Dear Sam Ben Joyce (as you refer to yourself these days),
Today you are FOUR. Whew! Glad to have the threes behind us--this was quite a year!! A year of great joy and great trial as you both warmed our hearts and tested our limits.
These days you are indescribably funny, full of life, talking up a storm, and full of little Samisms to make us laugh. Just a few of my favorites I happened to record in the past month:
"No, not tomorrow. Tomorrow I go to college and get real life."
"You work for me! Actually, you work for the whole family."
"I want some privacy... Privacy!... No, the kind of privacy when you with me."
"I no want you be a grandma."
"I'm four now! I can drink beer now!"
Yes, welcome to the CA state legal drinking age. Just kidding. (Though some nights in the past several sleepless months I have wondered if they make Tylenol PM for kids). You have suffered from nightmares for many months now, and your sleeping has been deeply affected (as has mine). We finally came up with a solution that's helped us all rest more effectively, but even on the nights when you aren't scared, you manage to make your way into the "snuggle nest" beside our bed because you just "yike it so much in here."
Your speech, while much improved since three, has still a long way to go. You can speak in these long, complicated sentences, sing songs, wax poetic about firetrucks, army men, astronauts, and legos, but about half of what you say may be indiscernible to those outside your close circle. Fortunately, you aren't usually bothered by folks' inability to understand you, and it hasn't affected your sweet spirit or desire to make friends on the playground. We hope and pray that in the next year we'll see great strides in your speech!!
You are obsessed with legos. Every day we build and re-build the same firetrucks and rescue vehicles and you construct elaborate play scenes. You can focus on your legos for twenty, thirty, forty minutes at a time. It's impressive!! You also love to dress up these days. Your new astronaut costume (thanks Tutu & Boppa) is SO fun, and now we won't need to borrow Wyatt's in order to get you out of the Eakin house without a major tantrum. :)
At school you are quiet but also a bit sneaky. Circle time is hard for you, but you love the imaginative play time and especially art. You and your sister are both SO creative and artistic, constantly making these beautiful, elaborate, detailed pieces of art that belie your ages. Your teachers have remarked on both your artistic ability as well as your great architectural skills. You write your name on your papers all the time now, and are constantly asking me how to spell things. You signed your whole name "Sam Joyce" on many of your thank-you cards, taking about twenty minutes to carefully pen the letters out.
You love to snuggle, which I'm so thankful for. I hope that you never outgrow your affectionate, cuddly personality. Not a morning goes by when we drop off Maddie at K that you don't run into her arms with big hugs and kisses to start off her day. It warms my heart more and more each day. You call it "hug-kiss" and sometimes we're lucky to get "hug-kiss, hug-kiss, hug-kiss, hug-kiss" or even more! At night if you crawl in your snuggle nest and I stir, you'll tenderly reach for my hand and give it a sweet little kiss.
I can't wait to see you as a big brother. I know that you will have some hard transitions ahead when you are no longer the baby, but I see such a gentle, tender spirit in you and I know that having a baby in the house will bring out the best in those qualities.
Happy Four Years Old, our sweet little buddy! Even amidst the struggles and challenges you throw at us each day, you manage to be the cutest, funniest, and most lovable boy we know. So glad that I get to be your Mama.
"I'm four now! I can drink beer now!"
Yes, welcome to the CA state legal drinking age. Just kidding. (Though some nights in the past several sleepless months I have wondered if they make Tylenol PM for kids). You have suffered from nightmares for many months now, and your sleeping has been deeply affected (as has mine). We finally came up with a solution that's helped us all rest more effectively, but even on the nights when you aren't scared, you manage to make your way into the "snuggle nest" beside our bed because you just "yike it so much in here."
Your speech, while much improved since three, has still a long way to go. You can speak in these long, complicated sentences, sing songs, wax poetic about firetrucks, army men, astronauts, and legos, but about half of what you say may be indiscernible to those outside your close circle. Fortunately, you aren't usually bothered by folks' inability to understand you, and it hasn't affected your sweet spirit or desire to make friends on the playground. We hope and pray that in the next year we'll see great strides in your speech!!
You are obsessed with legos. Every day we build and re-build the same firetrucks and rescue vehicles and you construct elaborate play scenes. You can focus on your legos for twenty, thirty, forty minutes at a time. It's impressive!! You also love to dress up these days. Your new astronaut costume (thanks Tutu & Boppa) is SO fun, and now we won't need to borrow Wyatt's in order to get you out of the Eakin house without a major tantrum. :)
At school you are quiet but also a bit sneaky. Circle time is hard for you, but you love the imaginative play time and especially art. You and your sister are both SO creative and artistic, constantly making these beautiful, elaborate, detailed pieces of art that belie your ages. Your teachers have remarked on both your artistic ability as well as your great architectural skills. You write your name on your papers all the time now, and are constantly asking me how to spell things. You signed your whole name "Sam Joyce" on many of your thank-you cards, taking about twenty minutes to carefully pen the letters out.
You love to snuggle, which I'm so thankful for. I hope that you never outgrow your affectionate, cuddly personality. Not a morning goes by when we drop off Maddie at K that you don't run into her arms with big hugs and kisses to start off her day. It warms my heart more and more each day. You call it "hug-kiss" and sometimes we're lucky to get "hug-kiss, hug-kiss, hug-kiss, hug-kiss" or even more! At night if you crawl in your snuggle nest and I stir, you'll tenderly reach for my hand and give it a sweet little kiss.
I can't wait to see you as a big brother. I know that you will have some hard transitions ahead when you are no longer the baby, but I see such a gentle, tender spirit in you and I know that having a baby in the house will bring out the best in those qualities.
Happy Four Years Old, our sweet little buddy! Even amidst the struggles and challenges you throw at us each day, you manage to be the cutest, funniest, and most lovable boy we know. So glad that I get to be your Mama.
Love,
Mama
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