Little Man,

We've been counting down the days for months now when you would turn the big 4 years old. The big day was yesterday and boy oh boy were you excited! All day you kept coming up to me with your chest puffed up and you standing as tall as can be. You would just stay there silent, holding your breath, and reaching your head up to the Heavens until I would stop stirring dinner or reading the Ensign to make a to-do over you.

"Wowee! Look at you! You are so tall now that you are 4 years old!!"

You would then get the proudest 'I'm the coolest dude around' smile on your face and strut away. I had to smile, to keep from crying, because honestly you are looking quite a bit taller these days, which means the unimaginable is happening...

You're growing up.

Don't get me wrong, I'm so excited for you. I know that you love getting bigger, stronger, faster, and even more like your hero daddy, but it is hard for me to see you growing up so fast. To know that one day my little boy running around in his baggy whitey tighties, and begging me to sit on the couch and tickle his tummy might just grow into those undies, want to be fully clothed, and not need to cuddle with his mama anymore...

Whew.

I got to take a breather.

Making me tear up just thinking about a day like that coming.

I guess I just need to trust that when that age/stage comes, it will be just like all the others... even better than the last.

It's true. I really have loved every age with you little Ru. You have such a fun and active personality. Experiencing 3 with you has been quite magical, and I know 4 will be even better!

I write this letter and all my Birthday letters to you in the hopes that when you are reading them, maybe as an older Rockstar (sitting on my lap and cuddling of course;)) you will be able to have a glimpse of the amazing, fun, and kind hearted boy you will always be to me. I love you buddy. Enjoy your stinkin fun self from the wonderful age of 3-4.

Your personality, passion, and raspy giggle permeate every nook and cranny in our home (and in my heart). Without you, our home would be a little too quiet. You are always yelling in that deep voice for someone to come check out your new cool trick or look at the black widow you just squashed (all spiders are the widows), or just to wipe your "brown stuff" (yes it's what you think it is). You are a boy through and through. Loud, fun, dirty, hyper, and unlimited amounts of energy. I truly feel like every single day is an adventure with you. You can discover all day long and it just never gets tiring.

You LOVE your sissies with a heart like I've never seen. The sun rises and sets with both of them in your eyes. There isn't a person in this world you'd rather play with than your Lulu and you fiercly protect and watch over Gigi. In fact, I am beginning to realize you don't trust me with her in the slightest. All day long, in the most panicked voice, I hear "Mama, Don't forget Gigi!" "Mama, she might choke on that apple!" "Mama! You need to brush her hair softly!!" Haha. You are definitely taking the big brother role. Make sure it lasts.

You have a temper and are definitely a quick hitter. Worries me sometimes. You don't seem to have any kind of currency. If I tell you to go to timeout, You walk back to the Laundry room and close the door. If I say "friends need to go home." You say, "Bye". If I threaten to throw away a favorite toy, you honestly pick it up and walk it to the trash can. The only thing that seems to kind of work is taking away any candy. It is definitely your most prized possession. I haven't resorted to it too much, because something tells me bribing/threatening with sugar isn't a very good idea. There are times I get desperate though and have to bring in the big guns. :)

You get extremely frustrated with me and inanimate objects. If you stub your toe on the wall, you say "Mama! You shouldn't put that wall there!" If you hit your head on the counter, "Mama You shouldn't put that counter there!" Today, when you scraped your knee on the corner of the couch, it was "Mama you shouldn't move the couch there!" Cracks us up every time.

Daddy says he's also noticed you kicking the horrible thing that hurt you too. Ha! I' m yet to experience that one, but I'm sure I'll see it soon.

You love to make people laugh. You'll do whatever it takes...running into walls, jumping off the couch and landing on your head, or just about anything else to get a giggle. You love being funny and you do have a great little sense of humor.

You are still stubborn. Nothing has changed there. If you don't want to do something, you aint doing it. Period.

You love to play make believe with Lulu. Just yesterday, the two of you were pretending to be flowers blowing in the wind. Lulu takes the softer approach, imagining what beautiful colors each of you are and how lovely the wind feels. You, on the other hand, usually invite a scary pirate or dinosaur to come in and squash the two of you. Haha. You two are the perfect mixture between beauty and adventure!

And just so I get it documented, when the two of you play Tangled and you're Flynn Rider, You walk around the house repeating over and over again, "Hey How you Doing?" You use such smolder in your voice. It just makes me smile.

You're not a big "friend" person. You would rather play with your sisters any day. You also love to stay home. Every week, I end up turning someone's offer down for you to play at their house. I get the feeling home is where you're happiest. Me too.

You are always, and I mean ALWAYS, hungry!!!! I seriously cannot fill you up. You have to have a constant snack plate at all times. This drives me crazy and I love it all at the same time. I love it because you will eat whatever I put on the snack plate. Usually sliced apples, carrot sticks, and raw almonds. It drives me crazy though, because I can't seem to get any other house hold chore done with all the slicing and food preparation I do all day for you. You can down a whole plate in about 5 minutes. I can't imagine you eating any more than you do right now, but I'm sure the teenage years will come and shock the crud out of me. I may have to work a job or something to keep you fed then.

You are a little Dare Devil. It seems you can do about 45 mph on your little big wheel. You'll take on any hill you see and give Daddy and I a heart attack as we watch you round bottom corners with your back wheel off the ground. The other day we took the family to the park. It sits on a pretty steep grassy hill and there is a sidewalk around the perimeter. You were riding around and around. Well, I guess you thunk an idea and before we knew it, You cranked your steering wheel and were speeding down the grassy slope. Near the bottom, you hit a dip and went flying off your big wheel. A group of teenage boys saw and started cheering you on. Well, the only thing you like more than a daring stunt is a crowd watching you. Up you got and down you went again and again. You actually ate it pretty hard a few times, but you were loving the attention more than any pain. Ha! You are definitely your daddy's son.

You are amazing at Basket Ball! Seriously, I am awestruck with your talent and the passion you have for the sport. You beg to be taken to the park CONSTANTLY, in between your begging for food of course. You have out grown the Little Tike hoops. Now you want the real thing. You can stand for hours swishing the ball into the big hoop. You love it and I can't wait to see how this talent develops. You're also learning to dribble which is the cutest thing to watch. You slap that ball again and again with such unwavering concentration. You don't easily give up when it comes to that sport.

When I tell you how special you are each and every night, you believe it with your whole heart. The face you give is one, I'm afraid I may never catch on camera. It is in my heart forever though. It is a face of wonder and pure belief. Like, you're engraining it in your very soul or maybe it's because somewhere you know the truth of it already. Either way, I hope you always know how very special you are. You are sure to do amazing things throughout your life. I know it. And so do you.

I know your favorite food is chips and beans.

I know your favorite color is blue.

I know your favorite TV show is Cat in The Hat.

But for the life of me, I don't know what your favorite animal is. It changes each time you're asked. At Preschool graduation, you told your teacher that your favorite animal was "sheeps" (what the?) and the last time I asked you, your response was.....wait for it....

camels. haha!! Not sure where you come up with these, but it sure did make me laugh.

Every night, you go to sleep with your red blankie, Lulu on a mattress on the floor next to you, and your favorite song "Choo Choo Laroo" blaring. We try to have the windows open, (because Daddy doesn't believe in air conditioning) but you make us promise to close them the second you fall asleep. You're "scared of the owls."

You cannot use a napkin. I am convinced that it is your Mt Everest. You wipe EVERYTHING under neath the kitchen island counter top. It doesn't matter if a napkin is beside you, on your lap, or in your hand. You'll set it down and wipe that pizza sauce, yogurt, or peanut butter right underneath that counter. This makes my daily finds awwwsome.

And speaking of wiping, Let's talk about that runny nose of yours. You have your own technique down pat. Open hand. Wipe upwards against both nostrils. Follow trail up to your hair. Wow. It's pretty disgusting bud. Work on that one K?

You are a fish in water. You love it. No fear at all.

You are still a vegetarian.

You aren't really into family home evening, but you are always the one to volunteer for prayers. Pretty funny the things you pray for. Usually everything is completely about you getting what you want. "Please bless I can play Basket ball." "Please bless Lulu will be nice to me tomorrow." etc. Hopefully you'll understand the concept of prayer a little better this next year and not just your daily wish list. :)

You don't really like the TV. You'd way rather be outside being active.

You love guns.

You're not wearing dress up gowns too often anymore. I think that might have been on Daddy's prayer list for a while. Haha. I was never worried. Not a bit.

You rarely let me take a normal picture. This blog is proof of that. Always pulling the funniest faces. I'm still shocked about the picture above I captured. Probably, because you were bribed with 5 marshmallows out of the huge bag that Grammy sent you for your Birthday. (BTW, We need to talk about that one Terry:))

I love you little Rockstar. You are such a joy in my life. I am truly honored to be your mother. I can't wait to experience the world through your 4 year old eyes this next year. Such a magical place you (and only you) live in. Thanks for making me a part of it.

Love,

Mommy

xoxo

p.s. I was so excited to capture that face in the last picture.

It's one of my favorites.