kitchen stool and the bleachers of a basketball game are your latest achievements.

But you know what, Buddy?  Even with your "slight" idiosyncrasies, you are the perfect fit for us. Because along with all that, you are the cuddliest, loviest, gentlest boy. Often I hear you yelling, "Mommmmmmy!!!!" from another room, and when I answer, you call out, "I love you!" ...Sigh... You have an infectious giggle that your daddy and I smile at as we hear it coming down the stairs.  You use words that are far too big for your little mouth - like "incredible" or "interesting" or "unbelievable." You have the cutest pout on the planet that I cannot even take seriously.  And best of all, you look up to your big brother and take care of your little sister - just like a "middle" is supposed to.