To Tyler, at 4 years old

Tyler,

You are so many things right now, but most of all, you are so loving.  You still speak from your heart, telling us that you will miss us while we are apart or talking about how much you like the doggie that we just drove past.  If Daddy or I have something we have to go do in the evening, a meeting, errands, to see friends, you beg to come with us.  "But I want to go to the meeting with you!  I never been to a meeting before!"  You don't like being left behind.  You give the softest kisses and hugs ever.  You give a huge pucker and the tiniest, sweetest, shortest butterfly kiss.  If someone's eyes were closed, they might not even feel it!  Your hugs are very soft too, you drape your still baby-chubby arms around our necks but there is hardly any squeeze.  You are so gentle with your love.

You talk about animals a lot, you usually say they are "cute-y".  When you see a squirrel out the window you ask if you can go outside and pet it.  I don't think that there has ever been a dog walk by you that you haven't asked the owner if you could pet.  You spend lots of time cuddled up with Riggins and Giggs at Grandad's house.  For your birthday present your grandparents got you a bird feeder and bird bath and you are very excited about them.  Your preschool class had caterpillars and watched them as they turned into butterflies.  You were very sad the day you all released them.  You got to ride a pony at a friend's birthday party last weekend.  You were so excited as you waited in line and you couldn't wait to pet her.  You love all animals with your whole heart.

You adore Timmy, but you've made up this awful game where you won't let him kiss you.  However, when he is leaving to get on the bus in the morning, you scream for him to give you a hug.  He runs back out of the line to hug and kiss you and you tell him that you will miss him.  You and I wave to the bus and then get in the car, we go the same direction as the bus for about half a mile, and you talk about Timmy for as long as his bus is in sight.  You can't wait to go to his school and to ride the bus with him.

Even though you won't let him kiss you, you guys are pretty much inseparable.  Many mornings I find that you've even snuck into Timmy's bed to sleep.  You guys love playing video games together and love playing outside as well.  You are really good at video games for your age!  You have not been taught how to turn on the tv or video games yet though.  Another by product of being the younger brother, Timmy is always there to do it for you.  You two spend a lot of time on our swingset and on the swing at Grandad's house.  Your big brother loves to make you laugh.  You are also very good at entertaining yourself.  You particularly like building with blocks and legos.  You are getting to be very good at puzzles and can now spell your name thanks to Baba's name song.  You still love doing art at school and you like to cook and bake with Susan, even though you usually won't taste what you've made.

When Timmy has friends around, you think you are one of the big boys.  You have no idea you are the odd man out in this group in particular, largely because Nate and Caleb enjoy hanging out with you too!  Most of the time you can keep up with them with no problem.  You get very upset when Timmy goes to play at someone's house without you.  Luckily, you are starting to go to play at your own friends' houses some too.

Stella continues to be your best friend.  You had a rough start to the school year with her in your class because you are used to having one on one time with her, and you did not like sharing her attention.  You have come a long way in that aspect, and you happily play with everyone in your class now, especially all the girls with Stella.  You do still get upset over some Stella related things at school though, and self-calming in general is something that Mrs B. has worked with you on all year.  You have made big strides, going from multiple long upsets a day to a few small ones each week.  Mrs B will email me about them sometimes, one day she said, "Tyler had two upsets at school today, but one was over something Stella related, and I count those in a separate category because they are basically an old married couple."  Stella adores you too, she gets very excited when she sees you at baseball or when you're getting together to play.  You still call her your girlfriend and it doesn't phase you when Timmy or Caleb try to tease you about it.  You guys are protective of each other.  I love watching your friendship grow with you.

You two can be more trouble then the big boys though!  Stella's favorite game to play at our house is throwing all of Timmy's animals off of his bed.  Last time, you showed her a game you had been told not to do when Timmy first figured it out; putting stuffed animals on the ceiling fan and then turning it on.  This time one flew off the fan and hit a shelf full of decorative things, that I thought were safely out of reach.  Two of my Donald figurines fell off and broke.  You came downstairs saying, "Mommy, I have to tell you something.  It's bad news.  I really don't want to tell you."  And then you didn't say anything else... I found out for myself at bedtime that night.  You were truly so sorry and you asked what would make me feel better.  I gathered up the pieces and told you I would try to fix it.  Every time we went into your room you would apologize again and ask me when I would fix it so I would feel better.  One is in pretty good shape, the other has a ways to go.

You think that you are a ninja, especially, unfortunately, at bed time.  I send you two upstairs to get ready for a shower, and you start attacking Timmy, I'm pretty sure while he's taking his shirt off, so he's pretty unprepared for your attack.  I also see you karate chopping and kicking when you are playing in the back yard and on occasion there are even a few somersaults.  When you discovered this three way mirror you were in heaven!

You are definitely the baby of the family.  At four years old you really do very little for yourself.  I acknowledge that this is largely my fault.  In the morning I'm in such a hurry to get you guys up, fed, and out the door, that it is just faster for me to put your clothes on for you.  You are capable of doing your own socks and shoes, but you have very little practice at shorts and shirts, and when you do try to do them yourself, your shorts are usually backwards and your shirt gets stuck on your head.  I also carry you down the stairs in the morning, but that's mostly because I'm afraid of you falling down them again.  From there, sometimes you battle me about putting on your shoes for yourself.  You still make up things about not having enough energy to do it yourself, or you'll say something hurts so you can't do it yourself.  Then there's the actual walking out the door.  Some days, you push the storm door open, hold it for everyone, and want to be the leader the whole way to the car.  Other days, seemingly when I have the most items that need to come out to the car, you will insist that I carry you.  You will literally stand on the porch crying until I come back and carry you, it does not matter if I beg, threaten, explain, or plead, you hold out longer then I do.  You still nap a few times a week.  And when you nap, you really nap.  Four to six hours is not unusual for you.  On the weekends, if you are whiny, I'll just scoop you up and head towards my room.  You'll put your head on my shoulder and ask, "I napping now?"  You don't usually argue.  You wake up much happier.

You can apparently nap anywhere...

You are playing your first team sport, Blastball, and you love it!  You have a smile on your face the whole time you are up to bat, hitting, and running the bases.  You have a serious windup for batting, but it's clockwise, away from the tee.  Somehow this does not hurt your batting, as you usually get a solid hit on your first attempt each at bat.  You get a little upset while fielding when the ball doesn't come towards you, but when it does, or you play first base, you are happily involved.

Your imagination is still in full effect.  We hear about your rainbow monsters all of the time still.  Your rainbow house is basically heaven.  You say that you lived there and did things with your rainbow monsters before you were born, and you say that your beloved dogs, Beau and Dempsey, are there now.  Grandad was telling you about when Daddy and Aunt Jenny were little and lived in the Bradwell house.  You told him, "I know, my rainbow monsters and I used to hide in those bushes and watch you."  The latest repeated fact about the rainbow house is how to get there, "You go through the darkest tunnel and the darkest forest and past Timmy's school, and boom, you're there."  Sometimes you randomly announce that we are near your rainbow house.  You've been telling us that your rainbow monsters are huge, "even bigger then Daddy!"  You use your rainbow monsters when pleading your case when you do or do not want to do something.  "I tried corn at my rainbow monsters house and I did not like it."  "But my rainbow monster's let me not buckle..."  A few times you have even tried to bribe me with the rainbow house.  After asking me if you could go outside, and my response that no, it was bedtime, you said, "If you let me, I'll take you to my rainbow house."  You are certainly not afraid of the rainbow monster's, but at bedtime you have occasionally tried to tell me that you have to sleep in my bed or Timmy's bed so the rainbow monster's won't take you away over night.  I remind you that the rainbow monster's are good and that they have been told that if they aren't being good they aren't allowed to come over any more.

Apparently the last time Stella was over, you showed her a window that you see a ghost from.  You showed her the exact spot and you taught her what the ghost sounds like.  Again, you are not afraid, but she sure was!  She told Ms Suzanne all about it and slept in the hallway for the rest of that week!  Beyond the monster's, and now the ghost, you just make stuff up all the time, and present it as fact.  One day while driving home last week you stated, "You know somethin? Snow is really made out of poison ivy.  Really!  I serious!  It is!"  There is no correcting you, no convincing you otherwise, it drives Timmy absolutely insane.  I find it hysterical, but I'll admit I'm a little concerned this will be an issue for you in school.

You are a phrase machine right now.  Your favorite right now is, "Are you thinkin what I'm thinkin?" You usually say it in a very controlled voice with a mischievous grin on your face, and it's usually followed with "let's play video games!"  When we're in the hot tub you keep repeating, "Bubbles in the houuuuse."  There are also lots of "Oh yeah!"'s  Your catch phrase is "Boom the Beach" after a game you like to play on our phones, you use it when you're excited about something, or as an "I told you so" substitute.  You use "Booyah" the same ways.  You also start stories with, "I have to tell you somethin" and end them with, "Can you believe it?"  You are so funny.

I could probably keep adding to this for days, trying to sum up your personality right now.  If I could bottle up who you are and sell it, I would be a billionaire.  You are so much fun, so entertaining, so loving, so snuggleable, so perfect.  We are absolutely crazy about you.  We love you!