My amazing Valentine Baby,

Time is always such a thief when it comes to parenthood, but you are a pandemic baby, and so it has felt like an extra strange time warp for you to suddenly turn 4 years old. It feels like just yesterday we were wondering if you would use your newfound voice to turn into copious threenager tantrums. And while we haven’t completely escaped those, you certainly have maintained an overall incredibly sweet and happy disposition.

We talk about how you are our Hufflepuff with a heart of gold. You are quite possibly  the fluffiest Hufflepuff- you love snuggles and food (seriously SO much. the only person I’ve ever seen who can rival you for the gusto with which you enjoy food is your brother) and you are very verbal with your compliments for the food we make. You have also started loving to help with baking this year or stirring something while we cook. Pretending you are in the kitchen is your absolute favorite imaginative play and we have given you plenty of toys to feed this joy.

You remain so so so silly. You make the craziest requests at bedtime and then double over laughing having cracked yourself up which in turn cracks everyone else in the room up. You are still so shy in public and slow to warm to new people or situations, but with people you know or situations you feel comfortable (like MOPS!) you let your crazy, silly little personality shine and I love to see more and more of that.

Something that stayed the same this year is your deep love of music and dancing. You will close your eyes and just feel music in your core and your dance moves are definitely all over the place and filled with so much JOY that I am trying to relearn that freedom of movement for myself.

Something that has changed this year is that you have become such an outdoor lover. You are always asking to go to the park or take a walk or hike. You get very sad when I am heading out for a run instead of a walk and therefore you can’t join me. We’ve had some fun visits to the zoo and you absolutely loved our time in Glacier National Parklast summer. When we are home you always ask for backyard tie and some of our favorite snuggles are when we are in the hammock listening to birds. You are looking forward to helping with our little garden again now that spring is around the corner.

You love Bluey and Frozen (because you LOVE seeing sisters like you and your own sister) and one of our favorite traditions this school year is having Taylor Swift dance parties in the car while we wait to pick up your siblings. You love being a helper and and a cheerleader and you are very in tune with if anyone is feeling sad or extra tired.  You are very comforting. But you also have your boundaries. You will declare to the family “no hugs from me today. hugs tomorrow” and you mean it and stick to it. And the next day you seem ready to give triple the hugs since you had your space. (I am trying to learn from that as well!)

I love you so much and I’m so excited about this next year. What adventures will we have? What will you be so excited to learn? How will you crack us up next? Can’t wait to see.

Love you so much,

Mom