Four. My oh my, FOUR.

This is typically the one post a year that Mommy bloggers get all sentimental and "wah wah wah it goes so fast." Guess what? Not me!

Every single minute of this kid's life has been so awesome. Especially the giggles, and even the time outs. Because when those are over, I get a hug and a kiss and an, "I'm sorry, Mom. I love you, Mom."

Alex, next to your Dad, you are my very best friend in all the world. I love hanging out with you and I love when you teach me things, like why everything is better dunked in ranch and which "constructions" are best for which job. To steal a quote from a friend of mine, you are the best parts of me and your Dad, but in a mini version.

I love when I see little sparks of him in you, like when something must be done in such a certain way and with such precision. I'm so proud of you when you accomplish things. And I love when I see little sparks of me in you, like this morning when we woke you up with a birthday song and you pulled the covers back over your head declaring you wanted "Five more minutes of sleeping because it's so soft in here." That's me, and it makes my heart so happy.

And then, amidst the sparks of your Dad and me, you are totally, 100% your own little person. You are getting so good at trying new and adventurous things--like the big balance beam at gymnastics or conquering the biggest slides at the park. You love to watch "The Machine Show" ("How It's Made" on the Discovery Channel) and probably because of that love of how things work, you also love to build Legos and play with trains and cars and trucks. Pretty much anything that moves.

You LOVE to sing, and you are so good at it. Right now, our favorite song to jam to in the car is Francesca Battistelli's "This is the Stuff." You call it "The Key Song" and I love that. Now that the weather is getting nicer, I love to roll down the windows and sing loudly and dance so silly with you in the car. Other people look at us like we're crazy and we just laugh and wave.

Your laugh...oh, your laugh. I swear your laugh could end all the world's problems. It comes right from your toes and sometimes you stop breathing just for a second because it's so big. You get this twinkle in your eye and the tiniest little dimple on your left cheek. I kiss that dimple a lot.

Alex, I have loved every minute of being your Mom. Because you know what? YOU made me a Mom and that's such a cool thing. I can't wait to watch you turn 5 and  6 and 7 and 8 and see what you do and learn along the way. You're going to do great things, kid!

All my love and then a little more,
Mom