Year Eleven - Year End Review

My sweet boy,

ELEVEN! You now require three hands to show your age (or two hands and a foot, but let’s keep toes out of this celebration), and your poor mom just needs a minute to come to terms with this. I keep joking with you that because you were so good at being 10, we’re gonna keep you 10 one more year (Pep said the same thing to KK and me every year), but you weren’t a fan of that plan. But even if I could keep you 10 another year, I wouldn’t. I love watching you grow up. And I love documenting your favorite (and not-so-favorite things) …

Top 10 Favorite Things:

1. Legos

2. Reading, especially Keeper of the Lost Cities and Harry Potter

3. Natalie (mainly wrestling with, jumping on, sitting on, and teasing)

4. Your friends

5. Saturday errands with Daddy

6. School (on Mondays; your feelings about Tuesday through Friday school are a little iffy)

7. Trucks

8. Dude Perfect, Veratasium, Smarter Every Day on YouTube

9. Older (ie: good) country music, specifically George Strait, Alan Jackson, Travis Tritt, and Charlie Daniels

10. Carbs and sweets - pizza, sushi, fried rice, pasta, bread, ice cream, pie, cake  

Top 10 Least Favorite Things:

1. Bugs and dogs (7+ years strong)

2. Chaos

3. Unkindness

4. Not knowing a surprise but other people do

5. Your retainer

6. Writing summaries for your English class

7. Anything (tests, games, chores, etc) that’s timed

8. Saucy foods, spicy foods, soup, casseroles, chili, potatoes, tomatoes, beans, blueberries, cauliflower, cooked fruit  

9. Losing teeth

10. Gooey, gross things, especially paper mache

Top 10 Things You’re Good At:

1. Building practically anything out of Lego

2. Math; your brain is very mathy (making fun of my made-up words is also something you’re good at)

3. Ripstiking

4. Ice skating

5. Following the rules

6. Bankrupting your family in Monopoly

7. Praying; you continue to have such heartfelt prayers

8. Being a snazzy dresser

9. Encouragement

10. Making people laugh (but don’t forget that I’m always gonna be funnier)

Top 10 Things You’re Not Good At:

1. Forming sock-balls with your socks in your drawer

2. Having joy in your heart when you lose a game

3. Driving a stick shift

4. Getting something wrong (you want to be good at everything right away)

5. Leaving your Lego creations alone (you tweak and re-tweak a hundred times)

6. Trying new things 

7. Organic chemistry

8. Putting periods at the end of your sentences. Like, it’s a big thing around here. I hear it drives your English teacher crazy.

9. Knowing when to stop teasing Natalie

10. Open heart surgery (This was your addition to the list) 

This was a huge year for you! In January, you discovered your love of reading after Natalie suggested you read the Keeper of the Lost Cities series. Up until then, you’d read for school but you were never excited about it. It was something you tolerated but never loved (or even liked). Enter the KOTLC series. You read the first book and you never looked back. In the past 10 months, you’ve read through the whole KOTLC series - minus the latest one which came out yesterday ( some of those books are as thick as a dictionary) and about 20 other books. 

You also entered a Lego contest at the Nashville library in February. During this process, I realized that while you’re an extremely talented builder, you do not like to have restrictions on your build. I saw you stress out as you were trying to come up with the perfect idea. I saw you come up with ideas that sounded cool (castle; football game; monsters) but they weren’t things that you naturally enjoy building (cars; trucks; speeders; weapons). I saw you approach the contest as a chore instead of something fun. And just when I was about to suggest that you just skip the contest, you scrapped all of your ideas and created the Master Sword from Zelda. It was big and creative and detailed (you hid a dagger in the sword’s hilt - even though the judges would never see it, you added it because it was cool). And lo and behold, you won 2nd Place in the 3rd-4th grade division. And you also won Crowd Favorite. You were so excited - and I loved that you were successful doing something you love to do.

You lost a few ounces this year when you got your braces off. You did not like the process of getting them off but you do love getting to bite into apples again. And you do not like wearing your retainer, but you are glad that you only have to wear them until you lose a few more teeth. And let’s not talk about how you do have to have another set of braces put on in a few years.

One of the sweetest moments from your 10th year was your decision to get baptized. It’s been something you’ve wanted to do for a long time. You were going to get baptized over a year ago when our church had planned a BBQ and Baptism at a local lake. Not long after we arrived, the weather lost its everloving mind and every single one of us at the picnic was baptized by the deluge of sideways rain. The next opportunity came when Daddy was out of town, and there was no way you were going to do this without him. Your turn finally came in May, and it was amazing. Daddy was there when you accepted Christ, so it seemed fitting that he was the one who got to baptize you. Watching him pray over you and speak about your character and heart filled my own heart to overflowing. 

That’s a common theme with you. These past 11 years have filled my heart to overflowing on many occasions. You’re a natural protector and helper; you have a sensitive heart and a rascally gleam in your eye. You’re funny and smart, shy (around strangers) and loud (around your buddies), you’re funny and inquisitive. You’re a deep thinker and cute as a dang button. Watching you grow in stature and grow in your faith is the wildest, most precious ride. The Lord was so kind to give you to us. 

And Natalie would think you’d be so kind if you sat on her a bit less.

Hugs and smooches,

Mommy & Daddy

Year Ten - Year End Review

My favorite bear,

You, my baby, are two-hands-worth-of-fingers years old. Pretty sure you were two-fingers-worth-of-fingers years old just last Thursday. But maybe my calendar is off. 

Ugh. Time is such a thief. 

Here are your Top 10 Lists for your cute, little double-digit self.

Top 10 Favorite Things:

1. Legos
2. Natalie, including (but not limited to) annoying her, sitting on her, drawing with her, being read to by her, wrestling her 
3. Zelda
4. Star Wars
5. Carby foods - pizza, pasta, cake, cookies, donuts, etc
6. Cool cars, specifically trucks and sports cars. 
7. Music
8. Doing dude-stuff with Dad. Working in the garage, looking at cool cars, watching engineering videos on YouTube, etc
9. Playing with your buddies
10. Secrets of the Seven book series

Top 10 Least Favorite Things:

1. Saving money
2. Being the younger sibling and watching Natalie do fun, older kid stuff
3. Jumpy dogs, big or small (solidarity, kid)
4. Bugs and insects
5. Fighting (fighting with swords and lightsabers is ok, but you definitely don’t like watching people fight with their fists)
6. Being up on stage (again - solidarity, kid)
7. A fairly small but very specific list foods - beans, cooked fruit, mushrooms, onions, veggies that are cooked to the point they’ve lost their texture 
8. Losing a game. Everybody hates to lose but you, like, hate it-hate it
9. Super hot weather (so much solidarity)
10. Timed games

Top 10 Things You’re Good At:

1. Building Lego creations, specifically vehicles. The things you can come up with without using instruction manuals continue to blow my mind year after year.
2. Math
3. Navigation  Reading a book in the car gives you a headache, but you can look out the window and look at the GPS without a problem, so you’ve become very knowledgeable about how to get from Point A to Point B
4. Mowing the lawn
5. Sweating. You’ve been sweating like a man since you were a toddler. The tradition continues.
6. Helping 
7. Praying. Your heart is so tender towards God and towards others.
8. Reading 
9. Knowing the name and backstory of every character in Zelda (but forgetting where you put your water bottle)
10. Following the rules

Top 10 Things You’re Not Good At:

1. Pairing up your socks when you do your laundry. How does it not annoy you that your drawer is full of singleton socks?
2. Working at a slow pace when doing your math. A+ for speed; B- for accuracy.
3. Juggling flaming batons
4. Remaining calm if you’re not in the know about something fun
5. Remembering where you put your water bottle
6. Playing Mozart’s Concerto in D Major No.2 on the flute
7. Sleeping in on the weekends. Once you wake up, you have a hard time going back to sleep. You’re a great sleeper but sleeping in has never really been something you’ve done. But I imagine Sleeping in ‘till 10 may appear on the Top 10 Things You’re Good At list in a few years.
8. Lying. Your lying face is adorable.
9. Staying four years old. I thought Dad and I made ourselves clear when we told you to stop growing up.
10. Being still while watching your bowling ball roll down the lane (since you were a toddler, you jump up and down like a bunny while waiting to see how many pins you knocked down)

You were, are, and continue to be such an amazing kid - I'm so glad that the absolute lunacy of 2020 and 2021 didn't diminish . You were a happy baby (except when we made you go to sleep); you were a cheerful toddler (except when we limited your cheese consumption); you’re a delightful 10-year-old (who loves sleep and has developed cheese portion control). 

You’re shy around unfamiliar people; you’re a giant goober once you get comfortable. You’re quizzical, sensitive, and a deep thinker. You’re funny, creative, and clever. You’re a protector, an engineer, and a helper. You love one-on-one time. You love knowing things that Dad, Natalie, or I don’t know. 

You’ve always been someone who appreciates cool stuff. When you saw my friend use a hatchet to chop wood for a fire, you became super interested in hatchets. When you found an antique pocket watch at a thrift shop, you wanted to learn about watches. Your current favorite things are cool cars and trucks. You have very strong opinions about what vehicles are cool and what vehicles are not. The shape of the hood matters; how lifted a truck is matters; the color of the vehicle matters; the placement of the headlights and taillights matters a lot.

You and Dad went on a fun excursion a few months ago - you guys went to test drive trucks. Are we in the market for a truck? Nope. Do we need a truck? Irrelevant. What matters is that Dad knew you like trucks and wanted you to ride in a cool one. You went to a local dealership that specializes in high-end vehicles (ie: not the kind of place we would normally shop). According to you guys, the salesman was awesome and loved the idea of you getting to ride in a cool truck. He essentially tossed some keys to Dad and told you two to enjoy the test drive. This wasn’t just any truck, nosiree. It was a 2021 Ram TRX. Which, to me, didn’t mean much. But apparently this truck was a 700hp, $98,000 beast. And you fell in love. Obviously.

You said that riding in this truck was the second best thing you’ve ever done in your life. Visiting Legoland earlier this summer clinched the #1 spot. (Though test driving the truck was free. And Legoland was super not free. So to me, test driving the truck takes the #1 spot.)

Dad and I are in awe that God would bless us with you. You’ve completed our family in the most wonderful way and our lives are richer, fuller, and better because of you. Our lives are also sweatier and filled with random Zelda facts because of you, but that’s neither here nor there.

Hugs and smooches,
Mommy & Daddy

PS: after you read this recap, you typed the following. It shall stay in your recap for perpetuity. 

I love you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Year Nine - Year End Review

 Happy happy Golden Birthday, my favorite Bear. 

Put on your golden britches and get ready for your Golden Top 10 Lists! 

Top 10 Things You Love:

1. Legos
2. Star Wars
3. Being read to
4. Your family
5. Going to church
6. The soundtracks from Hamilton and The Greatest Showman
7. Asking questions - you have a great curiosity
8. Helping people
9. Buying/receiving a new LEGO set
10. Tried-and-true foods like pizza, pasta, burgers,  

Top 10 Things You Don't Love:

1. Bugs
2. Sauces and/or saucy foods
3. Being on stage
4. Reading out loud (or reading in general, though I think you may be a kid who prefers to read nonfiction over fiction - but you like 
5. Doing anything that's being timed (it turns the 3rd grade rite of passage, doing 100 multiplication problems in 5 minutes, into a super stressful event)
6. Wanting a specific LEGO piece and not being able to find it amongst your 11 trillion pieces.
7. Not being amazing at a new activity
8. Jumpy and/or hyper dogs
9. Unkindness (It even hurts your feelings to hear someone speak rudely to someone else) 
10. Organizing your LEGOs. We've tried several different methods and all the pieces just either end up on your floor or thrown into giant bins.

Top 10 Things You're Good At:

1. Building original LEGO designs (The way you can build something you pictured in your mind completely baffles my I-can-build-something-but-only-if-I-have-step-by-step-directions brain)
2. Math
3. Giving encouraging words
4. Helping out
5. Protecting and defending the ladies in your life, namely me and Natalie. When Daddy teases me, you spring into action and put up your dukes, ready to defend my honor
6. Being dapper (You love your three-piece suit as much as you love your t-shirts and shorts. 
7. Praying out loud
8. Aggravating Natalie (if aggravating your big sister were a sport, you'd be captain of the varsity team) 
9. Following directions (particularly if they're given by a teacher at school or church ... we're still working on your selective direction-following that seems to plague you when you're at home ...)
10. Trying new foods (you're not good-good at this but you've definitely grown in this area ... you'll now eat my baked potatoes and chicken soup ... YAY) 

Top 10 Things You're Not Good At:

1. Keeping your floor free from LEGOs
2. Emptying the dishwasher without throwing your towel on your sister's head and/or turning a dish into a music instrument
3. Flying a 737
4. Folding and putting away your laundry without first throwing the laundry on your sister
5. Not singing in the shower
6. Keeping your glasses where they should be (they're often at the end of your nose like you're a disappointed librarian)
7. Kicking a 55-yd field goal
8. Wrestling alligators
9. Giving yourself grace when you make a mistake
10. Eating pizza slowly

My golden-birthday boy. You have been and continue to be an amazing delight. You’re intensely curious about so many topics - carpentry, space, watches, fishing, etc - I’m fascinated by the questions you ask and the way your mind works. (And I’m humbled because I can only answer about 3% of the questions you ask)

You're a natural protector and provider. We went to North Carolina just a few days ago and there was a fire pit outside the cabin. You got a wood-chopping lesson from a few of the dads (and even got a hatchet for your birthday from some dear friends) and loved every second of it. Over the next day, you chopped all the wood we needed for that night's fire. When you were done, you ran up to me and said (and I quote), "Momma, it made me feel so good to be able to provide wood for our fire."   

You’re wonderfully sensitive. You’re sensitive to tone of voice, to loud noises and chaos, and you’re sensitive to the Holy Spirit. You’re comforted by physical touch. If you and I are in the same room for any length of time, you often come over to me for a quick hug or two. It warms my heart that you're comforted and reassured by something so sweet. 

The majority of this year has been super weird. COVID-19 changed the end of your 2nd grade year to include Zoom classes for our Monday homeschool group. COVID also made our summer look different - no traveling or spontaneous road trips; no swim lessons; fewer visits to the playground and park; fewer play dates with friends.

COVID also meant that Daddy worked from home - which meant more time to spend with him in the morning before work. And more time to see him throughout the day when he’d come downstairs for lunch or a quick break. We’ve gone on more family hikes and walks, played more games, and worked on more projects together - all because of COVID. 

We watched our church on YouTube for about five or six months. To be honest, it was hard for the first few weeks. It would easily take us an hour to get through the 30-minute sermon because you and Natalie asked a lot of questions. But then Daddy and I realized the benefits of all these questions - you two were able to ask questions as soon as you heard something you didn't understand. If we were in person, you would have had to wait until after church was over to ask those questions, and by then, you may have forgotten what the questions were. Pausing the TV mid-sermon allowed us to have some really deep and wonderful conversations about the Lord. Questions about salvation, questions about fear and doubt, questions about His unending love. 

So while COVID has thrown an awful monkey-wrench into our perceived normalcy, we're trying to choose to see the benefits instead of focusing on what's bad. This isn't always easy and I definitely have times where my frustration gets the better of me. But that doesn't change the facts that we've seen Daddy more, had more family time, and had more faith-filled conversations.

We love you more than you can possibly know. You're our baby, our Charlie Bear, our sweet boy. We're so glad you're ours.

Hugs and smooches,

Mommy & Daddy

Year Eight - Year End Review

Happy 8th birthday, my favorite little Bear! (My sincerest apologies for this recap being one day late. Your actual birthday was filled to the brim with ice skating, family pictures, and a macaroni-and-cheese cake debacle, so there simply wasn't time to post this yesterday …)

However, your Top 10 Lists are always timely.

Top 10 Things You Love:

1. Carbs and cheese (and cheesy carbs, if you're feeling very efficient) 
2. Natalie (playing with her, drawing with her, being read to by her, annoying her -- they all bring you immense joy) 
3. Having Boy Time with Daddy 
4. Legos 
5. Running laps at school on Mondays (who knew?) 
6. Sweets (chocolate, candy, ice cream - you're an equal-opportunity sugar consumer) 
7. Star Wars and Harry Potter 
8. Being read to (I read out loud to you and Natalie over breakfast; she reads out loud to you either right after you wake up or before you go to bed) 
9. Your ninja/sports class 
10. Church

Top 10 Things You Don't Love: 

1. Bugs (I think I can confidently cross off EXTERMINATOR from a list of possibly career paths for you)
2. Soup (this continues to be something you don't love and it continues to be such a shame because I continue to make some really good soups) 
3. Potatoes, unless they're fried and French 
4. Cooked vegetables (you don't love vegetables in general, but you definitely prefer them cold and crunchy)
5. Losing 
6. Seeing me or Natalie cry
7. Bad guys in movies
8. Performing on stage (I'm with ya, bud)
9. Chores (again, I'm with ya, bud)
10. Being corrected, particularly regarding your behavior (you have pretty high expectations of yourself and you get frustrated when you don't live up to them)

Top 10 Things You're Good At:

1. Lego-ing (particularly building creations just based off either your memory or your imagination; it's super impressive)
2. Protecting the ladies in your life (if Daddy follows up my snark with his own snark, you immediately spring into action and holler out, "Don't be mean to my momma!". Or if Daddy is tickling Natalie, you'll jump on his back and yell, "Don't mess with my sister!") You're protective and chivalrous. A winning combination in my book.
3. Math and cursive (despite the fact that you don't particularly like one of them …)
4. Landing on Free Parking an absurd number of times and bankrupting your whole family
5. Praying (I love hearing you talk to God about what you're thankful for and what you need)
6. Dressing well (don't get me wrong - you love sweat pants and t-shirts as much as the next kid, but you also enjoy vests, ties, and blazers)
7. Accumulating bruises on your legs (at one point, you found nine on just one leg)
8. Cracking eggs
9. Helping (whether it's carrying grocery bags, loading up the recycling, or helping your teacher on Mondays - you like to feel useful)
10. Carrying multiple folding metal chairs (each Sunday, the four of us do the set-up that's necessary for our homeschool group to meet the following day. You and Natalie are the designated Chair Setter-Uppers, and you've gotten really strong over the past 1.5 years that we've been doing it)

Top 10 Things You're Not Good At:

1. Losing gracefully (your competitive side has really emerged this year, as have many lessons on how to lose without pitching a giant-sized fit)
2. Answering math questions without doodling on all the margins of your book
3. Being sweat-free (you sweat like a man, dude)
4. Going up the stairs without turning it into a competition to see who can get to the top the fastest
5. Having a sock drawer full of matched socks (your drawer has a few sock balls in it, but there are also a lot of random singleton socks scattered throughout. I don't get it.)
6. Eating all your dinner in a timely manner if the meal isn't grilled cheese, pizza, or spaghetti.
7. Differential Equations (ugh, so embarrassing) 
8. Walking through the toy aisle of Target and not adding 52 more things to your Wish List (You: Mommy, I've wanted this Lego set forEVER! Me: Really? I'm pretty sure that's one of the newer sets. Like, it probably rolled off the conveyor belt about an hour ago. You: Well … well … UGH. I've wanted it for the last two minutes then. Can I add it to my Wish List anyway?)
9. Waking up in a bright-eyed-and-bushy-tailed manner. (For such a good-natured kid, you're kind of a grumpasaurus in the morning)
10. Winning gold in the triple jump at the Olympics (again, shameful)

Oh, sweet boy. How lucky I am to call you mine! God has given you such an amazing set of qualities. I love that you're both sensitive and tough. Logical and imaginative. Strong and a snuggle-lover. Hard-working and a daydreamer. A great question-asker and wise beyond your years. You are incredibly kind, naturally sensitive, and instinctively nurturing. And the cherry on top - you're almost as funny as your momma.

I love how you love your sister so well. You are her biggest fan, her #2 protector (after Daddy, of course), and the cause of any premature grey hair she may get. You're continuing to learn when she needs her space and when she needs you (but won't say so) to belly flop on top of her while she's coloring. You encourage her in her talents and you've even started asking her to teach you some drawing techniques. You're just a couple of inches shorter than her (maybe by your 9th birthday recap, you'll be the same height?) which just makes her the maddest ever.

You're one of those kids who can get along with just about anybody. Older, younger, boy, girl. It doesn't matter. It's just one of the many ways you remind me of your Daddy.

Watching you love people well is a picture-perfect glimpse into how Jesus loves us. You're encouraging, kind, helpful, and loving. Nobody embodies those attributes better than Jesus, but it's like getting a little glimpse of heaven when I see you holding a door open for someone, when you carry in the grocery bags without me asking, when you compliment the way I look even if I'm just wearing sweatpants, the way you respect your teachers, and the way people feel when you're around.

You're one-in-a-million, kiddo, and I'm so glad you're mine.

Hugs and smooches,
Mommy & Daddy

Year Seven - Year End Review

Happy whole-hand-plus-two-fingers-on-your-other-hand birthday, my favorite little be-dimpled Bear!

Are you ready for your Top 10 lists? Well are you? ARE YOU?

Good.

Top 10 Things You Love:

1. Natalie
2. Soccer
3. Pizza, noodles, rice, cheeseburgers, and any and all things sweet and dessert-y
4. Babies
5. Legos
6. Sonic Dash on the Kindle
7. Your school
8. Dude Perfect YouTube videos
9. Things. Quality things, cheap things, free things - you like things.
10. Your suit. (Ladies love a sharp-dressed fella).

Top 10 Things You Don't Love:

1. Anything that doesn't fall into the Pizza, noodles, rice, cheeseburgers, and any and all things sweet and dessert-y category. The same boy who can take 40 minutes to eat a cup of broccoli can inhale a cup of ice cream in mere seconds.
2. The dark
3. Being alone upstairs when it's dark
4. Bugs and spiders (The Great Yellowjacket Infestation of 2014 has convinced you that every living thing smaller than your thumb has a killer agenda)
5. Dogs (The Scary Dog Encounter of 2015 has convinced you that all dogs are terrifying)
6. Coloring (anytime I give you a worksheet that requires you to color, you immediately melt down in your chair until you're a giant boy-sized puddle under the table)
7. A harsh tone. (Your sensitivity is one of your best qualities)
8. Unfairness. (if Natalie get a few minutes on the Kindle while you were playing Legos, you immediately complain that you didn't get the same Kindle time. If I've said it once, I've said it a trillion times - IN THIS HOUSE, FAIR DOES NOT MEAN EQUAL)
9. Hot weather
10. Doing your laundry (too bad for you; clean clothes are delightful)

Top 10 Things You're Good At:

1. Encouragement (More than once, I've seen you help up a fellow soccer player, regardless of what team he/she is on. And more than once, you've come over to me and patted my back when I've had a migraine. You're a natural, kid.)
2. Getting sweaty regardless of the temperature (your poor pillow has a permanent sweat/salt halo around your head while you sleep ...)
3. Math (Again, you're a natural)
4. Handwriting (even though you complain about writing so much, you have really nice handwriting. You're welcome, by the way.)
5. Putting an outfit together (you put the rest of us to shame on Sundays ... we wear regular clothes and you come downstairs in a three-piece suit. Like, literally. You're stylish to the point where you've asked for suspenders, a top hat, and a pocket silk for Christmas. I've even seen you check yourself out in the bathroom mirror and declare, "Man! I look GOOD!")
6. Driving your poor sister crazy
7. Praying (your prayers always include safe travels for Daddy, if we end up eating dinner before he gets home - and prayers for kids without any mommies or daddies.)
8. Winning games you have no business winning (you've bankrupted the three of us on more than one occasion in Monopoly ... what makes it worse is that your business strategy is deciding to buy properties based on if you like the property's color or like the way the name sounds, not if it makes good financial sense ... and you land on Free Parking a freakishly high number of times)
9. Hoarding your treasures. (Your bedside table is full of rocks, old phones, a few leaves, a broken action figure, the top of a plastic water bottle, some string, a battery or two, a hotel room key. And if I suggest that maybe you clean out your drawer, you're all, "No! This is my good stuff!")
10. Making people laugh (you = big ol' ham)

Top 10 Things You're Not Good At:

1. Hanging up your shirts neatly. (it's one of those things that I don't feel is a battle worth fighting. Your shirts are on a hanger; they're just not evenly spread out over the entire hanger.)
2. Problem solving (because it's more fun to come to me and announce that you can't reach the potato chips instead of just dragging the stool over to the pantry so you can reach the shelf with the potato chips.)
3. Losing (Oh, the pouting! And the whining! And the tears!)
4. Staying focused on any task that's not building Legos or eating anything that doesn't fall into the Pizza, noodles, rice, cheeseburgers, and any and all things sweet and dessert-y category.
5. Nuclear Physics. I really thought you'd have nailed this by age seven.
6. Keeping your tongue in your mouth when you do anything athletic.
7. Not sounding like a high-pitched fire alarm when you get tickled. (For the love of our ears, please lower the decibel level.)
8. Taking the time to look for a specific Lego piece. (I hear everything from "I lost it" to "I must have sold it" to "I think I left it at church")
9. RECOGNIZING THAT THE FOOD I COOK IS DELICIOUS, DARN IT.
10. Slam-dunking on a regulation hoop

Oh my boy, how I love any excuse to celebrate you. You exude joy, silliness, and kindness. You love both people and solitude.  You seem just as content to play with your friends as you do to play Legos by yourself. Speaking of Legos, you're remarkably able to think of an idea and, within mere minutes, produce the Lego-fied version of that idea. Your creations always have stories associated with them - the minifigures all have names and back stories; the houses are always thoughtfully designed to appeal to its children occupants; the vehicles are usually on an important mission.

You come up with some of the best, most random questions I've ever heard. I've compiled a list of some of my favorites that you've asked throughout the year. 

• What if there was a restaurant that just served pickle skin?
• Is there a bathroom in heaven?
• What if someone built a bridge that could hold 100,050 cars at once?
• Do fish have tongues?
• How many kilograms are in a second?
• What if there were bathrooms in elevators?
• What if a crocodile played Pie Face?

You're growing like a weed, and if I were a bettin' lady, I bet you'd surpass your sister in height before you're nine. This obviously displeases your sister greatly, though SHE WILL ALWAYS BE OLDER (anytime she says that, she hollers it, hence the all caps). I'm often asked if the two of you are twins or if you're the older one, and this infuriates Natalie to no end. She can't fathom how people could think she's the younger one. You're both blessed/cursed with my baby face, so you both should get ready for an incorrect estimation of your age for the rest of your life. 

I often pray that this ol' world wouldn't harden your sweet spirit. Based on my unprofessional opinion, being a boy in 2018 comes with some unique obstacles. BE TOUGH, some say. Or, TOUGHNESS MAKES YOU A NEANDERTHAL; BE SENSITIVE. Or, ONLY MEN KNOW ANYTHING; GIRLS ARE HELPLESS, SO TREAT THEM AS SUCH. Or, GIRLS RULE THE WORLD; BOYS ARE THE SOURCE OF EVERYTHING WRONG WITH THE WORLD.

Oh, how I pray these skewed messages don't seep into your heart and mind.

Manliness is not simply being tough and athletic, nor does the presence of sensitivity mean there's an absence of manliness. Manliness also looks like comforting someone when they're hurting or sad. It looks like holding the door for your momma and sister. It looks like helping when you see a need. It looks like working hard. It looks like being courageous. It looks like being protective of the females in your life. It looks like feeling the big, sad feelings without feeling ashamed, and it looks like acknowledging that not every little hurt requires a giant response. It looks like humility. It looks like love.

It looks a lot like you, my darling boy.

Joshua 1:9  Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

I can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for you, and how He'll use your unique combination of qualities to be a light in this world.

I love you tremendously, my seven-year-old Bear.

Hugs and smooches,

Mommy & Daddy

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Headlines for November 9, 2018:

• Ginsburg 'up and working' after fall, says nephew 
• Ty Pennington opens up about home improvement craze: ‘I’ve been told I’m an OG’ 
• Florida governor's race could be heading to recount 
• California bar shooting victims include police officer, aspiring Army service member 
• Southern California wildfire threatens 30,000 homes, forces evacuations

Year Six - Year End Review

Dearest Birthday Bear,

You've been counting down your birthday since practically August. I'm both flabbergasted that you're six years old and relieved that the Great Birthday Countdown has finally stopped (until your Half Birthday Countdown starts up in a few months).

Here are your Thank-Heavens-You're-Finally-Six Top 10 Lists:

Top 10 Things You Love:

1. Natalie
2. Legos
3. What's Inside YouTube channel
4. Snack food (specifically Cheez-Its, chips, pretzels, and string cheese)
5. Phineas and Ferb (for what it's worth, this would be on my Top 10 list, too)
6. Cheese pizza and cheeseburgers
7. Going to church
8. Babies
9. Wrestling with Daddy and Natalie (but not with me; I'm too delicate for that fool business)
10. Opening and holding doors for people

Top 10 Things You Don't Love:

1. Many foods (including beans; veggies that aren't orange and yellow bell peppers, cucumbers, green beans, and broccoli; casseroles; bread where you can see the grains/seeds; cooked fruit)
2. Scary parts in movies
3. Emptying the dishwasher (cry me a river)
4. Putting your laundry away (again, boo hoo)
5. Coloring
6. Big dogs
7. Disappointing people (you're a huge people pleaser; we're trying to harness that for good and for it to not give you anxiety)
8. The dark (you've slept with the lamp on since you were one)
9. Spiders
10. Losing a game (we're still working on teaching you how to lose both graciously and gracefully)

Top 10 Things You're Good At:

1. Math (you instinctively knew to 'count on' - like, when you first started adding a problem like 4+3 in your head, you naturally started counting at 5 and adding 3 more as opposed to counting up to 4 then adding 3)
2. Building Charlie-original Lego designs, usually vehicles
3. Reading letters that aren't there. I'm super impressed with the progress you're making with reading, but sometimes you assume you know what the next word or letter will be. So you say it, only to find out that, sadly, you're not an awesome assumer. 
4. Apologizing (you always want to make things right, but you take after your momma and sometimes apologize too much or apologize when it's not needed)
5. Throwing a Frisbee
6. Writing your letters (I'm a sucker for pretty penmanship and I'm doing my best to have your handwriting be legible)
7. Helping Daddy (I love seeing the two of you in the garage doing 'guy stuff' together)
8. Making people laugh (you're welcome for your awesome sense of humor)
9. Being charming (thank Daddy for your awesome sense of charm)
10. Praying out loud

Top 10 Things You're Not Good At:

1. Keeping your Legos organized. (Does it bother you? Not in the least. Does it make your mother super twitchy to see bins and bins and random Lego pieces? Without a doubt.)
2. Hanging up your button-down shirts on a hanger. Without fail, you'll come to me with a completely baffled look on your be-dimpled face while carrying an unbuttoned shirt and a hanger. You show me how IMPOSSIBLE it is to hang up, usually with the finesse of a hapless infomercial star when she tries to open up a carton of milk and manages to spill it all over the counter. THERE'S GOT TO BE AN EASIER WAY. I button up a few of the buttons and hand it back to you. You put it on the hanger and realize that the buttons keep the shirt securely on. IT'S LIKE MAGIC.
3. Saving money (the second you get money, you want to spend it ... everything in the store becomes The Coolest Toy in the World and the Very Thing You've Been Wanting for Years and Years)
4. Quantum Physics (just like your sister ... lazy bones)
5. Waiting your turn (eh, you're six ... it comes with the territory)
6. Keeping surprises a secret (you're a professional Bean Spiller ... it's like it causes you actual pain to know about a surprise but not be able to tell someone else)
7. Doing your schoolwork without decorating your pages with a various assortment of stick figures and doodles. It's sometimes hard to see what you wrote through all the smiley faces and random shapes. It's infuriatingly adorable. Or adorably infuriating.
8. Putting in Lego arms. I insert no fewer than one set of arms into empty Lego torsos each day.
9. Sleeping in. You're a great sleeper but you have yet to realize how delicious it is to sleep in on Saturday morning. You do find it positively amazing to jump on Daddy and me on Saturday morning, however. It's a good thing you're cute.
10. Sweeping. (if the goal was to fling or to scatter, you'd get an A+; as it is, you need some improvement)

I can remember the instant my midwife handed you to me. I was hopelessly smitten and absolutely terrified. A son. I had a BOY. But I didn't know the first thing about what to do with a little boy! What do I say? What games do I play? What places do I take you to? I was stumped. But my heart was so full of newborn sweetness that I didn't care. Who knew that all I'd need to keep you happy was six hours of hair dryer noise at night and lots of cuddles during the day? And that when you got older, you needed no hair dryer but that you still liked cuddles during the day. And that you're perfectly content with a near-steady supply of cheese, carbs, and Lego time. The Lord was so generous when He gave you to us. He knew that my heart longed for you before you were even born. 

You like to use big words. It's understandable - I, too, have an incredibly smart older sister and I did my darnedest to keep up with her. Sometimes in your haste to go toe-for-toe with her you'll throw out gigantic, $10 words. I've been impressed with your correct usage for many of these words. But then there are those times. Those times when you throw out a sentence like "Look at my hair, Mommy! Do I look like a negotiate?"

Speaking of your hair, you're quite particular about it. You style the front in a specific swoopy way that makes you look like an adorable businessman. Who has a penchant for Captain America t-shirts. 

My sweet boy, you bring an ease to our family, a particular playfulness that leave us in stitches, and a soft heart that leaves us wishing the world were kinder but that by simply being you, the world is automatically kinder. You're respectful, silly, sensitive, excitable, and talented. You're incredibly friendly and extraordinarily thoughtful. Everyone who meets you is smitten by your mischievous smile and carefree attitude. 

There are two verses that I pray over you often:

Joshua 1:9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

Philippians 4:8  Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

These verses speak to me about a few of your natural, God-given strengths (kindness, respect, and protection). I pray these continue to grow as you get older, always seeking out ways to look out for and serve others. I also pray the Lord would develop and grow the areas of your life that are currently marked by scary thoughts at bedtime. I pray that you will learn to train your mind on good things, on lovely things, on things that He has created. One of the ways to do this is to realize and to remember that He is with you always. There's not a moment He's left you or forgotten about you. You are immeasurably treasured to God, my darling.

And you are to our family as well.

Hugs and smooches,

Mommy & Daddy

Year Five - Year End Review

Whole hand. That's how old you are - a whole-hand's-worth-of-years. Each finger represents a year of milestones (sleeping through the night! crawling! walking! potty training! eating something that wasn't beige! LIKING BATHS!), laughter (gut-busting laughter, to be sure, because you totally take after your momma in being hilarious), dirt (because, boys), noise (again, because boys), and sweetness (because you are, without a doubt, the sweetest, kindest boy in the galaxy). Oh, and dimples. The dimples are my fave.

So while I process all the wonders that have been your previous finger-ages, here are your Top 10 Lists:

10 Things You're Good At:

1. Being charming. Your smile + your dimples + your facial expressions + your personality = a bucket of charm
2. Being chivalrous. I don't open doors for myself when you're around. It's precious.
3. Swimming in the shallow end. You're nowhere near drown-proof and you won't jump off the edge of the shallow end (let alone the deep end) into the water, but once you're in the shallow end (after you carefully walk down the steps), you can toodle along the bottom of the pool for as long as your lungs will let you. You love it so much.
4. Riding your bike. Last year, you were a big ol' weenie and told me it was too hard to pedal your bike. This summer, you finally decided to stop being a weenie and start pedaling your bike. And now you zoom down the street really fast.
5. Getting sweaty. It's a given when you're a Smith, and you carry on the legacy proudly.
6. Building Charlie-original Lego creations. Your specialties are police boats.
7. Following the rules.
8. Practicing writing your letters. You can write your letters but you can't spell, so one of my favorite things to do is to get you to write out funny words without you knowing what you're writing. The first thing I had you write was BOO YAH, BABY! Being a mom is fun.
9. Coming up with weird reasons to wake me up at 3am. "My blanket fell off." "Patches [you stuffed dog] is upside down." "I didn't have a nightmare." Yep, you sometimes let us know that you *didn't* have a nightmare. That's so precious. But not really.
10. Being cautious. Five years strong.

10 Things You're Not Good At:

1. Taking your time when you color. You and a preschool friend have a race to see who can color pictures in the shortest amount of time. This causes your ar-teest sister and Type A mom a tad bit of angst. Your teacher assures me this is normal. This does nothing to calm my angst.
2. Hanging your clothes up the way I want you to. YOUR SHIRTS AREN'T ALL FACING THE SAME WAY! AND THEY'RE NOT IN RAINBOW ORDER!! HOW DOES THIS NOT DRIVE YOU CRAAAAAZY?? Oh. Is it because you're five and not a weirdo like your mom?
3. Keeping your spot at the table clean while you eat. Eating over one's plate is for sissies, I guess.
4. Mowing the lawn. Granted you can barely see over the handle and the mower weighs about the same as you do but that's no excuse. Make yourself useful.
5. Emptying the dishwasher without starting up a game of "Toss the Dishtowel onto Natalie's Head While Running By Her"
6. Jumping jacks. 'Flailing Spazzos' is a better name.
7. Balancing a checkbook. Shameful.
8. Writing small. It often takes you two lines (sometimes two pages) to write your name. My sincerest apologies we didn't name you something like Ty or Joe.
9. Doing a cartwheel. You do live with the Cartwheel Queen who "tries" to "help" you by "showing you" how to do one so maybe her "lessons" will eventually stick.
10. Saving your money for a good toy. The second you get more than $2, you spend it on the goofiest, junkiest toy that TJMaxx has to offer.

10 Things You Love:

1. Legos
2. Wrestling with Natalie
3. Preschool
4. Specific foods (not limited to, but not much more than: pizza, grilled cheese, mac & cheese, PB&J, snacks full of processed carbs, yellow and orange bell peppers, most fruit, cheeseburgers, chicken legs, all meat from a pig [atta boy!], most dessert)
5. Being read to
6. Superheroes
7. Star Wars
8. Baths. This one still makes me jump for joy after years of you screaming like a wackadoo during bathtime.
9. Dude Perfect videos and People Are Awesome videos on YouTube.
10. Hot Wheels/Matchbox cars

10 Things You Hate:

1. Lots of food (not limited to, but definitely including: all vegetables except raw yellow and orange peppers, cucumbers, and steamed broccoli - picky much?, beans, soup, shrimp, potatoes in any forms except French fries and tater tots, tacos, raisins, all sauces/dressings/dips, casseroles)
2. Being scared.
3. Disappointing people. You're a natural people-pleaser and you're genuinely sad when there's a chance you've disappointed someone.
4. Bugs. Thanks to the Great Yellow Jacket Infestation of 2014, you think every bug is a stinging bug.
5. Dogs. Or cats. Actually, you're not a fan of animals in general. There are a few pets belonging to some friends that you'll tolerate but that's about it.
6. When a child you don't know extremely well being in your space. It's even worse if this child touches you. You immediately tense up and look for an escape. I totally understand this but it's also unfortunate because many kids your age communicate the desire to play by grabbing a friend's hand and pulling them toward the direction of where they want the friend to go. Regardless, this does not sit well with you. So we work on ways for you to say "Please don't pull me. I don't like that." in a way that's kind but direct.
7. Being left out.

[When you're a pretty good-natured kid, your mom has a hard time coming up with more than seven things you hate. That's a good problem to have.]

A whole hand number of years ago, Team Smith was complete in its foursome-ness. It seems like yesterday you were born. It also seems like I've never existed without you in my life. Kids have a funny way of doing that to you, I suppose.

The bond that you and Natalie share is a beautiful (and loud) and special (and messy). I didn't have a brother, and while my memory is admittedly foggy, I don't recall KK and ever blowing raspberries in each other's faces or yelling in each other's ears. It's super gross and super noisy. But as long as you two aren't crying (of mild importance) and you two don't raspberry MY face (of critical importance), I don't interfere. A wise friend told me when you were first born was that it was important for you and Natalie to develop your own relationship, independent of me (again, as long as nobody's getting hurt). So I just sit back and listen to you two speak in a made-up language, wrestle on the bed, turn the big floor pillow into a boat, or build Lego creations. And then five minutes later, I listen to sighs, stomps, and eye rolls (did you know I can hear an eye roll? Well, I can. Booyah.) as you two fight over dumb stuff.

You are a joy to be around. You're funny, you're thoughtful, you're imaginative, you're silly, you're cuddly, you're sensitive, you're mine. You are a treasure, my angel boy.

My heart verges on the edge of exploding when I look at your sweet face and realize how thankful I am the Lord blessed our family with you. He knew just what He was doing when He made you. You are the perfect fit for Team Smith. You are my little man, my helper, my comic relief, my sweet soul, my hand holder. You are Daddy's little buddy, his gross boy-noise-making partner-in-crime, his Home Depot companion, his sports-watching sidekick. You are Natalie's pal, her wrestling partner, her confidante, her playmate, her forever best friend.

You are our Charlie Bear and we love you more than words can say.

Hugs and smooches,

Mommy & Daddy

Year Four - Year End Review

Oh, my darling boy,
Four. Say whaaaaaaa?

While I spend time processing that you're now four, here are your Top 10 Lists:

10 Things You're Good At:

• Drawing egg-shaped people
• Going underwater in the pool
• Laying on the charm super thick. You'll come out of your room after bedtime ("Thou shalt not leave thy bed after thy hath been tucketh inneth" is the 11th commandment) and right before I send you back to your room, you'll cock your head to the side, show your dimples, and say "I just wanted to tell you that I love you and that you're pretty." Ack.
• Emptying the dishwasher. It's the one chore that you and Natalie have to do together. I'm all about forced teamwork.
• Sleeping. I really miss your afternoon naptime (I think you gave it this past year) but you're very consistent about sleeping well at night.
• Sweating. If the temperature is above 70 and/or you exert the slightest physical effort, you look like you've just run a marathon.
• Speaking of running a marathon, you're really good at running. I had no idea until you asked me to race you from one end of our street to the other. And you booked it the entire way. I still won, in case you were wondering. I'll let you win another day but I think it's good for you to know that for now, your old mom can still whip you.
• Holding the door open for ladies. Chivalry is not dead with Team Smith. 
• Being cautious. I'm rarely concerned when I hear "Hey Mommy, watch this!" 
• Picking up lyrics in songs. Thank goodness for Christian radio.

10 Things You're NOT Good At:

• Writing any curved letters, specifically the C and R in your name. Maybe Natalie wrote so well when she was younger because her name is just composed of straight lines. We should have named you HALIE
• Trying new food
• Emptying the dishwasher effeciently. It should take less than 15 minutes for you two to finish, but when you add it the towel fights that you instigate and your insistence upon wearing the dishtowel over your face while trying to find the plates increases that time two fold.
• Sweeping. You might be good at hockey considering how hard you propel the crumbs with the broom.
• Losing. You act like your life is over when you lose. 
• Brushing your teeth. You either hardly touch your toothbrush to your teeth (and just swirl it around your open mouth) or your spit out all the toothpaste within the first two seconds or you spend the majority of your time making toothpaste spit bubbles. It's rarely an productive endeavor.
• Differential equations. Just like your sister. 
• Washing your dishes after a meal. You're an expert at (unnecessarily) scrubbing the clean parts of your plate but you forget the dirty parts.
• Remembering to unbutton your shirt before pulling it over your head. I often find you with your shirt half-off your head (which you gives you a head of super cool shirt-hair), wailing because you're stuck.
• Making your bed. I get it, it's hard to make the bed if you're too short to do it without being ON the bed.

10 Things You Love:

• Natalie
• Preschool - your teachers, your classmates, everything
• Baths. Yes, you read that right. After 3.5 long and loud and teary years, you've finally decided that baths are pretty awesome
• Animals. Yes, you read that right, too. You're still nervous around unleashed dogs but you've grown leaps and bounds this year
• Peeing standing up. Oh, the perks of being male
• Music. Your current faves are MercyMe, Matt Maher, Lauren Daigle, and your mom. Just kidding on the last one. You think I sing too loudly. Too bad for you.
• Publix, because free cookies
• Curious George, Odd Squad, and Mickey Mouse
• Any and all superheroes, but Batman and Iron Man are your favorites.
• Books. Just like Natalie, you have no fewer than five books in you bed that you look at before you go to sleep.

10 Things You Don't Love:

• Veggies (other than the occasional piece of broccoli, maybe a carrot or two, and yellow and orange bell peppers)
• Any chicken that's not fried and nugget-shaped or roasted in drumstick form. I could cut off the chicken from the aforementioned roasted drumstick and you'd refuse to eat it. But keep it on the bone and you're a happy camper.
• Soup. Which is a crying shame because your mom makes the best chicken noodle soup. And you don't know that because you're a punk who won't try it.
• Spending Quiet Time by yourself. You'd much prefer a joint Quiet Time with your sister. To you, a solo Quiet Time is "BOH-win" (boring).
• Gnats. I don't know if they're attracted to the sight and/or smell of Sweaty Boy, but you poor thing. When we're outside, your face is swarming with gnats.
• Ice cream - but strangely enough, only on days I'm serving something for dinner that you don't like (because no dessert for those who don't eat dinner). Amazingly though, you decide to like it again the next night when I serve something for dinner you DO like
• Taking turns. Thankfully you're getting better, but there are still times when you and Natalie have to take turns and you melt down into a sobby, whiny puddle.
• Getting your hair cut. I mean, you don't *hate* it, and you're usually excited about it before it happens. But once you sit in the chair, you become the quietest, most sullen kid on the planet.
• Going to the bathroom if it wasn't your idea. "I don't WAAAAAAAANT to pee! I don't HAAAAAAAAAVE to pee! I don't LIIIIIIIIKE to pee!"
• Being bossed around by Natalie. For the record, neither do I.

I've always said that I love each new stage more than the previous:

• sitting up > the newborn lump phase
• crawling > immobile
• walking > crawling
• talking > not talking
• twos > ones

and so on

Your twos were pretty mild compared to the wild banshee twos that your dear sister experienced. Your threes, however, were a little less mild. You cried more this past year than you had in all your other years combined. You cried over e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g. But still, even with all that catterwalling, I liked your threes more than twos. Your personality exploded this year (amidst all the sobbing, of course) and I loved having a front row seat. You've always been a pretty affectionate kid but you really laid it on thick this year. Practically every hug you give is a gigantic bear hug. Strangers at the grocery store are often on the receiving end of your dimpled-smile-and-wave combo. You surprise Natalie and me with random kisses throughout the day. You like holding my hand. All of that adds up to one very full Mommy heart.

For a consistently cheerful boy, you are also consistently grumpy (and often sweaty, but that's neither here nor there) when you wake up in the morning. (And on the flip side, your feel-all-the-feelings sister wakes up cheerfully without exception.) You stumble out into the living room wearing a furrowed brow and pouty lips and crawl into my lap for a snuggle. Your morning grumpiness is usually short-lived, however, as talks of yummy breakfast food can bring anyone out of their early morning funk. [I'd like to add that if a certain boy would eat dinner that a certain momma works very hard to prepare, the boy might not be so grumpy the next morning as he would not have gone to bed with just water in his belly. Just a thought.]

I confess that I have become accustomed to your sweet personality, and I've neglected to be consistent in my prayers for you. It's not uncommon to forget to pray when things (ie: you) are going well. One of my greatest privileges is to pray for you and Natalie, and I've slacked off a bit with you. But I'm going on the record to say that will change because you need a momma who prays for you. Prayers to protect you, to guide you, to draw you closer to Him. Prayers to heal you, to encourage you, to remind you who you are (and Whose you are). And maybe, just maybe, prayers that you'll eat your dinner.

Hugs and smooches,
Mommy & Daddy

Year Three - Year End Review

The dimples and shenanigans just keep on coming, my sweet kid. How FUN this year has been.

10 Things You're Good At:

1. Making people laugh
2. Being charming (you're definitely your Daddy's boy)
3. Being BFFs with the toilet
4. Aggravating your sister (you treat it like it's your job)
5. Putting your dirty dishes in the dishwasher
6. Sweating (you're definitely your parents' boy)
7. Knowing colors, numbers, shapes, and (uppercase) letters
8. Being cautious (there's not a daredevil bone in your body)
9. Putting your clean clothes in your dresser
10. Throwing a ball

10 Things You're NOT Good At:

1. Eating veggies (except for orange bell peppers, cucumbers [sometimes], and carrots [sometimes])
2. Remaining calm when things don't go your way (you're three, I get it)
3. Pedaling your tricycle (could be that you need to be taller; I think it's that you need to be less lazy)
4. Brushing your teeth (sucking the toothpaste off your toothbrush does not count as brushing your teeth)
5. Getting dressed by yourself (I think you need to be less lazy in this department, too)
6. Making me dinner (punk)
7. Eating yogurt without wearing at least 20% of it
8. Sweeping (you ARE, however, exceptionally good at spreading MY pile of dirt around the floor)
9. Being quiet in the middle of the night. You grunt, howl, whine, fuss, and whimper. Daddy and I are 95% sure you do it all in your sleep.
10. Sorting laundry (your method of sorting laundry and my method of sorting laundry are vastly different. One way results in sorted laundry. The other way results in underpants on your head.)

10 Things You Love:

1. Any and all carbs and cheese (bonus points if they're put together in a grilled cheese sandwich)
2. French fries
3. Natalie
4. The Weggo [Lego] Movie
5. Superheroes
6. Singing (you like to duet with Natalie)
7. Jumping on Mommy and Daddy's bed
8. People (again, you're definitely your Daddy's boy)
9. Jeans 
10. Construction equipment (the bigger, the better)

10 Things You Don't Love:

1. Baths (seriously, knock it off. It's not funny anymore)
2. Green veggies
3. Bugs (poor kid, you're a gnat magnet. I guess they're drawn to sweaty boys with perpetually skinned knees)
4. Being on a trampoline or a bouncy house with other kids on/in it (you don't like someone else controlling when you jump)
5. Loud noises (we had to leave a basketball game after 10 minutes because you couldn't stand the buzzer and the referee's whistles)
6. Animals (you're freaked out by pretty much every animal; you usually warm up to them after a few hours)
7. The dark 
8. Bad guys in movies (just like Natalie)
9. Getting dirty/messy (we're working on that, though)
10. Taking turns (What's that you say? A three-year-old who doesn't like to share? That's crazy business!)

Oh buddy, your second year was a blast. The Terrible Twos were nowhere to be found. (It does make me a little fearful of Year Three, but I try not to think about it too much). Your tantrums were all very textbook - you got mad, you pitched a fit, you calmed down a few minutes later, and you were over it. When you and Natalie argue, she internalizes it for a long time and you're over it three seconds later. It could be because you're only three and don't know how to internalize things, but I have a feeling this is simply your personality. You're a peace-maker, a forgiver, a friend.

Natalie and I have had a lot of conversations about you recently. Mostly like this:

N: Mommy, how come Charlie is having fun and I'm sitting over here pouting?
Me: (as gently as I can) Well, love, Charlie has made the choice to be cheerful - just like you're choosing to pout.
N: Charlie's pretty good at being cheerful, huh, Mommy?
Me: Yeah, he is, sweetie.
N: He helps me to be more cheerful. And to have more fun.
Me: Me too, kid.

Natalie is very much like me; you're very much like Daddy. I understand Natalie's habit of internalizing everything and being very moody. So when I see someone (like you and Daddy) who's carefree and good-natured, I'm incredibly envious (and secretly hope that your carefree-ness and good-natured-ness are contagious). I'm itching to see how God is going to use you. You walk around the house singing praise music (Mercy Me is your favorite) and you've recently talked about how "God changed my heart" (after a recent squabble with Natalie) and "God changed my cough" (after a recent bout of an allergy flare-up). One of my many prayers is that you're sensitive to what He says and willingly follow where He leads. I pray you would experience the joy of being right where He wants you to be. I pray your contentment would not be determined by how much stuff you have, how many places you've been to, or how many things you've experienced. I pray your contentment would rest in Him. In knowing who you are by knowing Whose you are.

You're the poster child for Enjoy All The Things, and I'm the poster child for Enjoy All The Charlie Bear.

Hugs and smooches,
Mommy & Daddy

Year Two - Year End Review

Oh my sweet, little pumpkin-headed Bear,

My goodness, you delight me. I can't believe you've dimpled up Team Smith for two whole years; it seems like it was only yesterday I was worried that you were going to be born in my van.

10 Things You're Good At:

1. Sleeping. Thankfully, you rarely put up much of a fuss. When I tell you it's naptime, most of the time you yell 'BYE!' to Nat, grab a random toy (to add to the 833 already in your crib) and run down the hall to your room.
2. Making other people around smile (this is a trait you inherited from Daddy. It's like you two just bring sunshine wherever you go.)
3. Driving your sister bananas. 
4. Speaking of bananas, eating bananas. You eat a banana so quickly, you should be a sideshow act. 
5. Making an entrance into a room. When we drop Natalie off at school, you walk in and cheerfully holler "Hi!" to all the kids in her class and wave to everyone, too. When we leave, you holler "Bye!", wave, and blow kisses to everyone. The little girls in Natalie's class think you're adorable. 
6. Climbing. You can climb stairs and into the van and up into your carseat like a champ. 
7. Being funny. You caught on quickly that we here at Team Smith run on silliness. Being all stoic and dull just won't cut it around here.
8. Building towers out of blocks.
9. Dancing. Clearly you and your sister inheirited your Daddy's wicked dance skillz.
10. Being a mimic. You repeat sounds and words (and whines ...) like a champ.

10 Things You're NOT Good At:

1. Eating non-beige foods. Could you just for once, just for kicks, just on a goof, eat something orange or something green? I promise you won't die. 
2. Helping me fold clothes. Your version of helping involves running around the living room with undies and towels on your head.
3. Being still and/or quiet during diaper changes. I submit giving an enema to a lion is on par with changing your diapers. As is giving you a bath.
4. Behaving in a restaurant. I distinctly remember this phase with Natalie. You don't want to sit in your chair, you get mad when we won't let you wander around the restaurant - and couple this with you being a picky eater and we have ourselves an unpleasant evening. It helps that Marianna isn't the mecca for fine-dining establishments, so it's not like we have the opportunity to GO to nice restaurants anyway.
5. Sharing. Whoever said that "second children are just born having to share; they don't know any different!" is a certifiable crackhead. You haaaate sharing. You haaaate taking turns.
6. Letting me pick out your clothes. Dude, you're two. And dude, you're a dude. Why must you have such strong opinions on what clothes you wear?
7. Sitting in your carseat for a long car ride. You get antsy and crabby after about 20 minutes. 
8. Sleeping in. You're a good sleeper, but you're allergic to sleeping past 6. (ps: I hate you, Fall Back. That extra hour of sleep [that I didn't get anyway] was so not worth messing up both Smithkids' sleep schedules.)
9. Spelling. Natalie is a great speller but still needs help on some big words. It'd be awfully nice of you if you'd learn how to spell big words and help her out.

10 Things You Love:

1. Animals in theory 
2. Playing on the bed with Natalie and Daddy after Daddy gets home from work
3. Trucks and trains and cars and planes (hey look, that rhymes!)
4. Books
5. Dairy products (yogurt, cheese, milk, and ice cream)
6. Sports. You lose your mind when you see a basketball, football, baseball, or soccer ball. You could sit on Daddy's lap and watch football for hours.
7. Mickey Mouse
8. Riding your bike (and by 'Riding your bike', I mean 'Being pushed around in your bike by Mommy or Daddy')
9. Ice water (ice-less water is always met with a loud and insistent "EYE-SH!!" [ICE]
10. Bubble Guppies

5 Things You Don't Love (you're good-natured; I could only think of 5 things):

1. Animals in real life (I get it; we don't have pets, so when you see a real-life dog up close, it understandably freaks you out)
2. Baths.  Two years going strong. You're certainly a stubborn (and loud) thing.  
3. Healthy food (except for the aforementioned dairy products)
4. Being bossed around by Natalie. Which is unfortunate because it's on Natalie's 10 Things She Loves list.
5. Loud noises. It's a Smithkid tradition.

Oh my. The difference between 12 months and 24 months is staggering. You went from a crawling and cruising little dude to a walking and running little Energizer Bunny. You went from someone who just said 'Dadda' to someone who says mouthfuls of words. You went from someone who charmed people with his two-toothed smile to someone who charms people with his ten-toothed smile (your award for Slowest Tooth Grower in the History of Earth is in the mail). You went from someone who ate anything and everything to someone who prefers to only eat food that resembles the color of a manila envelope (not cool; let's work on that in Year Three, shall we?). You went from someone who was only just discovering how to have a relationship with Natalie to someone who has definitely found his niche with his sister. And it's glorious (for the most part).

You're funny. You're observant. You're charming. You're silly. You're excitable. You're affectionate. You're cautious. You're content. (Unless you're teething ... in which case, all the aforementioned characteristics get thrown into a proverbial chipper-shredder). You remind me so much of Daddy. Perhaps that why I cherish the mornings that you and I have to ourselves; it's like I have a miniature version of Daddy to hang out with while he's at work. You say hi to everyone at Winn Dixie, just like Daddy does. You smile extra big at the ladies, just like Daddy does. Your marvelously silly personality leaves me in stitches, just like Daddy does. Just like I said in your Year One recap, this world needs a boy raised by your Daddy. I wasn't wrong. It does. And he's doing such a great job.

You are dimpled goodness, my boy. I pray for you often. One of the (many) devotional books I read talks often of being a thermostat instead of being a thermometer. A thermostat changes the temperature of a room; a thermometer rises and falls with the temperature of a room. I pray you'll be a thermostat. That your warmth and charm will draw people in and draw people to Jesus. That your cheerful light would burn bright in a world full of Gloomy Gusses. Because just like the song says "... hide it under a bushel? No! I'm gonna let it shine!", I pray you shine. Because let's keep it real, my sweet Bear, your head wouldn't fit in a bushel.

Hugs and smooches,
Mommy & Daddy