Dear Jace: On Your 3rd (+) Birthday

I failed at getting Jace’s three year old birthday letter written.

I blame it on the whirlwind that is pregnancy. And rightfully so.

Today I make good.

::The birthday boy on his third birthday. September 10, 2011.::

 Buddy-

Oh my goodness kid, I adore you! You make me laugh. You help me define motherhood. You continue to show me what love means. And, on occasion, you make me want to pull my hair out. But you are my boy, and that makes me so unbelievably lucky.

You are growing up so quickly. A few weeks ago you wore the cutest little suit and tie combo to church. You looked so handsome – so incredibly big sitting there in primary. Dad and I couldn’t stop talking about how big you had become. Overnight, we swore. It made me both overwhelmed with excitement and saddened by change at the same time.

If I were to define the three year old you in one word I’d choose: superhero, hands down. Your life is a constant superhero comic strip in motion. You love anything superhero and your superhero knowledge continually astonishes me. You know their names, if they are a nice guy or a mean guy, who their enemies are, and what super powers they possess. You were batman for Halloween, your favorite pajamas are the spiderman ones from grandma, and you will only wear your superhero underwear. You sleep with an entourage of superheroes, and bring them to bath time too. Your little hand is never void of some sort of action figure. You are a superhero junkie.

Your personality is big. So full of life. You are playful and silly and a constant reminder to take time to laugh – at even the simplest of things. My favorite is when you know you are being funny. And I am truly convinced that pure joy is watching a three year old boy get a kick out of his own antics. Last night we talked about what we should name our new baby sister. You thought for a minute then started naming your top choices. What about Hulk, you said waiting for our response. Our laughter was just the reaction you wanted and so you continued…or Thor, or Batman. Maybe Dr. Doom. Your humor is all boy. Farts are funny. Strange noises entertain you and there is never an inappropriate time to act silly. You are a mini me of your dad and your wittiness, like his, always seems to catch me off guard.

You are easy going and content. You occasionally like my undivided attention, but you are more than comfortable entertaining yourself too. So different than your sister at this same age. While she needed constant entertainment, you crave that alone time. Your imagination is huge. Colorful and descriptive. And it’s fed by your time spent alone - developing your very own scripts – while at play. I love to hear your little voice having conversations with itself while I watch from the sidelines.

You are a pleaser and are happiest when others are happy. Sharing comes so natural for you. If you and Brynlee get into a battle over the same toy you are always - 100% of the time - the one that gives it up. You willingly share your treats with anybody that cares to share. The other day I treated you to some fruit snacks while out running errands. You opened the bag, got one for you and handed one to me. I declined. You gave me that pouty look that you do when your feelings have been hurt. Who am I going to share them with then, you asked. Your heart is big.

You can talk up a storm. You don’t wait for a response, for an answer, or even for acknowledgment. You just continue on…talking, like having someone to listen to the one-sided conversation is completely optional. Although you are a nonstop chatterbox when comfortable, you are quiet and reserved when the situation or environment is unfamiliar.

You idolize your big sissy. Wear size 4T clothing and size 9 shoes. You request your corn dog naked {sans breading} and love gogurt and string cheese. You adore babies, and let out an audible ahhhhhh whenever you see one. Buddy is still your nickname and is used more often than Jace around this place. You love cinnamon toast for breakfast and pink juice {crystal light} is your drink of choice. You love jumping on the bed and wrestling dad or Brynlee is also a favorite pastime. You never successfully mastered nursery, but love your new sunbeams class. You love reading books and watching superhero shows makes you happy. You are constantly asking what time it is, although the answer is a foreign language to you. But you do get the concept of one more minute or just a second, and you use the phrases often. Most often when trying to squeeze in a tiny bit more play time before doing whatever it is that mom has asked you to do. One of my favorite things is our one on one time while Brynlee is at Kindergarten. It’s fun for me to focus all of my mothering attention on you. And I think you enjoy it too. You are the best little sidekick and hanging out with you means everything to me.

I love you Bud. You bring so much color into my world. I’m the luckiest mom around.

Happy third year,
Mommy