A Letter to my Four Year Old

My sweet baby boy,

Yes, I know you aren’t a baby anymore, at least not chronologically.  But know that in my heart, you will always be my baby.  The fact that you are now 4 years old is hard to believe.  It is bittersweet.  I am so excited for the big boy you are becoming and sad that the time seems to be going so quickly.

To see how much you’ve grown, not just physically, but your character and personality, is astonishing.  Over the past year, you have proven to be one of the most selfless 3 year olds I have ever met.  You always think of others first.  At this young age, that blows me away.  I have seen you get a snack and when I ask why you have two, your reply is, “One is for me, one is for Nic.”  When I ask if Nic asked you to get him a snack, your reply has been, “No, I just love him so I’m going to do this for him.”  This isn’t just a rare occurrence, this happens almost on a daily basis.  If we are at a store and I offer to buy you a surprise, before saying yes, you always ask if Nic can have one too.  Your heart is amazing.  You always want to do for others, to make others happy, before thinking of yourself.  What a gift you are!  I can not tell you how much my heart swells during these daily moments.  I am blessed to be your mother.

What a year you have had my beautiful boy!  We had so many adventures, from your first trip to Tennessee, to your first helicopter ride, to your first trip to Florida!  In January we went to Rez Kidz for your birthday trip.  We had so much fun in Gatlinburg dancing and singing at your first Go Fish concert.  They are still your favorite group and your favorite song by them is Five Little Monkeys.  We were fortunate to have great weather and to be able ride on the ski lift.  I was nervous, you were not.  We spent the long weekend just being a family, enjoying the sites and celebrating you. 

Then there was Myrtle Beach.  My little beach bum, you love playing in the sand!  We had a great vacation with your favorite babysitter Nikki.  Because we had a sitter, you and your brother each got to be king for the day.  While one of you stayed with Nikki, the other went with Mommy and Daddy and we did whatever you wanted.  You wanted to ride the helicopter, so that’s what happened!  Then we went to the amusement park and had dinner.  It was a fabulous day!

Our third trip of the year was to Florida.  Just you, Mommy and Nic on our first road trip with just the three of us. It was our Mommy-son adventure!  We went to see your God-family in Naples and had a blast!  You love your God-family so much and look up to your God-brother Jacob.  We played in the pool, went to the park, the children’s museum and just spent wonderful time with them.  Before getting to Naples, we made a pit stop for a couple of days in St. Augustine.  The hotel we stayed at had its own huge water slide.  I thought you would be intimidated.  I should have known better!  I tried to go down with you the first time to keep you safe, but you didn’t need me.  You were so fast that you started down the slide without me.  From that point on, you just did it all by yourself.  You and your brother climbed those stairs and went down that slide for three full hours!  You couldn’t get enough!  Seeing your smiles and your joy made my heart overflow.  I couldn’t believe what a great little traveler you were.  We had the best road trip ever!

I almost forgot that you also went to Baltimore for the first time this year.  You got to see lots of fire trucks at the Firehouse Expo.  You still love your fire trucks and I would not be surprised at all if you grew up to be a firefighter like Mommy. 

You continue to do great in school as well.  Your teachers often have funny stories or share how helpful you are.  Again, you have an amazing heart and personality to boot!  You are doing well writing your name, as well as other small words. You love to read, color and especially love to build things. You are also great with puzzles. Your favorite thing to play with is your railroad tracks. You are constantly taking them apart and putting them back together in different configurations.  It’s the best of both worlds, a cross between building and puzzles and incorporates trains, which you are CRAZY about right now!  We are thrilled for you that you love school and love to learn.  We pray that stays with you.

My hilarious child, every day you make me laugh.  Every. Single. Day.  Without fail.  It doesn’t matter what type of day I’ve had, you can pick up on how others are feeling and know how to make them smile.  It is a gift.  You are a gift.  You have great comedic timing and a wonderful sense of humor already.  You are quite the character. 

We also see your faith growing, which is the most important.  Now, instead of saying the typical “Now I lay me down to sleep…” prayers, you want to speak from your heart.  You always take the time to thank Jesus and acknowledge Him at this young age.  We could not be happier.  My sweet, sweet boy, please know that in all of life, this is the most important.  Keep that faith, that thankfulness and that humble heart.  Always rely on God, trust Him, He knows what He’s doing! 

As I close this letter, my heart feels torn.  I am beyond happy to see what an amazing little boy you are becoming and also sad that it seems to be going all too fast.  I look forward to what this coming year holds for you.  I am blessed beyond measure that you call me “Mommy.” 

All my love forever,

Mommy

I also made a video for you again this year, like I do every year, you can watch it here.

You can also read last year's letter here.