Dear Mason, today you are four years old...

...and after all the frustration and battles in the last year, it feels a little bit like a victory. It's been a year of firsts for you, and you have come out on top.

It was about this time last year that we tackled potty training. We learned how disciplined your focus can really be. The bad news is that your focus was on everything else, not on avoiding accidents. It has been a year of laundry and trying again for you. As you always seem to do, though, you have it figured out now. We only get occasional reminders now that "poop happens". Thanks for those, by the way. Your cheekiness is refreshing and hilarious.

You got to experience life as a brother, and you have done so well with that from the very beginning. Your sister loves you; I think you're one of her favorite people in the world. One of your most common daily activities is helping us with her, and that's all by your choice.


Speaking of it, lending a helping hand is one of your very best intentions. You are always willing to help, and only sometimes frustrated when you are unable. You love helping so much that you asked for it to be a reward on the job chart we recently did together. You and mom, making treats: a day well spent.


(Mason as a puppy dog, building a fence to keep himself in the yard)

When you aren't helping us with a project or making treats, you are exercising that busy imagination of yours. I hope this imagination will serve you well throughout your life. You are always finding ways to help your toys fit into the world you create, and I hope this innovation will serve you well when it comes to more grown-up realities. You keep telling us you can't wait to be a grown up, but I hope you take your time and exercise your imagination now so it will be there when you need it later.

You have proven to us that you love the outdoors -- in whatever manner they come. Swimming lessons were a good chunk of your summer and you took to the water like a fish. In fact, you've learned about days of the week, seasons, and months of the year through this. Ever since Christmas, you've been telling us that your swimming lessons will start tomorrow. We've patiently explained time to you until you now recite the whole thing to us. "My swimming lessons don't start tomorrow because tomorrow will still be winter." I'm excited to take you back this year and watch you learn some more. Your excitement and exuberance for activity makes your dad and me very, very happy. We enjoy activities with you because you so enjoy them. Here's to another year of swimming, camping, fishing, four-wheeling, snowmobiling, and exploring everything at warp speed.

You started school this fall, and though it took some time to accept the authortative structure, you are now doing very well. You are such a smart child that we have to figure out how to handle all that intelligence, wit, and energy. Sometimes it's exhausting, but if we remain consistent, you meet our demands with a smile and you exceed our wildest expectations. You're teacher is now one of your biggest fans, and you love her as well. Because of her, you are trying to put together letters into words. You're starting to do very basic math. You love to do mazes and puzzles, and anything else with a logical ending. I have a feeling there are lots of games in our future.

Mason, you are a sweet child who demands the best from those around you. You are constantly learning, changing, growing, and exploring. You love to have company, so you always keep us along for the ride. We celebrated your birthday last night, and surrounded you with those who love you most. We have worked hard to help you build a good foundation. Use any of those people as resources to help you. This year will not be as full of surprises and change as the last one was. It will be a year of exploring the boundaries that are already in place, and a year of continuation. I look forward to sharing this year with you and hope we can have more fun playing trains and race track and games than ever before. This is the good stuff. You're growing up so fast, buddy. I hope this year we can continue to enjoy your childhood before we are looking back on it and wondering where it all went.

Love,

Mama

Christmas Highlights

We had a fun, busy holiday season. We hope yours was as fun as ours. Much thanks for the grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings, and cousins who kept us going and kept us full of love and the holiday spirit!

We spent Christmas Eve with Alan's side of the family, following tradition that was established many years before I came along. One thing we do is play "chimes", which are pipes cut so they (in theory) play the proper note when they are (theoretically) hit with a knife handle at the proper time. Each pipe has a number, and our parents have carefully charted out several Christmas songs. With so many kids in the next generation, we've learned how the parents must've felt when the cousins were all small; it is truly noisy and mostly indecipherable, but it's a tradition we continue.

Mason was focused on the toy dinosaurs, in keeping with this new favorite theme of his. When not playing "Rudy" (the T-Rex in Ice Age 3), he was busy playing trucks and trains with the other boys; it was a little bit of boy heaven for him to have kids his own age and gender around.

Claire enjoyed being one center of attention and hammed it up for most of the night. I actually got to eat a meal with two hands. Thanks, Erika!

Alan's brother's girlfriend, Leah, made a beautiful and yummy red velvet cake that put the dessert I brought to shame. It was so fancy, and I'm sure it took so much work!

We spent Christmas morning solo at our house, just the four of us, and then headed over to my parents. Again, this was following tradition. Without all the hustle and bustle of 12 kids ages 6 and under, it was much more relaxed and a whole different kind of fun. Claire didn't get it (we knew she wouldn't), but I think in the long run she will like her toys and she already loves her books. As can be seen above, her very favorite thing is snuggling with Grandma. This was not in conjunction with a nap; it's just how they are together. It's so cute!

I bought Mason a 100-piece puzzle. There is nothing between the chunky toddler puzzles and the ages 5+ puzzles, at least not at Toys R Us. So I bought the big one knowing that his smaller ones have become routine and also that I would have to help him. We put it together as one of the first things, and I was once again shocked by how smart this kid is, and he even stayed focused long enough to finish it. His other present from Mom and Dad was "Hungry Hungry Hippos", which we have already devoted several hours of our lives to. Santa brought him a red scooter. He's ridden it a bit, but I think he'll enjoy it more when the weather warms up a little.

I could go on and on about the two days of exhausting excitement, but I won't because I know we're all in the same boat. I also have a squeaky little girl telling me to come get her out of bed. Hope your holidays were merry and bright and all that and hope you are all looking forward to the year ahead the way we are.