4 - Four, You are 4

 

My grandson turned 4 this past week and his mom, my daughter, the one who lives in Guam, wrote this post on her blog.   

It brought tears to my eyes and I wanted to save and share such a sweet post.

Gina is a hard working stay at home mom. She homeschools her boys.  She never gets off the Navy base except to shop or take the family to the beach. They only left the Island once in the almost three years there.

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"You are four. I want to remember the way you are as this little person in my life. The way you hug real tight. How you take the batteries out of the remotes. And then you hand the parts to me because you know I don't want them to get lost or go in your mouth. You are enthusiastic about life and continue to fill our lives with joy.  We are so in love with you.  I'm grateful you show us what life is truly about. You have a mighty big heart and a fierce sense of loyalty.  You love your mimi and want me to snuggle it while you are busy playing, just one example of your kind heart.  How you say mama, mama, mama, mama.  Your hundreds of questions. I laugh a little and feel so glad that I get to explain new words to you. You've learned so many in the past six months; what big (dinosaur) steps you've taken in one whole year!

You are four. You know about good manners, & love making letter sounds. How popsicles come in so many different flavors. Asking for a couple more minutes to play, telling me which foods you like and which ones you don't like.  Luckily for me you like most. You'll only eat with big boy forks and drink with big boy cups.  You notice a car, truck, or bus from miles away.  You love looking at the moon, and making sure your big brothers see it too. You keep the world new (and bright). You are curious and thoughtful and sweet and wonderful.  

I'll always remember how you love sitting on the bathroom counter while we get ready for the day. The way you pop a cookie into your mouth. Then save the other cookie in your pocket for later. I love when you woOoOosh down the slide at the park and then brush your hands together to clean them off. How you turn away, suddenly bashful when strangers smile, and  stare back at them from the corner of your eye. I love that you sleep with an entourage of buddies each night. 

You are getting so big. However I refuse to be sad about letting you grow up. You were meant to grow and more importantly, I am grateful you are growing."

My heart holds yours.  "happy,  happy,  happy birthday".

I want you to remember that I'll always love you..... to infinity & beyond.

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As a mom of three grown kids it brings me to tears sometimes knowing how adult they are and how far they are from me.  I can say for sure, "I'm so Proud of them"