The Crawdad Chronicles: James at 4

There is something about having a four year old that makes me a little sad. Four seems so grown up, definitely not a baby or a toddler anymore. He has complete conversations with us and is losing the funny way of saying things that he used to have. He is learning and growing and time seems to be moving faster and faster. Though we are saying good bye to some stages there are some major perks of him growing older as well, and I'm so thankful for each age and stage of his life.

James you are FOUR! You love to tell people your age and when your birthday is, even strangers that you have just met. You are incredibly sweet and loving. You say the sweetest things to your dad and I. Things like, "I just love you so much Mom" and " Daddy you are my best friend" and "I need Harrison to be with me because I love him so much." You are silly and love to laugh. Yes you are stubborn and have your moments but for the most part you are well behaved and willing to please.

James you love to learn. Some days I cannot keep up with your brain. You love to ask questions and I can almost see you processing information. You can add and subtract both in your head, on your fingers, and on paper. You know all of the planets and can tell me information about each one. You can tell time to the hour and half hour. You know all sorts of random facts and have an incredible memory. I love to see how you take what you learn and apply it in your play time. For instance recently your dad told you how when space ships take off part of the space ship falls back to earth while the rest goes to outer space. The next day you used Legos to build a space ship and was showing me how after blast off it breaks into two piece, one to go on up and the other to come back to Earth. You love to draw and make pictures or cards for people, especially for your dad. You love to read books and would listen to me read all day if I would let you.

Some of your favorite toys are Legos, Hot Wheels and blocks (anything that involves building). You love to play outside, especially basketball and football. You are not a great eater in terms of healthy variety but you sure eat a lot. The other day for breakfast you had two servings of whole wheat pancakes, yogurt, applesauce, and then cheese cubes. An hour later you said, "Mom I'm still hungry. I need a little snack."

For the most part you are a wonderful big brother. Sometimes you have a hard time sharing and often you want whatever your brother is playing with. You are quick to help Harrison and you always want him to be with you. If I separate you from him (because you are annoying him) you always tell me, "I need my Harrison. He is my brother!"

James your daddy and I are so proud of you. Whenever I think of you I always think of the word joy. You bring so much joy to our family. Since you were born I have been challenged in more ways than I thought possible but have been blessed beyond measure. I am humbled and grateful that God chose me to be your mom. I love you sweet boy!