Gray's four year letter

My sweet Gray Christopher,

How has it been four years (plus a month and some) since you changed my life forever? Four years since you made me a mama? Four years since I first learned about a love that I never knew was possible?

I look at pictures and videos of you from when you were a baby and a toddler and sometimes I think I'd give anything to get that time back. One time I was *kind of* joking with you about how I was going to be sad when you turned four because you were getting so big. You are so sensitive and loving and it just tore you up that I said that, so every time after that that you talked about turning four, you'd follow it with, "and you're not gonna be sad, right Mommy?!" Bless your sweet, gigantic heart!

You are still a very tall boy. At your four year well visit, you were three feet and almost seven inches tall, which put you in the 92nd percentile. You weighed 38 pounds and six ounces, which put you in the 74th percentile. Aside from bathing suits and shorts, you've been wearing size 5 clothes for almost six months now and you wear a size 10 shoe. We were out somewhere a few weeks before your birthday and someone asked you what GRADE you were in. It was almost too much for me to handle.

You continue to have a huge love for tractors, trucks and anything that goes. You are all about doing "jobs", all day, every day. You can tell me what any and every kind of tractor is and what it does. You love seeing construction sites when we are out and about. You love tools and "fixing" things with Daddy. You still love to ride your gator outside. You ride your bike very well and we plan on taking the training wheels off soon. You would rather be outside than inside any moment of the day.

Watering the garden with your dump truck.

You love digging for worms and looking at bugs.

You have a heart of gold. You see people or hear about people with "boo-boos" and you don't forget about them. In fact, you remind us most nights about people we need to be praying for. You say and do the sweetest things to me and Daddy and it melts my heart every time. One time it was your idea to cut me some roses from the back yard. Your daddy is teaching you well and I hope and pray you'll always treat others with love and kindness.

Although you two definitely have plenty of brother moments already, you adore Walker. You are always super protective of him when we go places, especially to the Y (you'll put your arm around him and ask to be in the same play room as he is). You love when he wants to do "jobs" with you, which is more and more often now. You love taking him for rides on your gator, though we are working on how to share and let him drive now that he's big enough.

Y'all love to put on concerts!

Hard at work on a job.

You love books! You love to look at them by yourself and for people to read them to you. You are not at all into tracing, writing, coloring, puzzles, etc. That breaks my heart and concerns me, but I also know you are just a four year old boy and you have the next 20 years to worry about all of that. You loved preschool and I'm hoping your love for writing and learning your letters will just come naturally in the next preschool year. You also love to hear stories and are forever asking someone to tell you a story "from when you were a little boy/girl".

You love Sophie and animals so much. Any second that you aren't reading a book or playing with your tractors, you are snuggled up and talking sweet to "baby girl". You are learning to be more gentle with her which is helping her to love you back. ;) I even let her nap with you one day and it was the SWEETEST!!

Speaking of naps though, you maybe take one twice a month if I'm lucky. You have to rest quietly in your room every day, but you just don't fall asleep often at all. When I start to feel frustrated about it, I remind myself of how fast time is going and that it's sweet one-on-one time we get to have while brother enjoys his three hour nap.

You are still a great eater. You used to want a cheese quesadilla every single day and all of a sudden stopped liking them, but other than that there isn't much you won't eat. Your favorite foods are pizza, broccoli, waffles with peanut butter and syrup, mac and cheese (I promise we don't let you eat junk food 100% of the time), cheese dip, yogurt and watermelon.

You aren't super into soccer or sports yet. You love the idea of it, especially getting dressed in your soccer uniform but otherwise, you spend most of the time coming out of the "game" for water breaks. Daddy and I don't need you to be a big soccer or baseball player. We want you to be active and find something to do that you enjoy, but we will be happy with whatever that is. You LOVE swimming, are great at it and completely fearless. You jump off the diving board and do flips off the side of the pool like it's your job. So maybe we'll be spending long days at swim meets, and that's more than ok buddy!

I'm in no hurry for you to keep growing up, but I do love watching you learn and grow and I can't wait to see what year five brings.

You make me so proud and I'll never get over the fact that I get to be your mama. Daddy and I love you to the moon and back and thiiiiiiiis much!!!!

Mommy