Owen turns 3!

Dear Owen,

Where do I begin? I guess I'll start by saying that I love you. I love you so much and in so many different ways and for so many different reasons it'd be impossible to describe it adequately. So just know that I love you immensely.

As I looked back at photos of you from this past year, I can't get over how much you've grown. This past year has not been an easy one. I suppose in some ways you lived up to the cliche of a "terrible two". As you became more independent, you also became more defiant. You are as stubborn as they come. Though that doesn't necessarily surprise me, since Daddy and I can both be pretty stubborn too. You are also incredibly particular... again not shocking. But we've come to recognize that if we do something with you one way, you will expect (and even demand) it be done that way every time. We often need to remind you that you are not in charge. You are very determined. When you set your mind to do something, you don't want anyone interrupting, helping, or foiling your plans. A common phrase we hear: "No, I do it!" even if that means doing it wrong or taking 20 minutes to do what should take 2. And yes, we have days with many a meltdown.

You went through a biting phase when you were one and when it passed, I had hoped that your days of being the church nursery trouble-maker were over. But unfortunately, you went from biting to hitting when you turned two. Thankfully, in the last several weeks you seem to be doing much, much better. We think of you as a "rough and tumble" kind of kid. You are rough. You don't necessarily mean to be. You just are. You have SO much energy. You wake up at the crack of dawn and seem to immediately be bouncing off the walls. We've yet to determine whether you find trouble or trouble finds you...

We do know that if there's a way to get dirty... you will surely find it.

With how dirty you often are, baths have become more than a necessity. Although, technically, you prefer showers. For the longest time, you refused to take baths in favor of showering. 

Only recently, have you become more willing and dare I say, eager, to take a bath. And I'm sure Marshall has something to do with it.

Despite all of the roughness and energy you exude, you also have a very sweet and tender heart. I think that's why I struggled so much with any "bad" reports from the nursery or your babysitters. I hated the thought of anyone only seeing the rough side of you. I felt (and still occasionally feel) very defensive of you. I want so badly for others to see the tender side of you that we see. 

I can promise you, and Daddy will confirm, I am very capable of turning into a mama-bear on your behalf, if and when I need to. I love you so much. I will always fight for you. 

With all the ups and downs of this past year, one thing I know for certain. I am blessed that I get to be your mama. There are days I have questioned my inadequacies as your Mom, but I am reminded that regardless of my faults and failures I can be confident in this: God chose me. He chose me to mother you. I like to imagine that just as God specifically chose Mary to be the mother of Jesus, he just as carefully and specifically chose me to be your mother. That may seem silly, but it comforts me on the hard days. 

Now before you go thinking every day is a hard day, let me say that there are many, many great days in between. And really, even the hard days are full of wonderful moments. You, Owen, are so much fun. You are full of life, humor, and joy. You do or say something on a regular basis that crack us up. You have a silly dance that sadly can not be captured in a photo. You are entertaining to say the very least.

There are some things you say that are so cute and/or funny that I don't want to forget, like: 

When we ask what sound does a bell make? "Ring bell, ring bell" 

And what sound does a police car make? "Wee oh, Wee oh". 

When you want to be held, you always ask by saying, "Hold you?"

You STILL suck your two favorite fingers, and your blue "blankie" is most definitely still your favorite thing.

You have an enormous personality. You remember and repeat everything. You are very smart and already know your letters and numbers. You love music and particularly love to sing. That great memory of yours comes in handy, as you learn new songs quite quickly. You mainly sings hymns, since that's what I have a tendency to teach you. We routinely sing together at bedtime, but you can be heard singing at any time of the day. You love Mr. Fox, who comes to sing and play the guitar in your class at church. For the longest time, you would tell us all about Mr. Fox and his "violin". We'd try to correct you, but you were quite adamant that it was a violin. :) 

You love to run and play outside. You could spend hours just playing in the dirt with Daddy's old tonka trucks. That seems to be your favorite thing to do. The water-table is a close second.

You turn beet red within minutes of being out in the heat, and not because you're sunburned. 

Your favorite shows right now include: Dinotrux, Paw Patrol, and Little Einsteins. 

You've been successfully potty trained for quite a while now. The week of "training" will forever go down in history as one of my hardest weeks ever. Thankfully, we all survived!

I have loved seeing you take on the big brother role. You love Marshall and are *mostly* great with him. I'm guessing we can be heard saying "GENTLE!" to you close to 59,483 times a day. But you are always quick to "help" by bringing Marshall toys, or singing/dancing to cheer him up when he is sad. It's obvious to us that you are anxious for him to be able to play with you more. And trust me, we are looking forward to that day too! 

You hate to play alone. This is sort of strange to me. I've observed that in group settings, you are perfectly happy to wander off and do your own thing. In fact, whenever we have attended parties or "circle time" at different events, you rarely participate with the group. 

BUT, when we are at home,  you seem to be the opposite. When working in my office, I often turn around to find you've dragged your toys (big or small) so that you can play close by to me.

Errands have taken on a new kind of difficulty. With Marshall now sitting in the shopping cart, you have needed to learn to walk on your own. It's made for some rather interesting trips. 

You usually take off noisily in the opposite direction we are going. Every child you come in contact with at the store, you immediately try to engage. You want so badly to be one of the big kids. Whenever we are in a group setting with both young and older kids, you gravitate toward the older ones every time.

Like many little boys, you adore your Daddy. If he is doing something, you prefer to do it right along side him. You have a tendency to refer to him as "my Daddy"... such as: "Mommy, remember when I went in the forest with my Daddy?" or "I can't wait until my Daddy comes home so I can show him this!" It's awfully cute. 

Bedtime is a struggle... For a while you did quite well at nap time and at bedtime. We'd tell you it was time, and you'd basically comply and go right to sleep. 

Now there's a constant back and forth, in and out of bed with any number of excuses... I actually wrote each excuse down one night. They were as follows:

"I'm afraid a bear's gonna get me."

"I need some water."

"I have to go potty."

"My bottom hurts."

and my personal favorite: "I see something on my face."

Owen, you may be a "handful" as they say. But I am so thrilled you're ours. I pray daily for guidance from the Lord on how best to raise you. Please forgive me for my shortcomings and know that I only want the very best for you. I cannot wait to see what the Lord has in store for you. 

Happy Birthday, sweet boy.

Love,

Mommy