A tribute to my 4 year old!

*I typically write a letter to Hollister at the end of the year. However, seeing as how I have not done any updates on him lately, and I am not with him today on his 4th birthday, I thought I would send an extra little dedication his way.


Dear Hollister,
4 years ago today, you made me a mother. You took your sweet time getting here-going past your due date and hanging out so long that I wound up having a C-section. But oh, how you were worth the wait.

This year, your 4th year-has been full of so much fun. It was a difficult year for me, as I struggled with infertility and the adoption process, but the majority of the joy that your dad and I experienced was because of you. You and I got into such a routine, we had no baby to schedule around, so this year was the year of fun field trips for you and I. We rarely stayed home. We both love to be out and about for sure.

You've grown up so much. We are past the "baby phase" for sure. But you still love big hugs and big kisses and curling up with us after your nap. Your sense of humor has really come out and you know exactly what to say to stay out of trouble and make us laugh instead.

So here are some things about this year that were special.

1. You still loved Toy Story but you moved into a Dinosaur phase that I thought would never end. You could (and can) name about 25 different dinosaurs and you loved arranging all your dinosaur action figures by "family". We read dinosaur books (finally had to get you a library card because we ran out of dinosaur books at home), watched dinosaur documentaries and every dinosaur movie/cartoon for kids. We made dinosaurs out of playdough and had dinosaur battles on snow mountains that we brought in from outside. (complete with red food coloring for blood). We took down your train table and made it into a dinosaur world.

2. You also still love lions and tigers. That hasnt changed a bit and we enjoyed going to several zoos this year, as well as "Tiger World." Your new favorite song to sing is "The Lion Sleeps Tonight."

3. You love to sing songs with us in the car. You've started picking up on some of the songs that your dad sings during his shows at the local bars (oops). One of your favorites is "Animal," A song off the radio. It's hilarious to hear you sing the words. You also fell in love with Fleetwood Mac (yay!) and that's all that you and I listen to in the car together. You have nicknames for all of your favorite FM songs and request them by name. You even decided to call "Sister of the Moon", "Hope's Song!" (I guess you connected the "Sister" theme).

4. I love how you have really established friendships this year. It's been fun to watch the slideshows that I have made the last few years and see how your friends are already growing up with you. You adore John and Mikey the most and will do just about anything to be with them (and their mothers-whom you also love). You ask constantly to talk to your cousin Buck West on the phone and I love how the 2 of you are more like brothers, even when you fight. I love how you are protective of your female friends-Maddie and Bree and Vannah. You may be rough and tough with the boys but you sure do look after those girls.

5. This year, you became really excited about getting a sister. From the first day I mentioned that her name might be Hope, you told everyone about her. You prayed for her everynight (Jesus-please bring our baby soon) You helped paint her room and loved lying in her crib-long before she arrived. You even told your teacher at school that she was keeping you up at night crying. (And she wasnt even born yet). The first time you held her, you kept leaning over and saying, "It's okay Hope! It's okay!" I can't wait to see what an incredible big brother you become.

6. You changed so much once you started preschool. From the little toddler who could not sit still in circle time the first month, to a real preschool boy at the end of the year that would come home each day and teach us new songs, and learned to sit through several books in a row without bouncing all over the place.

7. The sweet little speech issues that you had (that I refused to put you in speech therapy for) are gone. No longer are BR's prounouced DR (Breakfast was Dreakfast, Brown was Drown) or PR's pronounced TR's (Princess was Trincess). We tried not to call attention to it (plus it was kind of cute) and one day you just woke up and could say those sounds. You were so proud of yourself and now you make sure and over produce those sounds, so you wind up spitting on us sometimes as you say the words. :)

8. I love how you pick up on our little sayings. Some of my favorites are "That's not an option!", "That's exactly right," and "I'm very upset with you!"....words that I know come straight from my mouth.

9. You continue to be a great traveler who loves airplane trips (and does awesome on them) and visiting friends and family. You have gotten over your fear of people you dont know and work a lot on good manners. Instead of screaming at new people, you've learned to answer politely when they talk to you. This was quite a journey.

10. We continue to be so grateful that we put you in ISR (Infant Swimming Resources). You swim like a fish now and love the water. I can see you on a swim team in the near future, though I think your daddy is ready for you to play soccer. You've continued to love gymnastics this year as well. You always want to be climbing.

I know this coming year will bring lots of changes to your little world. While we are all ecstatic about these new changes, your daddy and I will always treasure these first 4 years when it was just you and us. I hope you will remember that! Your ability to handle change has been remarkable. I can't wait to see the little person that you continue to grow into. You are my "Sun" and I love you BIG!

Happy Birthday Sweet Boy,
Love-Mommy