Happy Fifth Birthday Henry!

This has been another fabulous year for you Henry. You started school and learned so many new things (most notably, Spanish). You impress us each day with things you tell us. When we ask where you learned that you tell us in your “oh duh” voice that you learned it at school. We can tell you’re torn between being a little kid and turning into a big kid. Embrace all those little kid moments as much as you can but learn from and enjoy those big kid moments too.

You made a lot of new friends this year and it has been so much fun to watch you interact with each one of them. We have watched you gain your independence as you go on ‘play dates’ and attend birthday parties without me and dad. You often negotiate to stay up later by trading in stories so you can play with your friends (“I want zero stories tonight so I can play outside with Murray and Leo”)

You are the best big brother anyone could ever ask for. Felix looks at you in awe and wants to be exactly like you. You are so great at calming him down when he gets crabby and I’m always impressed by your ability to make him laugh when no one else can. I hope you continue to learn from each other and hold on to that deep love and respect you clearly have for one another.

You have become so great at communicating. Just the other day you told me you sometimes get frustrated (building legos) but that you know it’s better to stop and take a break than to scream and cry in frustration. You’re funny. One of your current phrases that always makes us laugh is “one never knows.” (“Will mom read stories tonight or will dad? One never knows”) You really listen to everything going on around you and you’ve always been great at understanding the context of things.

Your favorite toys right now are legos. You love to follow the directions and build huge things but you also love to take a random pile and create something all your own. It’s amazing to watch your creativity and patience as you build. You love books and you’re starting to read a few words. We read the Diary of a Whimpy Kid series most nights before bed and you try to read many of the words along with dad and me. Your favorite show is “Drake and Josh” and I’m fairly certain the entire family has seen every episode. Other favorite things right now are magic tricks (you put on quite a show!) and you still love superheroes and cars.

Dad picked one of his favorite quotes and put in on our calendar for this month in honor of your birthday and I really love it. “When they tell you to grow up, they mean stop growing” – Tom Robbins. I hope you never stop growing.

Happy 1st Birthday Felix!

You are daring. Far more daring that your brother which is really saying something. I hope you always keep that fearless attitude toward life and continue to try new things without hesitation. (but please stop trying to climb to the highest point in the room, thanks!)

You are sensitive – not only about what you eat (hopefully you’ll get to try dairy for the first time very soon!) but about every aspect of your life. If someone looks at you wrong you’ll burst into tears and I love this about you because it makes you who you are.

You are loving. You love to be loved and always show us you love us by cuddling or snuggling or kissing us. If any one of us finds ourselves lying on the ground you are always quick to come over and attack us with your slobbery kisses. Your love for your brother is probably one of my most favorite things. I really hope you two never lose that connection that you clearly have.

You are expressive. You have very few words (mama, dada and yeah are really the only ones you seem to somewhat grasp the meaning of) but you still say a lot. Your smile lights up a room and your “angry face” can stop us in our tracks. You have 6 teeth, you can crawl at warp speeds and we’ve seen you take a few steps when you thought no one was looking.

We faced a few challenges this year with you, first when I had to learn what to eat to make sure I didn’t make you sick and then there were many many times I wondered if I’d ever sleep again. It was in these moments that I realized you’ll never need me as much as you do right now and I cherished every minute. I cannot wait to watch you become more and more independent but will always miss those late night meetings we had together.

Just like with your brother I hope to watch you become who you’ve always been without any of us changing your path. It’s been clear from day one that you have your own unique personality and we really look forward to finding out who you are. I feel so lucky and proud to be your mom.

I can’t wait for our next trip around the sun together.
Xo
mom

Happy 2 1/2 b-day to Henry!!

Today Henry turned 2 1/2! We celebrated with dinner out with grandma and grandpa and some cake.

His stats:

Height = 37 inches (he grew 1/2" in the last 20 days!)
Weight = 33.3 pounds

Happy Birthday Henry!

Dear Little Man,

Two years ago today I had the privilege of becoming your mother. My life changed forever from the first time I held you in my arms and looked into your eyes. I now look at the words adventure, peace, mine, and love differently than I once did.

You have taught me things I never knew I wanted or needed to learn, you have given my life and your dada’s life a new purpose. Thank you for teaching us what’s really important in life and for being with us on this exciting adventure. I look into your eyes and can see all the ideas running through your mind and am excited to see what adventures each new day brings us. I often wonder how I got so lucky.

Whoever said that having kids is like having your heart walk around outside of your body was definitely right.

I love you more than I can put into words and I promise to always protect you (especially from the "scary parts" :)). Thank you for being you.

xoxo,
Mama