Happy 5th Birthday Hoss!

Dear Hoss,

Today you turn 5. I don't know where the time went or where my adorable pudgy little red-headed baby boy went. Now you are very tall for your age. Everyone always guesses you are at least 6. I tell them to hush. I'm not ready for you to grow up!

You have a very sweet demeanor. You are always asking me to "love" you or "cuddle" you, meaning you want hugs. You don't hug back that much, but I adore squeezing you tight. You ask for giant hugs so I squeeze you extra tight for those.

Despite being so sweet with Mommy, you are still all boy. You love to "fight" with Daddy. You love when Daddy will put you in wrestling moves and give you body slams. The other day I watched as you tried to do Kung Fu moves, kicking your legs and waving your arms. You didn't know I was watching and I chuckled to myself as I watched your "hi-ya" movements.

Still the timid, shy little boy you have always been, you have been pushed out of your comfort zone this year as you have begun to attend daycare. We are hoping this will help you be more prepared for Kindergarten next year. Your preschool teachers at Early Start tell me they see improvements as you are the first one to answer the questions about the letters and numbers. Mommy and Daddy still worry about you from time to time, but we are confident you will be a great person.

Your smile and laugh are so contagious. Mommy and Daddy are so blessed to get to see and hear them all the time. I simply can't stand how adorable you are whenever we sing "Happy Birthday" to you. You grin ear to ear and get so excited! We plan to sing it as many times as we can today!

This coming year you will be getting to accomplish a lot of firsts. You will be a big brother in January and you are continuously telling me every time you hear someone say "brother." You are becoming very interested in the little brother in Mommy's belly. Then you ask me what is in your belly. We always name all the food you ate that day and you laugh. I can't wait to see how much you love your little brother.

Happy 5th Birthday Hoss! We love you more than you know! You are the light in our lives.

Love, Mommy and Daddy