Cooper and Olivia

Dear Cooper,

Happy 4th birthday buddy! It feels like just yesterday we were bringing you home from the hospital. We fell in love with you instantly and couldn't believe that you were all ours. It has been an honor being your parents for the past four years. I have never known such a polite, well behaved, loving, caring, sweet, smart, understanding, funny four year old in all my life. Of course I am biased because I am your mommy but you just blow me away.

Me and your daddy just have to laugh at the things you say. Sometimes you just seem like a little adult. You just seem to "get it". You are so understanding when things don't go the way a four year old wants them to go. I just love how we can reason with you about anything and you respect our decisions. It shows us what a big boy you are.

You are enjoying your preschool class. Your best friend at school is Ryan. He is the only other boy in your class. You invited all your preschool friends to your birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese. You can hardly wait to celebrate tomorrow.

You really miss your daddy when he has to work. You always know exactly how many days he will be gone. You make sure to remind mommy "daddy comes home in two days". We do FaceTime with him whenever we can. Daddy doesn't work more than two days in a row very often anymore because you miss him too much. So does mommy and Livi. You love going to the fire station to visit daddy. You like to look in all the compartments on the fire engine and learn about all the tools. You say you are going to be a fireman like daddy when you get big.

Your favorite movies are Toy Story and Cars. Your favorite TV shows are Jake and the Neverland Pirates and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. You love puzzles, trains, cars, and monster trucks. This year you started playing on the computer by yourself. You turn on the computer and load the games all by yourself.

You LOVE LOVE LOVE going to Disneyland. We are on year two of annual passes and they are well worth it. Surprisingly you are a little dare devil and love all the fast, scary rides. You couldn't wait until you were tall enough for thunder mountain. You were turned down a couple of times (mommy put you in the wrong shoes) but you just said, "It's okay mommy. I can go next time." You really love going with Auntie Linda. For awhile you even related Auntie Linda to Disneyland. Every time you would see her you would say, "you're taking me to Disneyland?" And of course, she would take you.

You are still pretty cautious but not nearly as cautious as you used to be. You get bumps and bruises now and then. I think Livi is teaching you to live on the wild side. She is the total opposite of cautious.

You love having dance parties after bath time. You used to be very reserved and be embarrassed to dance. Now you can't wait to shake your little boodie to the music. It's a lot of fun to see you so carefree and having fun!

Some of the silly things you talk about are your nipples. For some reason you can't wait until "your nipples grow up". It's funny when you get cold and there is a little sign of a nipple you get super excited.

Your Auntie Angie bought you a fish this year. Mommy and daddy were not super excited about it but when we saw how happy it made you we quickly changed our minds. You named him Lightning, not to be confused with Lightning McQueen. Very different, according to you. You feed him everyday after you brush your teeth in the morning and at night. Only three pebbles. Not two, or four, but only three. He will die if you give him anything other than three. You make sure his tank is clean and are a big process in the cleaning of his home. We are so proud at how good you do at taking care of your little pet. You tell everyone that you are his daddy. Sometimes we catch you talking to him, "Hi precious. Hi sweetie pie. How are you?" Too cute!

Mommy enjoys when she gets vacations from work and really doesn't like when she has to go back. Your way of showing that you don't like when I go back is by giving me the cold shoulder for about a week. It makes mommy sad but I know it's just your way of dealing with it. Yesterday you said to me, "mommy, come here. I have to tell you something." You sat on my lap and hugged me and said, "I love you more than cupcakes and ice cream." It was when you said that to me that I knew you were okay with the fact that I was back to work after Christmas break. Your two grandmas and Auntie Linda all take care of you when mommy and daddy are at work. And that makes going to work doable for mommy and daddy. We love the relationships you are forming and we love all the love that you are constantly getting every day.

You are loving your sister more than ever. She is old enough and mobile enough to keep up with you and actually play with you. You love to make her laugh and have taught her how to play cars. You keep her safe and protect her. You are so understanding about her needs and when time gets taken away from you so she can be taken care of. You are very proud to be her big brother. When people give her attention you make sure to let them know that "that's my baby sister".

I could write for days about all the things we love about you and all the ways you make us laugh and smile. You are growing up so quickly. We truly are blessed to have such a precious, sweet son. We are so proud of all you do! I love you all the loves in the universe!

Love, Mommy