Happy Birthday, Kyle

Dear Kyle,
You are now four years old. It has been so fun these past four years watching you become the little boy you are today. You make us laugh one minute, amaze us the next minute, and pull out our hair the next when you refuse to do the logical thing just because we asked you to. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree--you are so much like me.

You are such a good brother to Annabelle and Barrett. This year a new baby came into our lives and you are so proud of her and loving to her. You tell everyone we see that you have a new baby sister with such pride in your voice and love on your face, it melts my heart. You like to hold her hand and sing her songs. She is only 3 months old, but Annabelle already smiles and laughs at you. You and Barrett are buddies. You have so many common interests and you guys play together all the time. You like to make up games to play with each other in the car and you finish each others sentences. You are so close that when you are apart, you can't stop talking about each other. It's really wonderful to have someone who will be your friend for the rest of your life. You are so lucky.

Right now, you love Legos, superheroes, your rubber boots, space stories, jokes, dressing up and pretending. You can play with Legos for hours and create truly amazing airplanes and rockets. I'm not kidding. The planes you make with Legos are awesome. Not just for someone your age, for anyone. You really enjoy dressing up like a superhero, policeman, Star Wars character, etc. and you are completely willing to go out in public as that character. The other day, I took you to Target while you were wearing a blue floatie vest that you call a jetpack, shorts, rubber boots, goggles, and a superman cape. Seriously. You told me you were "Snobie Kinobe One." I asked if you meant Obi Wan Kenobi and you told me no. Another day, you were pretending to be a pirate with a rolled-up piece of paper for a spyglass and saying, "Arrgh, me hineys!" Oh yeah, that one still makes me smile. You light up my life and make me smile everyday.

You are like a sponge and surprise me all the time with what you know. Just this morning, you were talking with Patty about whether something was blue or green and then I heard you tell her that it was aquamarine! You are learning Spanish in school and you very often ask me how to say certain words in Spanish. My Spanish vocabulary I learned in High School has been exhausted by you and I now have to look words up. At the age of four, you are about to know more than me. Good for you, sad for me. In English, you can spell Daddy, Mommy, Gigi, and the word toe (random. I think you sounded it out) on your own. You might be able to spell other words but these are the ones I know.

I love that you love to cuddle and be held. I want you to know that I am always available for a hug. Happy times or sad times. No matter what. Even if I'm mad at you. Even if you don't want to talk. My arms are open. You are a sweet, sensitive, caring person who cares about others' feelings and one tough kid at the same time. Your teacher told me how you once stopped what you were doing, ran across the playground and put your arm around and comforted a girl who was hurt. She was very impressed at your thoughtfulness. I am proud. Not at all surprised, though, because I see you do that kind of thing all the time.

You are funny, sweet, smart and so charming. You are cheerful, and genuine, and honest even when it's hard to tell the truth. You are tough, but vulnerable. You wear your heart on your sleeve, and you stand up for your convictions. I admire you and adore you. You are an amazing person. Thank you for lighting up my life. I feel so blessed to get to be your Mommy and I love you more than words can express.

Love,
Mommy

Here you are first thing in the morning on your birthday.


You are wearing pajamas that make you look like Buzz Lightyear from the Toy Story movies. Toy Story 3 just came out this year. You also have the bumblebee Pillow Pet that Uncle Casey gave you for your birthday. You were so excited and told him it was just the one you wanted. Yes, you have a band-aid on your forehead...you tend to play hard and a day doesn't go by when you do not need a band-aid. I had to get up very early to make sure I got your picture before you got out of bed. You usually wake me up at about 6:45 these days! I am going to remind you of this when you're a teenager and I need an airhorn to get you out of bed.