Dear Isaac...

Gosh. How is this possible? That I could be sitting here writing you a letter for your FOURTH birthday?!? Where, oh where has the time gone? I am a bit emotional about it all. Every day I spend with you, I am just amazed at how much you've grown up. I feel like it was just yesterday that you were a newborn baby, cuddling up in my arms. Now, at four-years-old, you're a big bundle of energy that still likes to cuddle up every now and then! And boy do I love it when you do!!

While being your mommy can be challenging at times, you also bring me more joy and laughter than I ever knew was possible! You have a WONDERFUL sense of humor and delight in making people laugh. Though as you've gotten older, you have begun using more inappropriate methods of doing so (such as using potty talk or tooting on people). You have THE BEST belly laugh of any kid I've ever met, and give the BEST bear hugs. You are also very sweet-spirited. You're empathic, and when someone is hurting, you are quick to try to help them or bring them comfort. You are keenly aware of other people's emotions and pick up on little things that many adults don't even pick up on.

While you can get on your sister's nerves often, you usually aren't that way with other kids. You're not aggressive or mean. In fact, in a large group of kids, you tend to be an observer...a bit more timid and shy than the average kid. You like to study situations before jumping in. While you enjoy wrestling and being "all boy" you are usually the first to be upset when others get too rough with you. You are sensitive...yet strong.

And you have a deep sense of justice and we have been amazed at your boldness to stand up for what is right. Some examples of this are when you feel like we've been too harsh with Naomi, you'll yell at us, "Hey! Don't treat her like that! That's not RIGHT!" We have to explain to you why she got whatever consequence she received. But you almost always come to her rescue when she has gotten into trouble. At Christmas this year, during our "white elephant" gift exchange, you were appalled at the injustice of people stealing presents from each other (which is part of the game). At one point, you had the audacity to stand up and yell at one of the adults for taking someone else's gift! It surprised us all, and it made me smile. I just *know* that God is going to use this deeply-rooted sense of justice in you some day! One time, while in a childcare setting with lots of children, the workers were getting ready to put on a show that you're not supposed to watch. You told them THREE times (to be sure you were heard), that you weren't allowed to watch it. I was SO proud of you and your desire to do the right thing!

You are also very loving. You don't know a stranger, and will open up conversation with anyone you meet. While on vacation last year, we spent about five minutes talking to some elderly folks (there were five of them in their 70-80's) while waiting on daddy to meet us with the van. When I told you and Naomi to say goodbye to these kind people, you went up and gave each one of them a big hug as you said goodbye. They were delighted in how sweet you were.

You are definitely ALL BOY...and find great pleasure in antagonizing most people (and animals) you are around. You really only do this with people who you are VERY comfortable with, like our family. Some days, I wish that I could just bottle up some of your energy! You LOVE to run...and are actually QUITE fast for your age. You love racing people, play tag, dancing, doing gymnastics, riding your bike, swimming, and anything else SUPER active! You love being outside and getting dirty. And you also enjoy playing with your toys. Your favorite things to play with are your building blocks, dinosaurs, and "bad guys." In fact, you are somewhat obsessed with bad guys. You also enjoy dressing up with your sister from time to time and will even play "princesses" with her.

You also have quite a long attention span and love to sit and listen to stories. Your favorite books include anything with some drama in it, and you LOVE it when we make up stories to tell you. You also enjoy watching shows...your favorites are Curious George, Super Why, and Bibleman. I'm always amazed at how much you remember. You really do have a very special mind...with an uncanny ability to remember details from books, movies, and real life. We are always so surprised at how much you can recall.

We have recently taken a long break from homeschooling. When we were really working at it, you had actually started memorizing Scripture and several sight words. You are getting very close to being able to read. I am just waiting for you to show more signs of being interested in it before really plunging in. You currently know all of your letters and their sounds (so you are able to sound out a lot of words). But you can only write about five of them. You still struggle with number recognition and simple math problems. So your strengths definitely seem to lie in language development (no surprise there). :)

Some of your favorite things include...
Food: fluffer-nutters (peanut butter and marshmellow sandwhich), shrimp, carrots, green beans, ANYTHING really...you are a GOOD eater! :)
Restaurant: Benihana
Color: Blue
Shows: Bibleman, Wild Kratts, Curious George, Kids 10 Commandments
Friends: all of our neighbors (Gracie, Sam, Emma, Claire, and Micah), Morgan, and Caleb
Toys: space ships, guns, action figures or "bad guys," robots
Game: hide and seek
Books: pretty much everything we read, you love
Animals: Lions, snakes, dogs
Clothes: NONE! You LOVE running around in just your underwear!

Many of our days lately have been difficult. You've been displaying lots of negative emotions (anger, frustration, etc). And you have even gone as far as punching me last week. I'm guessing that a lot of it has to do with the new addition to our family. You are absolutely IN LOVE with your new sister, but she also cries a lot and takes away a lot of our attention. And I think acting out has been your way of gaining our attention. But make no mistake...you are such a blessing to us, Isaac. You bring SO much joy and laughter to our lives. You are full of life and passion. You are bold and sincere. And open. You aren't afraid to show us your emotions and I am genuinely thankful for that!! I do look forward to getting past this grumpy phase of life you've been in. But you, my son, are a rare gift. You have been blessed with a beautiful mind and a genuine heart. And I look forward to see what this next year of life holds for us all! I love you more than words can say! Happy FOURTH Birthday, son!