Friday, July 12, 2013

Our big 4 1/2 year old...

Sometimes, I just stop and stare at this picture.
It is one of the few we actually had printed and is hanging in our kitchen.
He's amazing. 
I can't believe he is on the downhill to five.
So big.

Today, I took all three kiddos (ours plus baby Polly) to the library.
As I was filling out paperwork, Ileigh announced to the world that she had to go 'shoo-ie'- it was our first offical outing after formal potty training.
Eli announced that he would take her to the potty. I glanced up at the librarian with fear in my eyes. "I'll be right back," I stammered.

I decided to hang back and see what happened. He opened the door for Ileigh, showed her where the bathroom was and lead her inside. 
I followed and baby Polly started to tell us she was hungry. I ask Eli if he would come feed baby Polly so that I could help Ileigh.
As I stood there, waiting on Ileigh and watching Eli be such a good helper with the baby, I almost cried. I felt like we were crossing some type of perverbial line or something. Instead of frantically trying to meet the demands and needs of three kids, I actually had a helper- a real helper, not a kid version of 'helper' causing more harm than good. It felt so surreal.

Eli P.,
You are incredible and I am so thankful you are our son. You are so full of joy and wonder. You are almost always dressed in some kind of 'gear'- a firefighter, army guy, cowboy...the list seems to keep growing.

You adore your daddy. And I love that. You say the best prayers.
You LOVE to make new friends and be with people. 
If you are in classroom environment, you are the first to answer a question, first to share what you think, and probably the first one to be told "Sit still and be quiet".
And I love it.
Ever since you were a baby I've prayed for boldness, courage, and passion to be predominant. I continue to pray that God will give you a passion and a purpose early in life and that God will use you in a mighty way to further His purpose.

You have a crazy awesome memory, and you are one smart cookie. Nothing gets by you.
I can't believe you will be starting 'real' preschool in just a few short weeks. I don't know how I will handle not having you with me all day, but I know you will love it. You love to learn and you love to be with with friends. You will be fine.

You are my favorite little guy and I'm totally smitten'. You stil hold my heart in your hands and you can almost get anything you want with a flash of those big, brown eyes. I always hoped for a kiddo with brown eyes. 

We love you, Eli P. You bring us so much laughter, so much love.
Just stop growing up so fast, okay?