This has, hands down, been one of the best summers I've ever had. That's kind of crazy considering that it ranks up there with the summer I married Daddy and the summer I had you. Those were both extraordinary life-changing events, and nothing this summer has been particularly huge. I think that's exactly the point, though. You know how to take silly little regular things and make them remarkable. The other day I was almost moved to tears watching you eat yogurt ("ogurt") by yourself with a spoon. It's just so cool that you can do that and that you are becoming your own little independent guy. Who knew that could be a big deal?
People say all the time that they wish they could stop time and that their kids would stay babies forever. I get that. I totally do. Yet, I kind of have to disagree. When I think about the new things you do to amaze me every single day, I can't think of a single one I would trade in to stop time. Each new word becomes incredibly special when it's said with your magical voice. Each time you have us saying, "I didn't know he could do that!" (which is constantly, by the way), I get so excited about how much more you keep showing of each wonderful quality that you have. You're intelligent, hilarious, compassionate, determined, silly, and all kinds of other adjectives that I never realized before could be assigned to a little person who is barely more than two years old.
It occurred to me the other day that TY can stand for something else: thank you. I find this really fitting as I'm getting ready to go back to work full time and am thinking about our time together this summer. As hard as it will be to give up all of the extra hours and days we've had, I feel oh so thankful to have had this summer with you. This time is truly priceless. With all of that being said, from the bottom of my heart, I want to thank you for...
... making me laugh. You are SERIOUSLY FUNNY. When asked what Daddy does at work, you grin knowingly as if you're in on the joke and say "Daddy make cash money!" You unroll all of the toilet paper and hide the evidence in such a clever way that I can't even be mad. You get up and throw an impromptu dance party in the middle of dinner. You roar "STOMP STOMP STOMP" when you're charging like a dinosaur and whisper "tiptoe tiptoe tiptoe" when you try to sneak up on someone. You "read" all kinds of books confidently and do your own voices to mimic ours for the characters. You give us a crinkly eyed grin when you know you're about to do something bad, forcing us to forgive you before it even happens.
...sharing your good heart. I have been ridiculously clumsy lately, which has resulted in my own personal injuries and messes to clean up all over the house. A few weeks ago, I was getting out leftovers of a salad that I really wanted to eat. I slipped, and an entire bowl of Thai cucumbers ended up smeared all over the inside of the refrigerator and on the kitchen floor. As I sat there mourning the loss of my snack and the gain of a large mess that would need to be cleaned up, you came to the rescue. You asked if I was okay, and I told you I was sad. Without even being prompted, you responded by patting me, hugging, me, and whispering "It otay" until I picked myself up and got over it. It's strange to find myself saying this about such a young little bubba, but you have an amazing amount of empathy and depth that you share all the time.
...being so curious. Besides being the sign that you must be a genius, I love this about you because it makes me see the world in a different way. Your two favorite questions lately are "What's that?" and "What doin'?" Knowing that one or both of these is probably seconds away at any given time really keeps me on my toes. "What doin', Mama?"
"Well, Ty, umm... I was fixing my wedgie."
"What's that?"
Ha! There is seriously never a dull moment. Through your eyes, Bed, Bath, & Beyond becomes a spectacular sensory experience, and making dinner is a mind-blowing set of wondrous events. It's like the episode of Friends where Alec Baldwin finds everything to be wondrous and fascinating. We'll have to watch that together someday, and I'll tell you about how you did this. You'll giggle like Daddy.
...snuggling. I had my first two days back at work this week, and I missed you terribly. You're a squirmy guy these days, impossible to fully capture in life or on film. However, you let me snuggle you this week when I got home from work. In fact, you even asked for it. That's unheard of! Thanks for letting me squeeze you for hours and for letting me know that you just might have missed me back. :)
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...lifting me up. It's hard to explain this one because it's different things and so many little things and everything. My faith has never been stronger than it is since God gave us you. I just want to be better and stronger and more faithful because I am your mom. I want to be a worthy example. I want the world to be better because you live in it. You have also helped me to realize some important things about myself. Anyone who knows me or has known me well knows that I am incredibly hard on myself. I always think I could be doing more, saying more, loving more, caring more... there's always just more. It's immensely hard for me to ever think I am or that anything I do is good enough. You make it a lot easier. Because of you and Daddy, I can experience a type of happiness that is rare even for happy me: contentment. Knowing that you and Daddy love and admire me despite all my faults is everything. I must be doing something right, something good enough. Being a wife and a mom has me constantly questioning every little thing that I do, but you guys also help to create calm for me. Every time I think about how amazing you are and every time someone else tells me how awesome you are (which is ALL.THE.TIME), I can relax, sigh, and decide that I am enough for the people who are most important to me.
As always, there are a million more things I want to say, but we'll leave it at this for now. Thank you, Tyson. You are a gift, a delight, and a treasure.
I love you.
Mama
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