I know that I said I do not do these anymore, but after doing one for Sam it seemed only right to do another for you, especially since it has been so long since the last one. You will be three years old in a few days and I can hardly believe it.
You love television. I mean LOVE it. Many parents don't let their kids watch tv and I say "to each his own". I also love tv and still read more than anyone I know. I don't think the two are mutually exclusive. You think that we have a magic tv because of Tivo. You just plop down on the couch and ask to watch a giraffe, a hippo or a lion. As if I could magically conjure things up at will. It makes sense since you ask for 'Cars' or 'Dora' and they instantly appear. None of that "it's not on right now" for you.
I love how you say "please" and "thank you" and "bless you" when I sneeze. How you miss your daddy when he goes out of town. At night you sneak out of your bed and come downstairs and sit on the stairs. Your dad and I will be watching tv and suddenly realize that you are there. It's so cute and a bit eerie. We think you have a wonderful future ahead of you as a cat burglar. I love how much you love your little brother and how when you see him you say "What is that?" instead of "Who is that?" And when you want to tell us what something is, you say "what is that?" just so we will say "I don't know. What IS that?" and you can show us how smart you are. You are truly the puzzle master. I have never seen anything quite like it. Recently we bought you a 35 and a 60 piece puzzle. Josh thought I was being ambitious with the 60 piece, but I said you would grow into it. Within 30 minutes of returning home you had done both. You showed us.
You love your school. It took awhile for you to warm up to it but now you really seem to enjoy it. You walk into school and all the teachers you pass say "Hi Ben" and you just walk on by as if you were a rock star who could not be bothered. And when your daddy brings you home in the evening you hand me your latest creation and when I ask what it is, you say "art".
You always want to help out and you seem to really enjoy cleaning. I blame this on your nana (my mother). Last night you were taking a bath and asked me to give you the washcloth I was using. You then proceeded to scrub down the faucet and the tiles. You also like to observe all that we do and drag your stool everywhere so you can see what's going on. You finally let your daddy brush your teeth at night without trying to kick him to death and you two have your bedtime rituals from reading books to shadow chasing. The shadow chasing is my favorite. Right before you get into bed you run around your room "chasing your shadow". SO cute.
You love your daddy more than I can say and that warms my heart. Lately one of your favorite father/son activities is playing games on the computer. I admit that I am not so sure how I feel about this. It is a little strange watching you sit in the Aeron chair operating your own little mouse. It makes me want to add 'carpal tunnel syndrome' to your health insurance coverage. Your love of computers is a bit of a puzzle to me. I always see them as an adult activity since we did not have them as children. The other day you walked up to me and put the laptop on my lap and said "Trains mommy."
I was a bit worried about how you would react to Noah living with us but you seem to take it all in stride and always ask where Noah and Meagan are if they are not at home. You and Noah have so much fun together and you are such boys. There is a great deal of rough housing and physical play. I keep trying to take you to kids events all over Austin but you could care less. You are obviously not a "joiner".
I often write about motherhood in this blog and how challenging it can be. This is not at all a reflection on you. You are a wonder and the joy of my life. Motherhood is hard. Being your mom is easy. It is a role I would never relinquish no matter what. You and your brother are everything to me. I love you Ben. I can't believe you will be three years old. It is all going so quickly. I want to freeze you at this age and at the same time I can't wait to see what will happen next. It's a wonderful quandary to be in.
I Love You, Mommy
