Dear Lucas (46 Months),

One of my first thoughts this morning was, "Oh my gosh! My baby is going to be 4 years old in just two months!" You of course wish your birthday was tomorrow. You mention your birthday at least once a day. Months ago you asked for a Race Car themed birthday party so I that was what I started planning. Now you keep flipping back and forth between that and a train party. I'm sure when it comes down to it you won't care what the theme is just that there is a cake there with candles that you get to blow out.

Speaking of trains you used to be so obsessed with them and they were all you talk about. You actually haven't played with any of your train sets lately. Also, we haven't been able to make it to the Roundhouse in the last month. Either we have been watching your Grandma or your friends or it has been raining... FOR A WEEK STRAIGHT! Lately your favorite toys are your Hot Wheels (which you call "beat that cars") and your kinex. For some reason you always seem to want to make guns out of them and pretend to shoot your parents. NICE! Should we be worried? I guess that isn't entirely fair. You also use them to make "L" and "H" for your initials. Today I suggested we make something out of the book that came with your kinex and we made a dog.

Another one of your favorite things to do is what you call "paper cutting." This basically involves you taking a piece of paper and cutting it into as many small pieces as you can possibly cut and spreading them ALL OVER THE LIVING ROOM FLOOR. The next part of the game includes me telling you to pick them up and then you usually fall limp on the floor and say something like "I can't do it, they are too heavy" or "I don't see them." Then I threaten or count to three and then you pick them up. There is the extra special "time out" bonus round to this game when you refuse to cooperate which make the game extra fun, especially when you are yelling "but I want to behave now." Since this game is OVER played at our house I decided to be brave and bring out the glue sticks again (after explaining that we DO NOT glue paper to the walls again) and let you glue things to paper. You seemed to like this new game. YAY!

Since it has been raining so much here lately you haven't gotten to go outside much in the last week and your sandbox has been sitting covered up all this time. The sandbox is a HUGE lifesaver. I am able to get quite a lot done around the house while you play in the sand to your hearts content. I am able to see you out of every window on the front of the house. I don't take my eyes off you. If for some reason I have to look away for a second or two my heart starts pounding and I obsessively check to make sure you are still in the sandbox. You know that you either stay IN THE SANDBOX or come inside. I am a pretty laid back Mom (at least I think so) but for some reason I have this fear of you being snatched. You want to climb and jump off something high? Fine! Want to play in the mud? Go for it! Want to go somewhere I can't see you? I'm freaking out inside. Hopefully one day soon we will have a fenced in yard so I can relax... just a little bit.

On Monday we started potty training AGAIN! You haven't left the house since then and so far you seem to be going along with it (except for the one time when I suggested you go try to potty yesterday and you told me "I hate you! Next Mother's Day I am NOT going to be nice to you.") I have to prompt you to go to the bathroom every thirty minutes to an hour. It sucks! Especially since last time you would go all on your own when you had the urge. When I ask you to go potty you always end up having to go and you are so proud that you went in the potty. We still are required by you to say "YAY LUCAS." So since Monday it has pretty much been you, me, and the potty and IT SUCKS. (Your Grandma Valeri is probably shaking her head right now because of how much I have said "sucks" in this paragraph... but yeah potty training REALLY DOES SUCK!) On the plus side you are told me "underwears are for the daytime and pull ups are just for sleeping." So I guess that is a step in the right direction.

You are getting WAY to smart for your own good. Since it has been staying lighter outside later at night you tried to argue that it wasn't bedtime because it wasn't dark outside. Well one night your Dad explained to you that your bedtime is 8:00 and that when you see an 8 on the clock no matter what it looks like outside it is bedtime. Well the other night you were SUPER tired so we tried to but you to bed a little early.... and by early I mean 7:45. You happened to look at the clock and you stubbornly said, "It is NOT my bedtime. It is still 7 and I go to bed at 8." I'm pretty sure we are going to be screwed when you learn how to read.

Bedtime is one of my favorite times of the day, not because you are finally going to bed and I get a little piece and quiet (okay I'll be honest here and admit that is one GREAT thing about bedtime) but because it is when we read together and we talk about your day. Right before bed you always pick out a few books that you want to read together and set them on your bed. You always pick different stories each night and will usually humor me by skipping any books that are REALLY LONG. I love that you enjoy books so much. One of the first things I did when I became pregnant was start buying you books and for every birthday we buy you a special book and write inside. I have already bought your book for your 4th birthday but you have to wait 2 months for us to read it. After bedtime stories sometimes we sing a song, usually "Zacchaeus" at your request and we always finish with prayers.

Sweet Pea, I love you to the moon and back,

Mama