i love the way they smell
fresh out of the bath, their hair scented with honey shampoo.



but i REALLY love the way they smell the rest of the time:
this earthy combination of dirt and grass and campfires. it's really my favorite smell in the world

...and now you're four

here we go again....

another late post about you, my boy

who is growing faster than i ever thought,

causing every blink to turn into a new chapter

without me even realizing it.

but it's so interesting to me

to see how my strong memories of you at every age

are just as present in you now in new ways, at four.

like as a baby, you would jump in your crib for up to half an hour...

i think about that sometimes as i watch you soar on your bike and

find the highest thing possible to climb up and fling yourself off of.

of how your first word was a very enthusiastic YEAH!,

so indicadive of the personality unfolding in you.

in the year leading up to four

you started preschool a couple of days a week,

started writing letters, your name, other words,

played even harder and more daringly,

and i didn't know that was even possible.

your teacher summed you up so perfectly when

she told me what a unique combination you are:

so physical in your play, but with a very gentle heart

and personality. so true, and so much like your dad.

i am so thankful for you,

for your spirit, your heart,

and that God chose me to be your mom.

what a lucky gal i am.