Favorite Fourth Year Memories

• A few nights after you turned 3, you asked me if you could give me a kiss.  You told me you wanted to kiss my cheek. Of course, I agreed. Then, you gave me a very gentle kiss. You said, "I want to give you a tight kiss." So, I agreed, and you gave me a tight, long kiss on both cheeks. Perfection! A hand on each cheek.
• Singing "The Star-Spangled Banner" & "You're a Grand Old Flag" on Memorial Day on the way to Aunt Jacque/Uncle Freddy's house.
• When you will say things like, "We listen to Mommy, because she's our special lady," or "I love you, my lady!" when I say, "I love you, my lord!"
• Listening to you recite the ring master's introduction to "Built to Amaze" circus
• While it wasn't my "favorite" at the time.... it has come to mean a lot of things to me: when you puked on me in three separate waves when NaNa and Uncle Paul were here to babysit. Standing in my bedroom carrying you to bed, you were upset because you didn't want me to leave to go have a girls night (and Daddy had already left for his guys night). I can still feel the warmth of your vomit all over my chest and down my shirt. I didn't flinch, though, and tried to stay as calm as I could for you and not let it drip to the carpet. It was so gross, but I liked that you wanted me and that I didn't seem to mind it. I remember NaNa mouthing to me, "You're brave!" while you and I just stood in the shower rinsing off. 
• Our "Camp Mommy" summer adventures: Ham Orchard, the circus, Young Chef's Academy, the mall playground visits and the first times you actually played with Quinn there, riding the flatbed cart at Sam's, SeaLife with Grandma & Gretchen, the fire department visit with our friends (and then again at Open Fire House night - you seemed to make yourself right at home there!)
• Dancing to "The Entertainer" at dinner time as a family
• Hearing your laugh after you pretended to fly ME like an airplane and I'd crash (May)
• Drinking chocolate milk together at the coffee table before Quinn woke up from his nap one day. "Cheers!" and "Clink!" you would say (December)
• When Daddy and I stopped begging you to "get in the car already!" to watch you dance to a country song at Mooyah. . . we both teared up watching you so happy and carefree, moving to the music
• Listening to you have a silly conversation with Siri first thing in the morning on Daddy's iPhone

• Watching Dr. G throw you in the air and letting you write your own prescription after a sick visit to the doctor
• Just laying with you as you fell asleep so many, many nights 
• Singing "Oseh Shalom" with you on the way to dinner one night (to have dinner with Cherie/Jed/Avery) and you wanted to sing this over and over again
• Singing "Dip Your Apple" on the way to Bob & Helen's Christmas party (thinking about how ironic it was that you wanted to listen to this Jewish New Year song on Christmas Eve (on repeat) and how proud it made me to sing along with you).
• Reading High Five magazines with you and talking about what the words mean and how they have different meanings ("cried") and looking at the "That's Silly" pages that would make you (fake) crack up.
• It wasn't technically MY favorite because I didn't get to go with you - but it's one of Daddy's I would bet: the day he took you to court with him for the first time.

 

• Watching Mamma Mia! with you in my lap while I teared up at "Slipping Through My Fingers." You were wearing your Spider-Man pajamas and Spider-Man socks, you let me hold you two nights in a row to this song and seemed to know what it meant to me. You asked why the mommy kisses her daughter's band-aid, and I told you what the whole song is about. "Sometimes I wish that I could freeze the picture; and save it from the funny tricks of time. . . slipping through my fingers....") (March)
• Opening presents with you at Hanukkah: when you got Heatwave Rescue Bot and Boulder, when you sang songs on the microphone, making the gingerbread house with you, watching you open the boat Zaide/BeBe gave you, and you said, "Holy Moly! Holy Moly!", and the frustration and laughter with Grandma when she bought the "wrong" Rescue Bot (twice!)
• Telling you about Uncle Joe and how he would have really liked you.
• The day I picked you up from school and told you I had a surprise. We got in the car, and I LOVED watching your face light up as you heard the "circus song" Daddy and I got from YouTube ("We're gonna build this circus, build it fast....") (August)
• Singing "Angel Baby" to you one night after I asked you who my Angel Baby was and you said, "I AM!" After I sang, I told you I could play the song tomorrow and you said roughly, "No, I don't like that song!" I said, "Okay, then I won't play it." You still sternly said, "but it was good." Then fell asleep. (February)
• The way you look in these pajamas in the morning:

 

• Your beautiful, bright smile and quiet giggle in the kitchen after dinner when you told me to say "Haman!" I was at the sink washing dishes, and when I said it, you shook the glittered, see-through plate gragger you made at school as we all said, "Booooo!!!!!" (March)
• Our conversation about Farra being Uncle Barry & Aunt Susie's daughter, and your confusion about her name being "Farra" not "Pharoah!" (April)
• When you would say, "Mommy, will you hold me?" thinking that there was once I time I never thought I would hear you ask this, so when you say it, I melt.
• Asking me to tell you the Passover story two times in a row as you fell asleep one night to me singing "There Can Be Miracles"
• The day you overheard Grandma and me talking at my car window when we were leaving her house. She was teasing me about inheritance and possessions left to us after she dies. You were mumbling in the backseat, and when I asked what you said, you said, "Grandma, I don't want you to die. I would really miss you." And then you snickered, "Ssssssss" you were chuckling with a sheepish grin. I'm pretty sure you were smiling and chuckling to keep from crying and feeling awkward about your fear of this really happening. Grandma and I looked at each other, knowing your little ears had heard everything we were talking about. I turned to you and said, "Banner, Grandma isn't going to die . . . . not for a very long time!" I didn't want you to think we were chatting about her plans for the night or something like that! As I told you this, you got more serious, and the slightest of tears came to your eyelids. Mom and I looked at each other again. Grandma said, "Banner, that is so sweet," and opened the car door. You told Grandma that you wanted to hug her, so she unbuckled you to give you a squeeze, but you wanted to get out of the car to really hug her. I wanted to bottle that hug up as tears came to my eyes and I held back tears of love for both my son and my mother. All I could capture in your special moment that's really just between you two was this:
  
• Going to the symphony with you and Daddy and watching you play the "fiddle!"
• Swinging together at Chisolm park; I taught you how to pump your legs back and forth to swing yourself so we could sit next to each other and swing (April)
• Playing Super Mario Brothers with you on Nintendo and how excited you would get when we finish a level together (May)
• The night at dinner when we told you that you'd be going to a new school for PreK, and your optimistic response, "I always wanted to go [there] for school!" (May)
• Watching you walk down the aisle at Bre & Michael's wedding.... the ring bearer determined to get down the aisle as fast as possible and without a smirk on his face. Your suit was 2 sizes too big, and your shoes were too small - so you wore your tennis shoes and looked as cute as can be! What a fabulous weekend we had! (June)

 

• The time we had together just you, Daddy, and me this past weekend before you turn 4! Our flights to Minnesota and back, when you napped on me both times; putting you to bed and cuddling in our hotel room; experiencing so many firsts with you - your first flight, your first hotel stay, your first time away from Quinn for such a long time, your first big trip! And, while it wasn't your first time as a ring bearer, it was the first one you might remember, and it was the first time you did it all on your own! What a great send-off to your final days as a 3-year-old.