dear mason

today is your fourth birthday. fourth. four years ago today you had just been born. i was exhausted and relieved and scared and completely unsure of myself. but i was sure of you. that you were perfect, beautiful, the most important thing in my life. and you still are. you are too smart for your own damn good. you are stubborn, funny, sensititve, curious, impatient, serious. you CONSTANTLY push the limit to see how far i will let you go. i constantly let you go too far. but we work it out, mostly. your imagination caught on fire this past year. you enjoy playing bad guys, being outside, making "work" - which are piles of paper, receipts, pictures (really anything you can get your hands on) and putting them on the kitchen & dining room tables. (i love this by the way -ha!) your little brother was born this year and i cannot tell you how kind, tender, loving, patient you have been with him. (as you yell at him right now) you loved to kiss him & hug him when he first came home. he has finally gotten big enough to play with you and you LOVE it. you are an awesome big brother, so protective & pushy!
the day you were born was the single-most life changing event of my life. you have taught me what it means to love unconditionally, how to live for someone else, also in turn the great necessity for taking care of myself, for if i do not do that i am worthless to you.
i love you. i love you. i love you. thank you for being the spunky, spirited kiddo you are.
love,
mommy