Mason - Year 4

Today you are 4 years old!  Where has the time gone, my sweet little boy?  This year has brought so many big changes for you and for our family, and you have handled it all like a champ.

First of all, we moved to California!  We have a new house with stairs that you love.  You get so excited when we drop things over the side of the banister- our glorified laundry chute.  You have a big room with your new bunk bed and tons of books.  We still read you at least two stories every night; one with Mommy and one with Daddy.  Sometimes you even read the books to us instead of the other way around.  Your favorite books are some of my favorites from when I was a kid.  You've read "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" so many times, that I had to hide it just to give us a break from reading it every... single... night.

You like going to school.  You have learned how to write your name and you write it everywhere.  You like maps and puzzles, you probably have a better grasp on geography than I do.  You've recently gotten into Legos and like to build the kits with Daddy.  He even brought home some of his old sets from when he was little and you guys play together with them all the time.

You like to help us around the house.  Whether that is helping put the clean dishes away, giving the cats food, or helping Daddy to build something.

This year, you also learned that you are going to be a big brother - any day now actually.  You are already a great big brother.  You like to talk to baby brother in my tummy and feel him kick.  You read him some of your books and you got upset that he wouldn't be here in time for your birthday.  You help me even more around the house now that I have a big pregnant belly in the way.  You come running to help me with the laundry and washing dishes.  You even help me get up from the couch!!

Your favorite time of day is still when Daddy comes home from work.  You run outside and stand on the giant rock in our neighbor's yard until Daddy turns the corner.  Then you run to open the door for him and tackle him inside the car.

You are becoming more and more independent every day.  In the last few weeks, you excuse me from the kitchen so that you can make your breakfast yourself.  You like us to help you less and less- getting dressed by yourself, brushing your own teeth, and making some of your own meals.

We look forward to seeing what this next year brings for you- how you change and what will stay the same.  We still constantly look at you and wonder when it was that you suddenly got so big!  We love you Mason!

Mason - Year 3

Mason - three months ago you turned three years old.  I am a little late getting your birthday journal done because these past few months have included selling the home we brought you home from the hospital to getting you a home in California closer to family.  You continue to grow in body and mind, it is truly astounding.  I still have moments where I look at you and think, "Wow, that is my son."  It's hard to even believe that not so long ago, you were in my tummy and now I can hardly wrangle the little boy that you have become!

You still have your mommy's looks; the blue eyes, the lighter hair.  We have the same crazy laugh and we often do it for no reason except to make each other smile.  You have your Daddy's brain.  You are brilliant and often outsmart us.  You use your wit to your advantage and it can sometimes get you into trouble.  You have most of your books on your shelf memorized - and there are about 50 of them.  No joke.  You are so smart, my little man.

You surprise us daily.  Either with your endless amounts of energy, or your ability to use a $20 word like 'insufferable' correctly.  We have no idea where you even heard that word.  You dance with so much enthusiasm that I couldn't replicate it if I wanted to.  We somehow need to learn how to take some of your energy, bottle it, sell it, and become millionaires - no one can keep up with you.

You like to sing.  You sing songs from school to yourself or even make up songs all on your own.  I have listened to you on your baby monitor singing while you lay in bed.  Sometimes you do it for more than 20 minutes.

You can eat like a full grown man.  It makes me afraid of what our grocery bill will look like when you actually are one.  Some mornings, you'll scarf down 8 mini muffins and 3 pancakes.  I have to assure people that you really do eat because you are so lean.  You still aren't a fan of meat but you love your carbs.  You eat the mushrooms out of your pasta first and would dump parmesan cheese on everything if we let you.  You drink orange juice like you haven't had fluids in weeks.

You like to help.  I assign you the 'table captain' every night so that you can set the table.  You are meticulous and things have to be done in the order that you want.  Every napkin has to be folded a certain way and no one is allowed to help you - those are your rules, not ours.  When I cook, you want to pour the ingredients.  When I do laundry, you want to add the detergent and clean the lint trap.  I hope that you always have a helpful heart.

You are affectionate.  If we leave the room, you'll come running after us because, "I just have to give you a hug!"  I take advantage of every opportunity that you want to cuddle, or hug, or give me a kiss.  I know that you'll one day be too old for all of that mushy stuff and it'll be a day that comes too soon.

Mason - I look at you with such joy, such love, that I can't even contain myself sometimes.  Mommy and Daddy love you.

Mason - Year 2

Two years old.  Wow!  Congratulations, Mason!  You have made it... all the way to TWO!

In the last year you have transformed so quickly, it's difficult to keep track of your accomplishments and how much you've grown.  Your dad and I are both so proud of you and continue to be so in love with you.  When you were a baby, it was hard to imagine that things could get any better, but my boy, you have blown us away.  You are so smart and energetic, so kind and polite, so funny and inventive.  Sometimes it's entertaining trying to figure out where you get it from.

About you:

You thrive on a schedule.  Your internal alarm clock wakes you around 6 a.m. every morning.  Your routine is to get up, get changed and head to the kitchen for a snack and some milk.  You have lunch every day at the same time, dinner at the same time, bath at the same time and all following the same steps along the way.

You are very independent.  In the last few months, you have decided that you want to try doing more things on your own which includes buckling your car seat and booster chair.  You aren't afraid to ask for help, although you do say, "help you?" when you are asking for assistance instead of saying, "help me."  You want to open and close the car doors by yourself even though they are way too heavy for you.  You think that you help open the garage door by pushing it up and pulling it down.

You like to talk.  Your daycare teachers recently told me that you are more of an observer in school and that you are quiet.  That was shocking news to your dad and I as we have always noticed that you are quite the talker!  You frequently have conversations either with us, yourself, your books, or the characters on television shows.  I wanted to keep track of your vocabulary but you learn so quickly that it was impossible for me to stay on top of it.

You are so smart.  You can count to thirteen, you know all of your colors, and you sing along with the alphabet song.  You like to read books.  You often choose four or five every night for us to read together before you go to bed.  You can name all of the animals in your book about the ocean and most of the animals in your farm book including mimicking the sound they make.  You use sign language to say 'more' and you use the terms water, agua, juice, and milk interchangeably.

You are polite.  You like to say 'hi' and 'bye' to everyone as we pass by them.  You know to say 'please' when you ask for something and say 'thank you' when someone does something for you.  When I announce that dinner is ready, you come running and say, "Ooooh, dinner!  Thank you Momma," as you climb in your chair.

You get in to everything.  Every part of our home has been child-proofed, but that does not mean Mason-proof.  You know where to find the magnets to open our magnet locks, you can jimmy the baby gates open and closed, you can pop open the straps that close up the craft drawer in the living room.  When you get into your crafts, you like to spread the supplies around the entire living room and put stickers on most everything.  You still like to climb the cat tree and you dump over the dirty laundry basket on a regular basis.  You enjoy flushing the toilet and waving, "Bye bye poo poo!" even when there's nothing to flush.  You climb in the bathtub fully clothed to draw on the walls with your water markers.

You like to eat.  Your favorites are anything pasta.  You like chow mein and macaroni and cheese.  You can use a fork but choose to use your hands most of the time.  You have not mastered table manners yet.  My purse and my car have become extensions of our pantry- often housing cheetos, nutrigrain bars, and fruit snacks just in case you ask for "more snack" while signing for "more."  You like to share with us and you often feel that what is on our plate or in our glass looks better than what you have, even if it's the exact same thing.

You love your family.
Your favorite part of the day is when your dad comes home.  You run out to the garage and help him out of his car.  You frequently lunge at him for a hug so swiftly that I almost lose grasp of you.

You still cuddle with me on the couch although it's becoming less frequent.  Just last night, you were settled in among a bunch of pillows with one on your lap.  You pat the pillow for me to lay down and when I did, you pet my hair so sweetly.  I want to always remember that.

You still love your kitty siblings.  Asha just passed away a few months ago and you still ask, "Where's Sasha?"  You call Misty, "Sissy." Xerox is "Rox."  And Rascal is "Rocko."  You are very gentle with them when they allow you to pet them and all of them are your best friend when you are eating because you love to share.

We love you more.  We love you more and more every day.  We love you on the days that you are a sweetheart.  We love you on the days that you are not a sweetheart.  You challenge our patience when you are just being a toddler.  You challenge our hearts when we don't think we can possibly love you any more than we already do.

You have been such a blessing to us.  Happy Birthday Mason Boo.  We love you.