Happy Birthday Porter!!!

Porter is 4.  I can't believe it and I can... The boy towers over a number of 6-year-olds, and he talks like a 30-year-old, but he's sweet and emotional like... a 4-year-old.  I love him.  I'm proud of him.  He is such a blessing from God...

Because of the local wildfires and all the smoke in the air, I had Porter divert to his 2nd choice of birthday activities today, so rather than going to the zoo, we spent the morning at Monkey Business (followed by an evening of Mac 'n' Cheese Bites at Parry's!)

For weeks (maybe even months) Porter has been asking God, in his prayers, for a crane truck, a snow plow truck and a bike.  He was so excited to open his presents.  When he opened his crane truck, he was exstatic (as was Emma Rose.)  I asked him who he should say thank you to for his new truck.  "God!!!" he shouted.

He was so excited that he didn't even want to eat his birthday ice cream (this is a first, for sure...)

Porter, I love you and have had such a great journey over the past 4 years.  As always, I have written you a letter to let you know what you've mean to me this year.  Here is a part of it:

To my smart, sweet and energetic boy,

You are 4 years old today, and so full of life and wonder at how the world around you works.  I have so enjoyed watching you grow into the little man you are - deep inside of you is an old soul who is committed to doing what is right and making sense of how it all works.  How you make me laugh with your hysterical questions and determination.  While this year was definitely a challenge as you explored your independence and often put me into tears, I have absolutely cried laughing over your 30-year-old vocabulary and quick whit.  Some of my favorite stories & quotes from you this year include: 

“Mommy, is Axl gonna fall out of heaven?” 

Upon telling you to thank God for your toys, “Mom, I’m pretty sure my toys came from the toy store,” 

“Dear Jesus, please help me to have enough money saved up to buy a snow plow,” 

At Target, so loud in front of a slew of construction workers and everyday shoppers,: “Mom!!! Is one of those men my daddy?” 

“Hey James, who made your bike? My bike was made in China,”

“Mom, this is terribly horrible...”

“I don’t want to be a doctor like Papa.  I wanna be a concrete mixer like my dad!”

And my favorite, after I was so frustrated from you and Emma Rose fighting over Christmas toys that I sat you down in front of my new iPad 
   to show you videos of starving, clothe-less children in India, “Mom! I have an idea: Why don’t we give those kids with nothing your new
   iPad!!!”  

You are also extremely diplomatic.  If I ever ask you who is the prettiest, or who/what you like the best, you always smile and say, “I love 

   everyone!”  

I have to tell you that while you make me laugh, I am SO proud of how much you have worked to be a good, sweet and kind boy.  You know what is right and, especially in the last 2 months, you have really worked at choosing right.  I love how you have worked to share your toys with your sister, to play with her, and to teach and show her what is good.  I love that you tell your daddy and me how much you love us and your baby sister.  You really are a kind boy - even your preschool teacher told me that while she has a number of rambunctious boys (including “Bad Luke,” who you often reported about), you rarely are caught in the middle of acting out; rather, you step in, and set everyone right before going back to playing on your own.

You have grown up so much this year.  You no longer wear pull-ups at night, you started preschool, your vocabulary is immense, and you’ve learned to ride and balance on your strider bike like a maniac!  This year, your cousin Haley was born, we took you to San Diego to visit Uncle Bryce & Aunt Julia, and you took a big trip with us to New York where you walked miles all over that city - and loved it!

...

We also had to say goodbye to Axl & Fiona, who you often tell us you miss, and even believe that “God’s just borrowing them for a little bit.”  However, we did get a new kitty, Daisy, this year, who you and your sister love to terrorize.  

Some of your favorite friends this year have been the neighbors, James, Ryan and Haley, and you have 2 “girlfriends,” Caitlyn, from preschool, and Brooke, one of mommy’s students.  You LOVE to play hide-and-seek with mommy, and “grown ups” with your sister (you two love to play “Corey and Jackie” - you are Corey and you’re often calling Rick to have him come and help you with jobs that Jackie has for you, and Jackie is usually tending to her babydoll, “Haley.”  While you still love to put train tracks together, your favorite toys are your Bruder construction trucks - especially the snow plow.  You ADORE your dad and want to be just like him. You love to dance to songs like Macklemore’s “Thriftshop,” Bruno Mars’ “Paradise,” and “Hey Ho” by the Lumineers.  Something that has made us laugh and laugh is your “Rodney Dangerfield” face that you make as you say, “I get no respect!”

Porter, thank you for being my son.  Like you often tell me, I love you all the way to the moon and back.  I pray that you will never cease to wonder at the world, that you will be exactly who God made you to be, that you will ever know that you are loved, and that you love and honor Jesus.

Happy Birthday Porter!

Love, 

Mommy