Happy 4th Birthday My Precious Korben

Dear Korben,

Here we again, a year later and a year older.  You’re 4 now, my sweet first born son.

You remind me so much of Daddy.  I call you my “figure it out” boy.  You NEED to understand how everything works. You are determined and motivated to figure things out on your own.  You will definitely be one of those men who will never ask for directions and will refuse to own a GPS.  I love to watch you when you are deep in thought.  You ask lots of questions.  Each answer to your questions proceeds with another question, why, why why?  It’s most definitely your most favorite word.

You are a very cautious boy.  And because you’re sister is the risk taker you allow her to try just about anything before deciding if it is in your best interest to spend time, energy, and possibly risk body injury to do so.  Smart boy!

You love cars, trucks, buses, trains… anything that possesses wheels.  Your favorite is drawing parking spots on paper for all your hundreds of things with wheels to park in.

You are really creative with everyday things.  A small box becomes a suitcase, the rug becomes the conveyer belt in the airport and suddenly we all whisked away on a trip back to South Carolina.  The detail you use in telling stories is amazing.  Your vocabulary has expanded so much this year and you’ve become quite a sophisticated little boy.

Let me tell you, you can negotiate.  You can convince me of just about anything. I think it is a God given ability that I pray you use for good things.

God has chosen me to be your mother and I learned a lot through you.  Through you I’ve been humbled.  He has given me the beautiful gift of you and everyday I am thankful for you… even on the hard days.  You bring light and joy to this family and I am grateful you are mine forever.  Happy 4th Birthday!

Love- Mama

Happy 3rd Birthday My Kenzie Girl.

Dear Kenzie,

You are now 3 years old. Everyday you never cease to amaze me.

You have an amazing way of expressing yourself through your words and your actions. Your already huge vocabulary expands everyday as you never forget any new words you are taught.  Your memory is unbelievable.

You have such a tender spirit and a genuine concern for others, no matter who and it is seen when we are out.  When you hear a baby crying you immediately say to me, “Mama, a baby is crying; is the baby ok?”  Over the summer you heard a baby crying when we were out getting ice cream.  We were outside sitting on benches eating our ice cream.  A mother walked by with a baby crying in the stroller and you followed the stroller to make sure the baby was ok. 

You love soft things, stuffed animals, blankets, pillows. When I hand you something soft you immediately bring it to your cheek.  Your favorites are Marty Monkey and your lamby, which most of the day is close by your side.

You have an obsession with paint, glue, crayons, Play-Doh, scissors, and markers (both washable and permanent). You especially love to paint and draw on your body.  You have discovered that painting your hand yields a better handprint than markering your hand for a print.  You have tried both; on both hands and feet.

You also have an obsession with water.  It does not matter where is comes from; you love water.  Water from the faucet, from the hose, from the pool, or from the toilet; you LOVE water. You love to pour it, splash in it, dump it on Korben, spray it, and drink it. 

I call you my explorer.  You love to perform experiments.  For example, how much shampoo does it take to fill a sink, how much lipstick does it take to cover ones face, how many piano keys can I paint with toothpaste before Mama realizes that I am not in my room napping.?  How many tiny pieces of paper can I cut an 8 ½ x 11 piece of paper into?  Did I mention you love to cut EVERYTHING… paper, your hair, books, my yarn and thread, the couch?  You are amazingly coordinated, especially with scissors; you’ve had a lot of practice.

You also love to sing.  Singing is your method of putting yourself to sleep.  One song then leads to another and another, until ya can’t sing anymore.  Some nights I just listen to you and you know something, you are really pretty good. 

These are only a few things about what makes you who you are.  It has been an exciting year with you.  This coming year you will become a big sister and you will be the best sister ever.

I love you Kenzie girl.  My pregnancy with you was a big surprise but God knew what he was doing when He gave you to me.  You have been blessing and treasure to our family since the moment you arrived.  I pray that God keeps you healthy this year as I can’t wait for what surprises you have in store for our family as you grow and develop into a 4 year old. Happy 3rd Birthday!

Love, Mama

My Very Own Fountain of Love

I finally found a reason to buy a chocolate fountain.  I needed to have a good reason before I bought such a thing.  I love these things, continuously flowing chocolate; heaven I tell you, heaven.  I know that it is one of those appliances that is fun at first and then it takes up valuable space someplace in your house and only gets pulled out once a year if you’re really in the mood for an adventure.  I have a whole cabinet full of these types of appliances; various cooking, steaming, mixing, turning, and chopping apparatuses. I wonder why on earth I have spent money on these things, but like the chocolate fountain I must have had a great reason at the time.  We are having the kid’s family birthday party this weekend.  I thought what a wonderful, fun-filled, sugar-filled activity for all to partake in; especially me.  I am eager to indulge in my very own waterfall of chocolate.  I am a little concerned that 6 children will also be participating in this event.  Oh, I can only imagine the places that chocolate will relocate to in my house.

Empty

The file in my brain labeled, "Fun, creative things to do with preschoolers on a cold snowy day" is depleted, empty, nada thing left.

And I still have lunch, snack, drinks, snack, drinks, dinner, drinks, oh and more drinks left in my day… and what ever craziness happens in between.

Speaking of drinks I think I need one.