Dear Jayce

Dear Jayce,

I think you should know, and you might already know this, but you totally have my heart.

Yesterday as we were playing, you stopped and said, "Mom, know how much I love you?"

Then you put your hand down by your foot and counted as you moved your hand up your body until you reached the top of your head.

"I love you one, two, three, four, five, six!!" Then you jumped up and down and declared, "I love you six pounds!!!"

I love you six pounds too, buddy.

Last week we made mini-volcanos. At one point you said, "Mom, where's my camera? I need to get a picture of my volcano." I almost wasn't fast enough with my own camera to get a picture of you getting a picture of your volcano. It's a good thing I keep it handy for instances such as this.

Did you know that I collect little post it notes about you during the day? I write down the funny little things that you say and do so that I'll remember the details to tell your dad. Some make it to the blog as well.

Like before your nap yesterday, we were reading Dr Seuss' Hop on Pop. I would read a line and then you would repeat it. At one point you sighed, and said, "Mom, this one is too trickery."

You sneezed a minute later, and after I said "Bless you," as I always do, you spun around and said, "Mom! Thank you for saying bless you!" and then went back to playing.

As I warmed your hot dog up at lunch time you declared, "Mom, hot dogs are hot when you put them in the microphone, just like lava." (This took me a second to decode.) "Ooo, they're hot when you put them in the microWAVE?" "Yeah!!"

Yes Jayce, when you put hot dogs in the microwave, they're hot just like lava.

These little things make me smile throughout each day.

I unpacked your backpack as you were eating lunch, and pulled out a stick with a penny attached to the end. You guys must have been discussing the presidents with Presidents Day coming up. I held it up and asked who it was.

You: Ghandi.

Me: What?

Ghandi.

Ummmm...well no, it's Abe Lincoln.

(Very long pause, as I pondered you learning about Ghandi at school, who I'm not opposed to, but surprised that this falls into 3 year old curriculum. I'm also a little surprised that you remember the name "Ghandi" in the first place.)

Have you been talking about Ghandi at your school?

You, looking frustrated, and holding up your gogurt: No Mom, Gawndy Mawndy!

I realize, suddenly, that you have been playing a little game we play every day with your yogurt. Ever since we got Phineas and Ferb gogurt, and one of the flavors was Perry Berry, we make up silly rhyming names for your yogurt each day. Boorly Moorly, Heebee Deebee, anything silly that rhymes.

Me: Did you know that Ghandi is the name of a real man?

You: Umm, I'll tell you later. (Which is how you shut down a conversation.)

It was only a coincidence that your made up "silly name" is the name of a historic Indian leader made famous through non-violent forms of protest. I doubt you talked about that among your discussions of Presidents Day.

That same day, a contractor was coming over, which I told you about ahead of time since you don't really like when strangers come to our house. You declared,

"I'm going to tell him, 'My name is Jayce Andrew Keith, and I'm chewing gum.'" You were chewing gum, at the time.

He ended up coming while we were eating dinner, and when he knocked on the door, you said, "Aww, now I can't tell him I'm chewing gum." You didn't end up introducing yourself at all, now that the gum part of the introduction had been removed.

You are everything that I wanted in a son, and I'm so glad that I get to spend each day with you. I love you.

Mom

Linking to Miscellaneous Mondays and Casey Leigh.