I am writing your yearly letter to you so you can read them when you are older and have an idea of the type of little boy you were. It's hard to believe you are now four years old. I compare your pictures from last year to the recent ones, and your chubby baby face is gone. At three you still looked like a toddler, but now that you are four you are truly a boy. All traces of toddler-hood look to be gone. You have grown three inches in the past year and gained seven pounds! Each year seems to go by faster than the previous one. You have been a big brother for over a year now, and you have so much fun with your brother, although there is some sibling rivalry. The two of you do not like to share! You can make him laugh like no one else can, and he follows you around and copies so much stuff that you do. I know you love it :)
You have become so independent this past year. We signed you up for Kindermusik during the spring semester, and I just drop you off and pick you up. That first day you were so excited and when I said goodbye you said "Bye Mommy!" and barely looked at me as you walked into the room. It kind of made me sad, but I was so happy that you were excited to be doing things on your own. You are so excited for preschool this fall and I know you will be fine without me. When did you get so big?? You are also in gymnastics on your own now and you do such a great job of following directions and listening to what Miss Amy tells you to do. You love gymnastics and when you are done you are all flushed and sweaty. You have also come a long way in swimming. In the spring you and daddy took a parent-child swimming class. You hated to get your head or eyes wet, and you didn't like to get in the cold water. This summer we have been going to the pool a lot, and I can tell how much you have changed since the beginning of summer. You love to go down the slides and you will now stand under the giant bucket that dumps water on everyone and get your head wet, which is something you would not do a month ago! You love to go to your swimming lessons now (on your own) and you do such a good job following directions. You are so disappointed if it's not a swimming lessons night.
You are such a polite boy and usually remember to say please and thank you. We have had so many people tell us how well-behaved you are and how polite. You make us so proud! You do have your difficult moments, too. You hate going to bed at night and do anything to put it off. You also hate when we tell you to get dressed in the morning. It usually takes many times of telling you, and them some yelling because we are usually going to be late getting out the door for an activity. You are so slow about getting your shoes on, and you sometimes try to put them on the wrong feet even after I tell you the right way to put them on. You don't like when Cael takes something you are playing with, but I think that is pretty normal for any child. You love playing outside, whether it's riding your bike, playing in the garden, playing with the water table or going on a walk. Your favorite thing to do this summer has been to go to the pool. I'm pretty sure you would live there if you could, and you are always mad when it is time to go home.
You still love books and have been going through a Berenstein Bears phase lately. You also like the Elephant and Piggy and the Pigeon books by Mo Willems. Your favorite book of all time though is "Chicka-Chicka Boom Boom." You always want that video when we go to the library and you will watch it over and over and sing along to it. I love when you randomly start singing it or when you make up your own songs. It's so cute. You also love your ABC's. You sing that a lot and know all your letters. I've been trying to get you to work on writing your letters, but you don't have much patience for that, which your doctor assures me is normal for boys because you are just too active to want to sit there and draw or write stuff. Hopefully preschool will help.
You like to dance, but will not usually dance in front of anyone except daddy, Cael, and me. You have this dance you made up called the "Naked Dance." You usually do it if you are naked or just have your underwear on. You will turn around and wiggle your bottom and hips back and forth and sing "I'm naked! I'm naked!" We have some videos of it and it's pretty hilarious. You even have recently gotten Cael to start doing it too!
You ask "Why?" about a million times a day, and about everything. You are such a curious boy! I love how you still call Cael "baby" or "baby Cael" but rarely ever call him just Cael. You get up in the morning and if he's awake you will get into his crib with him and put in books and stuffed animals too. You talk to him and will unzip and help him get out of his sleepsack. It's so cute. You love wrestling with daddy, and beg to wrestle with him all the time. Cael has now copied you and wants to wrestle with the two of you too!
You have such an amazing memory! You can remember things that happened at least a year ago, and you remember and can see little details that most people (myself included) don't. When we go to visit Grandpa and Grandma Wendling you know where all the things on the farm are at and what is in each building. You know what buttons to push to open or close the shop doors, what levers and buttons do what on certain tractors, and you take in everything you see and remember it. We have to be careful what we say around you because you will remember it and repeat it at a later time. Even when I think you aren't paying attention, you usually are.
You are still pretty shy around people you don't know, but you warm up faster now to people you know pretty well like your grandparents, and aunts and uncles.
I'm always entertained by the things that you say or questions that you ask. My favorite phrase lately is "Mommy, I want to tell you a question." Then you will tell me something, not ask me a question :) The other day you told me I was a really bad driver because I drove up on a curb a little bit when I was parking. Another time as I was pulling into the Ace Hardware parking lot you told me I couldn't go there because it was Daddy's store. I really need to start writing down some of the funny things you say so that I can remember them.
You love dinosaurs, anything to do with John Deere tractors, and you are a little obsessed with monsters. You think they are coming to get you and that they live in your closet. You are scared to go into places that are dark because you think scary monsters will be there. You're favorite place to eat is Jimmy John's and you will eat a whole sandwich when we go there. You love ice cream and ask for it all the time. Your other favorite foods are: hot dogs, yogurt, applesauce, hamburgers, and breakfast cereal. Your favorite tv shows are: Super Why, Caillou, and Dinosaur Train. You favorite video, as I said earlier is "Chicka-Chicka Boom Boom." You also like Cars, Monsters Inc. and the Max and Ruby cartoon on DVD. You have seen Spongebob a few times at your grandparents house, but we don't have cable so you're limited to the shows on PBS.
You have such a great imagination, and I love hearing what you make up and make believe. I love that you love looking at books and making up stories and pretending you are reading when you look at them by yourself. I love when you have a (bad or good) dream and that you tell us about it. I love how angelic and peaceful you look when you are sleeping. I love how you fall asleep in weird and uncomfortable looking positions so that we have to come and move you, and you barely open your eyes when we pick you up and put you back under the covers. I love how you always give me a hug in the morning and say "Good morning, Mommy." I love your amazing blue eyes and your blond hair. I love how tan you get in the summer, and that your dad and I either burn or stay white. I love how sweet you can be at times with your brother. I love how you love to give me hugs and cuddle with me often. I love how you always ask me if I am happy, and when I say yes you say, "I'm happy too, Mommy." I love how when you see a mail truck you say it's the post officer :) I love that you call romantic kisses "lady kisses" and you will try to give people "lady kisses" by giving them a kiss on the lips with your mouth open! I love how you help me at the grocery store by helping pick up stuff off the shelf and helping unload the cart at the checkout. I love how curious you are about everything. I love how you get so excited about little things and say stuff like "Oh, boy!" and "Wow!" I love that you are such a rough and tumble boy. You don't care about getting dirty and you go out of your way to splash in mud puddles. You are so much fun, and teach me so much. You (and your brother) keep me on my toes. You make me so proud, and I can't wait to see what the next year brings. I could go on and write a book, but you will be awake from your nap soon, and then we will be busy again until it's time to go to sleep. I love that I am able to stay home and watch you grow and learn. I hope you will read this someday and maybe even remember some of the things mentioned. I hope you will be happy that your mommy was able to stay home and take care of you when you were little. I hope that you will remember some of the fun things we did and have happy memories that you will remember for the rest of your life and tell your own children about. I hope we can take many more fun trips to the zoo, plays, museums, amusement parks, fairs, the pool, and go on vacations.
I love you so much Ayden! My whole life changed on the day you were born and I held you in my arms for the first time. I would do anything for you! I hope you are happy and continue to have a happy, healthy, and safe childhood. I know you will continue to make me laugh, amaze me, and make me so proud in the many years to come!
Love always and forever,
Mommy
4 years old
3 years old
2 years old
1 year old
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