It’s your fourth birthday today! You are so easy to love. I don’t know anyone who has met you and spent time with you that doesn’t adore Big J. You radiate the kind of energy that’s magnetizing. The kind of energy kids and adults want to be around. You are so silly and so unabashedly yourself. It’s refreshing to know and love you, little boy.

Your emotions live close the surface. And even though that’s a really hard trait sometimes in life, I wish I could protect that and nurture it so that it never goes away. It will be your greatest strength when you fall in love, and the hardest part of having your heart broken. But I pray that you live your life with your heart open for forever. It’s what makes you so uniquely you.

Well, that and your adoration of lawn mowers and tractors. You hear lawn mowers from a mile away. You spot lawn mowers everywhere we go. Your favorite weekend activity is mowing with your Daddy. And it’s been that way for years. If you don’t grow up to own a lawn mowing business or a farm, I will truly be shocked. You ask to see people’s mowers when you first meet them. Your favorite play date activity is yard work. You notice a nicely mowed lawn everywhere we go.

Your daddy and I are so very blessed to be your parents. To have a front row seat to your growing up. It is the most magnificent journey, and there are more times than I can count where your Daddy has sat down beside me at night after you go to bed and said, “Man. I didn’t know I needed a Big J in my life, but he is the coolest kid I think I’ve ever met. I love him more than I could have ever imagined loving someone.”

I love you bud. Or as you tell me at night now with your arms wrapped around my neck, “I love you so so so so so so so so so sooooo much.”

All my love,

Mommy

P.S. Yes, you can have a birthday treat. 🙂