Happy Birthday, Baby

An open letter to the (as of today) Four Year Old:

In the event that you ever look back and read Mommy's blog - today was your 4th birthday! Every year I remember exactly what I was doing throughout the day you were born, including the time you made your first appearance - 3:53 p.m. CDT. This year, we had your birthday party at the gymnastics place, and so many people came to celebrate. It was a great party - your friends and family from near and far came to see you for your party, and all weekend long. So many people talked about your excellent manners, and how sweet you are. I'm a little sad because you just fell asleep, and now your birthday celebration is over...we had a long weekend, and birthday-ed all the way through. I can't believe that you're already 4 years old - it seems like such a short time ago that you were a little baby. You don't have a baby book yet - all the memories of your firsts are stored up in our heads, and we go back and visit them more often than you think. When you come up with some insightful comment, we remark to each other about how lucky we are to have such a sweet, sensitive, and intelligent son...and think back to how we felt the first time you looked at us and said our names. You're a gift to us...and like a wise man once said, we'll never be able to give you enough to repay all the joy that you've given your parents. When you are older, and things lose their wonder a little bit, I hope that you'll look back on times like your 4th Birthday Weekend, and remember a little bit of the magic that comes with surprises, and playing with new toys, and jumping on a trampoline. We love you more than you will ever know, and are thankful every day that God saw fit to bless us with you.

Your parents,
Mommy and Daddy