On being 4

Owen. Sweet, passionate Owen.
This year you turned 4, and its really made an impression on me because suddenly you are so much older and so much less like the baby you have always been to me. I see fewer and fewer glimpses of the baby in you and more and more opportunities to see the budding little boy. Its been quite a journey to see you come into your own.

You are, if nothing else, passionate.
Thats the way I like to think about it, but its also stubborn, and fierce, and fire-in-your-belly dedication to your irritations, excitements, love and joy. You feel everything intensely and share with us your intensity in your tremendous hugs, your bright and beaming smile, your strong sense of empathy- always checking to see if I'm okay or Collin's okay, your stair-kicking, throw down arguments, where you try, desperately to engage in a power struggle with your dad or I. We laugh to see such strong willed dedication to your cause, and deny you the please of arguing. Sorry, buddy. But its a joy to watch that passion though. Maybe you'll be a lawyer someday. If not a lawyer, you'll be a good advocate for someone, your brother, yourself, your future family, I'm sure.

This year you picked a monster truck party for your 4th birthday. I try to humor you on your birthday because its just a few days after new years and everyone is so completely done with the parties and events. So, we try to roll with it, and this year it was all about monster trucks. Monster trucks are fitting. Running and crashing into things, mighty with effort- very much like you.

At four, you have budded into quite the preschooler. You love school and all of your friends, who you are kind and patient with. Sometimes its alarming to me that you can be so very stubborn at home and at home act like a perfect angel when you encounter a challenge.

You are incredibly different than your brother, while we still get asked if you two are twins often, your personalities could not be more different. You are excited and anxious to explore the world, trying new things, jumping off into the big wide world without a care in the world, where Collin is just the opposite, timid and cautious to try new things. Together, you complement each other's strengths, helping each other along as brothers and the best of friends.

During your fourth year you learned so many things, and are on the cusp of so many things. This was your first year of preschool, and it will be your first summer of tee ball and soccer. Up to this year you have been anxiously wanting to join in all the activities summer offered- but up until this year they were all 4 and up. So as we enter into spring, you are anxious and excited to try new things.

At four, your heart is blossoming into one of the most generous I know. You love so deeply and honestly. I admire how often you take time to say "thank you" and "I love you" because every time we hear those little words come from your lips its clear they are genuine and true. I feel as though we've been a great success in parenting you so far, even if we fail on every other front, because you are so very kind.

You've also learned that your boundaries can be pushed, you're growing exceptionally confident on your bike- I won't be surprised if the training wheels come off this summer, and you've started to learn to read, which you adore. Every night I'm so impressed with your desire to read letter sounds and then words- reading to you seems to be second nature- you easily figure out what the sounds together cobble into and read sentences with glee from the lesson book. By summer I imagine you'll be headed into reading by yourself, which is exciting and a bit intimidating, as at that point, we'll have no hope in holding onto you as the baby of the family.

 Its also very clear at this point in your life that the twinkle in your eye, is all Wackerle mischievous genes. I see so much of your papa in you and that its never a surprise to me when I find you up to something new. Phases that crack us up come flying out of your mouth and things that we'd never say as parents have grazed our lips with you. This year you were famous for "I farted and poop came shooting out of my butt!" and "I only drank a little bit of the medicine in the bottle"- which resulted in a trip to the ER.  When visiting Santa this year, he asked you what you wanted and you said "Do you know this rule? Keep your penis in your pants?!?" I've never seen Santa so mortified and I thought, yes, folks, that little guy is all mine!  You've also shared your fair share of potty words, which you love to emphasize, and which perpetuates our continuous phrase of "do you want soap in your mouth?" Not our finest parenting moment, we know, nevertheless, it works (Except for those two times when you really did end up with soap in your mouth).

                                      

For your party, nana and papa flew in for new years and stayed, and Uncle Chris and Erika came to visit. You loved having them here with all the attention on you for the weekend, and they braved their first preschooler-size party, which was also tremendous fun with 8 or so of your preschool and ECFE friends.

This year is the first year you've made two best friends outside of your brother, Christopher, whom you see at preschool on M/W and Cole who you see at the other preschool on T/Th. We hear so much about the fun you have with them, that we can't help but be excited to see how those friendships grow.

At four, you've also continued to do what you've always done well. You still take a nap (like a champ) everyday, and you still eat well and don't complain about the various foods we put in front of you. You love all things construction, and beg to stop by any roadside sites that include diggers, or excavators, or cement mixers. You'll play with floor puzzles until you are blue in the face, quietly taking them a part and reconnecting the pieces until all the boxes are empty and a carpet of dinosaurs, elves, butterflies and   gardens cover the upstairs play space. You are creative, in ways that surprise me everyday. You build magnificent towers of magna tiles, 2 feet long automoblox, and assemble various lego, duple and train tracks that have unique and clever ideas secretly stowed inside. You love a good pillow fort and will stow away for an hour in one if we aren't too far away. 

The four year old in you is a good helper- you'll clean with me and throw laundry down the chute, you'll dust, and use your budding muscles to pick up whatever seems to heavy for me.  You like to read me books in the morning- your way of course, through  picture walk, and they almost always end with a tight squeeze and cuddle.

You have a screechy, irritating, angry voice which we coach to a calmer and more pleasant voice. Some days we call it your Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde, but buried beneath those passionate emotions is our sweet and caring Owen, who we adore so very very much.

You throw down too, which sometimes means you land yourself in time out because you often speak with your hands before your words, for better or worse. From crawling into our laps for a needed hug, to pushing your brother because he has something you want, those emotions take hold and drive you to do sometimes wild and sometimes lovely things.

Even with the many accomplishments and adventures of the year, I wouldn't have it any other way. I love getting to know you and being your momma. I'm thankful for all the gifts in our life, but on your birthday and every other day, I'm most especially thankful, for you, my dear sweet Owen.

All our love, Momma and Daddy