Sweet Lionel Conner,

it’s hard for me to believe that four years ago, almost to this very minute, you joined our sweet family. time has seemingly evaporated since the moment in which i first met you, so much so that i have begged you in recent days to be 2 years old instead of 4. “you can’t go backwards, Mama,” you said to me, giggling at the prospect of turning yourself back into a baby. i tell you frequently that i still remember when you were a baby, and though i’m sure that my mama hormones have me forgetting all of the hard times, i recall your baby self as such a joy, Lionel.

but your sweet self today, Lionel, at age four, is joyous in a totally different and wholly fulfilling way. you are hilarious, yet kind; just yesterday, when i asked you who would win in a contest – Mama or Daddy – you quickly said “Daddy,” and when Mama’s face fell, you said, “but you can be the champion, Mama – Daddy’s just the best.”

you are precocious and stubborn, sometimes to a fault; your brain is full of ideas {“i don’t like showers. i’ll like showers when i’m a Daddy”}, and you, like your Mama, want things just so, which is especially evident when you play sports {“baseball players stand, Mama, not sit”}.

your little life is full of so much joy, Honey Bear, and you radiate that joy to all of those around you.

you are so, so loved, Lionel Conner.

all my heart,
Mama

{photo by Creative Kindling}