To my 4 year old.

Dear my little Benji boy,
Four years old already!  I can’t believe it!  It seems like just yesterday I was terrified about having you because they told me you were huge and could get stuck.  And now you’re this rambunctous, sweet boy who keeps me on my toes!  I had your whole birthday letter written out last year and some how it got deleted before I posted it and I never got around to writing a new one, which I’m still kicking myself for.  So this years is getting posted!

You’ve matured a lot this past year.  You’re starting to be a little bit more independent (a little bit) and you’re starting to figure things out on your own.  You still get frustrated very easily, which brings on the screaming, but I’ve seen a decrease in that the past few months.  Thank God.  I have to say that it drives me absolutely batty when you scream out of frustration.  Your favorite words this year have been “I cay-unt!!” and you say them ALL the time!  I finally drew arrows in your shoes so you would know which foot to put them on and that seems to be working well.  You just recently started getting dressed by yourself, although you still get your shirts on backwards or upside down occasionally.  And then you scream until I make you come to me so I can help.  Silly boy.

You are an EXCELLENT big brother and Jamison just adores you.  You spend a good portion of every day trying to get J to laugh and you succeed quite often.  He is always watching you and what you’re doing and he gets so excited when you come over to him.  Again, you scream bloody murder if you’re trying to play with Jamison and Abbie gets anywhere near you, but we’re working on that.  I never once worried about you being bad with Jamison, and you proved me right.  You’re very gentle with him and you ask to hold him a few times a week now, even though you were afraid to touch him when he was brand new.  You and Abbie have a love/hate relationship.  Sometimes you play great together and other times you get tired of her bossing you around so you throw a fit.  But overall you guys are pretty good buds.  She was in tears because she didn’t buy you a plane she’s getting talking about getting you before your birthday.

We finally got you potty trained this year (aka – to poop in the potty).  That was a big hurdle for you but daddy bribed you with your very own Gator and I did some major pep talking and it worked.  Once you did it once and realized it didn’t hurt and wasn’t scary, then you were fine.  I hope with Jamison daddy picks a much cheaper bribe as yours was $400….  But you do love your Gator, and so do all the neighbor kids.

You’re a pretty picky eater right now but you could live on hot dogs and mac n cheese and ranch with a few chicken nuggets.  You go through bucket fulls of Ranch.  You are your daddy’s biggest fan.  You ask us every single night if daddy has to go to work in the morning and one of your first questions in the morning once you’re awake is “Is daddy at work?’.  And you usually ask at least 10 times a day when daddy is coming home.  He’s a great daddy and role model for you and if you turn out as half of a good guy as your daddy, I’ll be happy.

We love you little dude.  You are such a cute little bugger and you definitely keep this household loud and active.  Don’t ever change.
Love,
Your mommy

Ben’s birthday letter from Daddy

 

          

Happy 3^rd Birthday Little Man! 8 Dec 14

You are 3 years old already! I refuse to believe it! It wasn't too long ago that you were barely saying 2 words. Now you're throwing together sentences that are 10+ words strong! You're a smart little kiddo just like your sister. Your sister has done a lot to help you talk. I know in large part it's because of her that you are communicating so well. She not only teaches you words or common sentences and phrases but she also provides you with some stiff competition. She is always filling up the airwaves so you've had to learn quickly how to express your ideas and feelings so as not to get lost in the noise. Although she does teach you some phrases Mom and I would rather you not repeat. Such as, “turdy butt”, “poopy head”, or the always popular combo “you stinky turdy butt poopy head”. Where does this stuff come from? Mom does a great job teaching you as well. Just like she did with your sister. Mom is always testing your knowledge or teaching you new words and how to pronounce them. You are darn good for having no front teeth. When you take your time you're easy to understand, but sometimes you get excited and the words just don't come out the way you want. Then it becomes somewhat difficult to understand you but you're improving everyday.

You, my little man, love machines. Anything that moves and makes noise (just not too much noise or the hand earmuffs go up). Cars, trucks, boats, planes, trains...you love them all. Mom and I bought you a train table for your birthday and what a hit that has been with you. We had the bright idea of assembling the table and giving it to you the morning before we left for our trip to The Polar Express. I still don't know how we got you out of the house and on the road when we did. 

One of my favorite things to do is watch you play. You've started adding the sound effects to your cars, trains, and planes just like I used to. You are so interested in the motion of your vehicles. You study every aspect of their movement. I love how you lay your head down on the couch and study how they move across the couch cushion while you push them back and forth, back and forth. Or, you'll walk around with your plane in hand watching it fly through the air twisting and turning all the while making the engine come alive with your sound effects. Here's a little constructive feedback for your sound effects; a little more air and a lot less spit...you're running a bit rich.

Wow do you like to run! I don't you think walk anywhere anymore. You have two speeds right now; crashed and sprint. Run in the house, run out of the house, run up the stairs, run down hotel hallways, run while being chased, run while not being chased, run to the park so you can run in the park, run while your nose is running, and the best of all...run to the door when I walk through it to meet me when I come home from work. One of my favorite times of the day! Something I know I'll miss when you get older.

We're still working on your ability to handle frustrating situations. Hopefully Mom and I can move you past the ear piercing shrill. That shrill could mean a number of things including but not limited to “Sampson is molesting me”, “Abbie ripped a toy out of my hand”, “my pancake fell off my fork”, “the magnetic train cars keep falling apart”, or (what mom and I always imagine) “I just lost my arm or leg and I need immediate medical attention”. We'll get there eventually.

You're the best little man! I'm excited to watch you grow! But it's now time to tell you what Mom and I have been telling Abbie for the past few years. Stop growing!! You're not allowed to get any older! We're not going to celebrate your birthday anymore so you can't get any older! It's worth a shot anyway.

I'm love being your dad! Happy Birthday Benji-boy! 

Love, Dad      

Ben’s 2nd birthday letter

 

My little Benji boy,

I can’t believe that I was ever worried about having a boy and not knowing what to do with you.  I love having you as my little side kick during the day when Abbie is in school and it’s just you and me.  You love to follow me around and “help” me do things.  You are typically a very happy little guy, and you are so, so sweet.  You get very concerned if you think someone is upset or if you hear someone crying and you give hugs right away.  There has been more than one occasion where Abbie will take a toy from you, which makes you SCREAM.  We tell her to give it back to you and she will but then she cries and throws a fit.  Most of the time you will stand there for a few seconds and watch her and then you’ll go up and give her the toy that she had originally taken from you and say “Here you go, Abbie.”.  You have a very kind and loving nature and I hope that that never changes.

I have to admit, it’s so hard for me to envision you getting as big as your daddy is.  I can’t even imagine my little boy, who I still call my baby, being taller than me.  I don’t ever want the days where you want hugs and kisses before bed to end and I’ll be heartbroken the day you don’t wrap all your fingers around my pinky to cross the street.  I love seeing you accomplish some small task (buckling yourself into your high chair or picking up your toys) and then seeing your face light up with pride and you clap for yourself and say “YAY!  Did it!”  I love your toddler talk where you know enough words to communicate well enough, but you’re not even close to speaking fluently yet.  Seeing you haul around your lovey and your paci really makes my day.

I have so many hopes and dreams for your future, little man, but at the same time, I can’t imagine you being any bigger than you are now.  Love you, little man!  Try to stay little forever, okay?

Love, your mommy

 

Ben’s Birthday Letter from daddy

Happy Birthday My Little Benjamin                                              8 Dec 2013

You turn 2 years old today.  I can’t believe it…seems like just yesterday we were bringing you home from the hospital.  Of course in this last year you’ve changed quite a bit.  You went from being partially mobile to completely mobile.  Now all you want to do is run everywhere; “Daddy run…daddy run” every time we are walking to the car.  I fear you and Abbie might wear a rut in the tile as much as you both run back and forth through the kitchen and dining room.  Of course with your new found mobility came your discovery of gravity and its effects.  Kid, I don’t think your legs or head are ever without a bruise or bump on them anymore. 

Boy do you love things with motors.  It amazes me how fascinated you are with planes, trains, cars, motorcycles, and even golf carts.  Your interest in them started early.  I think your first word was “pane” (for plane).  Now you have hundreds of cars to play with and you play with them all the time.  I love watching you plop down next to your car with the side of your head on the floor watching the car as you push it back and forth.  I can tell you’re studying every aspect of it.  I love how you run and get me a car to play with too.  And then we sit on the couch pushing cars back and forth together and crashing them into one another.  I wish I could bottle those times up.  I think you’re going to be my little helper when you get older.  You already are but I know for certain you’ll be out in the shop with me working on projects.  I’m excited for that…but let’s not get there too quickly; I don’t want you to grow up too fast. 

You’re an amazing little guy!  You have such a kind heart.  I watch how empathetic you are toward people, even Abbie.  Abbie gets upset about something and usually you are quick to say you’re sorry and give her a hug.  I know that probably won’t last too long but it certainly shows where your heart is already.  The foundation is there and we didn’t even have to teach it; God just gave it to you.  You’re a sweat little man, the world needs more of you.

But not more of your snot!  Seriously, you snot more than 3 people combined, where does it all come from?  I know where most of it is going to end up; smeared on the side of your face or plastered on the couch, usually both.  I feel bad for you always dealing with the snots, but you don’t seem to care too much.  You’re too busy studying the motion of your cars.  There is no time for that thick string of snot dangling dangerously near you upper lip.  **Swipe swipe** There, that’s better.  Just put it out of the way on your cheeks so it can dry.

I’m proud to be your dad, little buddy!  I’m excited to watch you grow, learn, and experience this life.  We’ll have fun together out in the garage, in the yard, on the basketball court, or maybe even in a little airplane (if mom allows).  Keep doing what you’re doing little man.  I love you Benjamin!

Your Dad

To my sweet Ben

You, my little man, are an absolute joy to be around.  Your smile is infectious and you are usually smiling.  This first year with you has been quite a roller coaster at times, with you refusing to nurse and losing a lot of weight your first two months and then us discovering you’re just a lazy little thing and preferred the bottle to nursing.  Sharing a room with you for two months while we lived in Alabama was… interesting… and I’m not sure any of us got much sleep, but ever since we got back and you got in to your own room, you sleep like a champ.
I still get excited to get you up in the morning.  I love walking in there and see you sitting up in your bed.  (You still rarely pull up to a standing position in your bed.)  You usually start to bounce up and down when you see me and every morning I say, “Well good morning little man!” - so much that now Abbie says that every time she comes in there with me to get you up.  You love it when I tickle your face and belly with the ends of my hair when I’m changing your diaper and I love hearing your baby laugh. 
I distinctly remember being nervous about being pregnant with a boy.  Boys were so foreign to me and I had no clue what I was going to do with you or what you were going to be like.  Now it’s hard for me to believe that I ever felt like that.  You fit perfectly in to our family and you are the perfect balance to Abbie.  Anyone that has ever watched you for me has told me what a great baby you are, which is always nice to hear, but something that I already know.
It is so fun to watch you discover things and progress in your development.  I remember going through this with Abbie and watching her grow up, but it’s still different with you.  You go about things a little differently than she did, but either way, it’s excited to watch.  You get so excited when I walk into the room, like it’s the best thing that’s happened to you all day, and that melts my heart every single time.  And you get so proud of yourself when you manage to pull yourself up on something.  Your grins that you flash at me are just priceless.
I can’t wait to see what the next year holds for you, little man.  You’re already losing your baby fat and you’re slimming down and looking more and more like a toddler every day.  I’m excited to see what’s next, but sad to see time slipping away so quickly and my baby turning in to a little boy.
I love you so much, little man.  Don’t get big on me too fast.