Dear Seth

Dear Seth,

Oh the joys of a toddler!  Having you, as our third child, has been quite the adjustment.  There is almost 4 years between you and James, so I was very out of practice.  You are the funniest, silliest, little guy!

You LOVE being naked.  But who am I kidding - what toddler doesn't love to be naked?!  You have the cutest little budda belly, and you love sticking it out.  You'll run around after your bath, and squeal as we try to catch up and put a diaper on you.

You have the funniest giggle and squeal.  You squeal with delight at dogs, cats, birds, airplanes, windows down, a cookie - just about anything that brings a smile to your face.

You love to jump on the trampoline with your brother and your sister.  They bounce you really high, which makes me very nervous.  But they always take great care of you and are very careful of where you are.

When going to bed, you insist on having a cold drink of water to take with you.  It has to be fresh, with 6 pieces of ice in it.  You lay down on your pillow, and I have to lay the blankets down on top of you...one by one.  Once they are all on you, you pat your tummy because you know that you have them all, and you can go to sleep.  But not until we sing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" and we say 2 prayers.  I say one, and then you say one.

You will eat just about anything put in front of you!  I love it!  You are not afraid to try anything and love gobbling up mom's salad, or dad's mustard wrap, or Sariah's pickle.  You have the funniest taste buds for a toddler, and are happiest when you are eating.  You love to eat dad's dinner....no matter what it is, or when he is eating it.  You will have a full dinner with us, and then insist on sitting on dad's lap to help him finish his.

You love going on walks in your stroller!  You love being outside, even if it is 110 degrees.  It will be so much fun when you learn how to swim!

You talk all the time, but have very few words.  You should have a lot more than you do, so we are busy reading books and getting you to increase your vocabulary.  I'm sure that one of these days, you are just going to open up and say exactly what you mean!

All in all, you are an amazing toddler.  You rarely throw a fit, you are happy all the time, and you eat and sleep  well.  You weren't too sure of your nursery leaders at first, but then quickly realized how fun nursery can be.

Our little family wouldn't be complete with you, our funny little caboose.  Keep growing!

Dear James

Dear James,

I need to write about you, so I remember what you are like at this tender age of almost 6.  I want to always remember the snuggliest of boys.

You are so tender-hearted, that seeing any animal alone and sad makes you cry.  You love your little brother so much!  You hold his hand, you take him to nursery at church, you tickle him, you bathe him, you lift him out of his crib, you go play with him when he wakes up.

You love to be touched, held, have your back rubbed, snuggle, or anything that has to do with physically touching.  Your chocolate brown eyes sparkle with delight and curiosity daily, and your imagination is in full force!  You love to put on my work headphones and pretend you're the pilot of an airplane.

You absolutely love oatmeal for breakfast.  In fact, you would probably have that every day for every meal if I would let you!  You don't like meat, and so we have to be pretty creative at finding ways to get enough protein into that long and lean body of yours.

You love to lead music.  You always volunteer for FHE to pick and lead the song.  In church, I can see you waving your arm while the chorister waves hers, because you want to practice.  You sing all the time, and to all of your animals.  You sing to Seth.  You sing in the bath.  You sing in the bathroom.  You even sing while you jump on the trampoline!

You are still working on learning some words, and I dread the day when you say every word just right.  Rupus killer (instead of Ruthless Killer, from "Planes") is one of my favorites!  I love the words you say, and how you say them.  I know you will grow up and talk perfectly fine one day.  But for now, I can't get enough of your sweet sentences.  You're very busy learning how to read and write.  You can write just about any word as you sound it out, and are trying very hard to write properly.  Don't worry son - it will come in time.

Your favorite song is the second verses of "Families Can Be Together Forever" and "I Love to See the Temple."  You have a very sensitive spirit in that 5 year old body, and are starting to recognize when the Holy Ghost is with you.  You love reading the stories of the Savior, and how He helped and loved everyone He met.  I see a lot of those qualities in you, as well.

Here you are, imagination hard at work, being the captain of your very own space shuttle (Mom's car).  I love you so much, my brown-eyed boy!

Dear Sariah

Dear Sariah,

How in the world are you almost 8 years old?  I haven't blogged in a long time, and I want to write all about you at this age.  Who you are right now, this very minute.

You are such a strong leader, and you always have been.  You know exactly what you want, and you fight for it...no matter what.  I hope that you will use this when you are older, to fight for what is right, and to not let anyone try to dissuade you from your beliefs.

You are going to be baptized this summer.  For a long long time, ever since you were about 4, you have always said that you didn't want to be baptized.  You don't like to say prayers, you won't let daddy give you a blessing, and all of those things are alright.  Daddy and I weren't going to force you to be baptized, and it is a decision that you needed to make.  But something has happened within you the last couple of months, and you have changed your mind!  Not only are you alright with being baptized, but you are really excited!

You never leave the little guy behind, and are such a wonderful friend.  You have befriended many children on our street, and have made them feel very welcome at home.  Aiden, your newest little bestest buddy, comes over almost every day.  He loves being here, being with you, and being your friend.  You are wonderful at making sure everyone has someone to play with at school, and you are everyone's friend.  You don't exclude anyone (unless they are mean to you and others) and you are careful with what you say and how you say it. You have a collection of stuffed animals, and most of your animals have family members of the same species to sit next to.  But the few that don't have anyone - you collected them and put them all together in an "orphanage" so no one is alone or left out.

You ask the most amazing questions.  You are very insightful and are always thinking.  Never stop asking questions!  You also love to learn.  You are quick to come home, do your homework, and do all you can to learn all you can.

You have the sassiest sense of style.  You carefully consider your outfits each day, and come up with creative ways to express who you are.  You are not afraid to be you, and I hope this never changes.

Your eyes sparkle when you smile. You won't let me brush your hair. You will still snuggle me once in a while.  You will try ANYTHING to eat!  You still sleep with your yellow blankie.  You know my phone number and will call when dad and I are on a date if we aren't home on time.  You still walk along the edge of the wall.  You sing in the shower.  You think it's funny when your teenage cousins argue with their parents and you have promised me that you will never be this way (although I'm not holding my breath!).  You are fiercely independent.  You finally love to read, and will read for an hour before falling asleep.  You love to run, be on your scooter, or drive with the windows down all so you can feel the wind on your face.

Here you are with your dad, all dressed up for the daddy-daughter dance at school.  Enjoy growing up!  I see excellence in you, my daughter.