Happy Birthday, Barrett!

Dear Barrett,
Happy birthday! You’re four today and in such a hurry to grow up. I told you the other day about how when I was your age, I didn’t want to grow up and I always wanted to stay a kid. I loved playing with my toys and getting piggy-back rides and I was afraid that growing up would mean the end to all my fun. You do not see it like that at all. You just want to be big. Well, I don’t know how or when it happened. I guess I should have inserted toothpicks so I wouldn’t blink, because now I look at you and you are not my baby boy anymore. You are a little man, a big little boy with the ‘little’ being silent because if I accidentally say it aloud I would immediately be corrected. You take such pride in all the big boy things you can do. You are getting yourself dressed and going to the bathroom by yourself, you can buckle yourself in the car (I just check it for safety), you are drinking out of big boy cups (not sippy cups), you are even counting in Spanish and saying the dinner prayer! I am so proud of the little man you have become. You are also a big (little) boy with an outstanding imagination who loves to play and pretend. I hope you continue to play and use your imagination even when you are a grown-up.

Here are some more observations about you recently:
You tend to not just blindly follow the crowd. You watch and decide for yourself if you want to participate.
You love a captive audience—whether it’s strangers in a nearby booth at a restaurant or Daddy and me in the car, you’ll perform showing off your boo-boos, demonstrating how high you can jump, how well you can count to 10, and so on for as long as anyone will smile and nod or as long as you think they are listening.
You are very imaginative, determined, considerate, loving, social, thoughtful, passionate, enthusiastic, and focused.

I love being your mommy. You knock me down with your hugs--your love is big and loud and strong and we love that about you. You can also be so gentle and sweet. You melt my heart when I hear you call Kyle “honey” while you two are playing. You amaze me everyday! I love you more than words can express.

Love,
Mommy

Here is your birthday picture from this morning.


And one from a few minutes later