Happy Birthday Max!

Today my sweet little boy turns four. FOUR! So, I guess he's not so little any more. But he is definitely sweet. Oh so sweet. Max is the sweetest, best boy I could ever ask for. He has really come out of his shell this past year and loves talking with people he knows and people he doesn't. Several people from his teachers to Blake's classmates have commented on the difference. He is so good at making friends and I love watching him at the park with kids we don't know. Apparently, all it takes is a little running around and chasing and you've got an instant friend. But many times he's said to me, "Today I just want to play with Jack." They are the best little friends and I love it that way. I don't feel like I constantly need to be refereeing anymore since Max always seems to work out a "good deal" to make both boys happy. But don't be fooled, Max still loves his alone time. He will sit for hours and do puzzles and play with other toys that you can take apart and put back together. He loves to read and is so good at it, but hates to write and color. He gets frustrated when the letters he writes don't look like they're supposed to, but has a new found love for mazes and dot-to-dots and I think those may be the ticket to get him to actually sit down and practice. He loves wrestling with his dad and is getting quite aggressive. Maybe one day Blake will have some serious competition. But this sweet boy is quite the lover. He is no longer shy with his hugs goodbye and his hugs hello and especially loves hugs from his mommy. (At least that's what I think.) The other day while I was cuddling Jack he said to me, "Mommy, will you cuddle the baby in your tummy? Will you keep cuddling Baby Jack? Will you always cuddle this (pointing at himself) baby?" Oh Max, you better believe I'll always cuddle you. And I'm recording this little conversation so in 10 years if he ever decides that he doesn't want cuddles I can remind him that we made a "good deal." Oh my, I love him so much. Happy birthday sweet boy!