Tess's 4th Birthday Letter {From Mommy}

Dear Tessie,

Hello Four! Three has been SO MUCH FUN with you and I know that the year of four will only bring more adventures, more dance parties, and lots more snuggles our way together.

I have always said you brought joy into our world the moment you were born and have only continued to be such an easy-going child. I will admit I was nervous adding a baby into the mix. I was nervous that you’d struggle with jealousy. Or with no longer be the youngest. I was nervous that such a large age difference (a year longer than the one between you and Britt or Britt and Kye) would cause issues. But you stepped into the big sister role with such ease.

You ADORE Spear. You talk so sweetly to him and take such pride in him being YOUR baby brother. It’s been so awesome to see you enjoy being an older sibling and it watching you with him made me sad that he won’t get to have that same experience some day. You are an awesome big sister and I know the two of you will share a special “littlest kids” bond 🙂

You are also an awesome little sister. Girl, you have those two older siblings figured OUT. You know who to team up with when and never end up being the one excluded. You love for Kye to tell you bedtime stories and it’s adorable to watch you together. But Britt? She is your FAVORITE person in the WORLD. We used to joke when you were a baby that you were obsessed with Mommy, but Britt has taken over that title no doubt.

You want to be with Britt all the time. You want to do what she does. Play with what she plays with. And just be like her in every way that you can. It is so awesome to see the two of you together because it’s a bond that neither Daddy or I got to experience: the same sex sibling bond. It’s def something so special and something I’m so thankful the two of you share.

The roles you both play in that relationship allow it to run so smoothly. Britt loves being your big sister and I know she’ll always be there to look out for you and be someone you can look up to! However, you do tend to let Britt lead and take the backseat in things. I hope to work with you this year on knowing it’s okay to SHINE and to help you be a stronger leader, speak up for yourself when needed, and to be firm in your decision making. I know I personally struggle with being indecisive and I hope I can help you in this area like I wish I’d been helped!

This has been a big year for you and seeing you grow up into so much independence has made me proud. Being a third kid you do more for yourself at a younger age than your siblings and you take such pride in that! It may take us longer to get out the door but seeing you SO happy with being able to dress yourself makes it worth it 😉 It also makes it so much smoother adding a baby into the mix when you are so capable to do things on your own so efficiently. You are a BIG helper and really stepping up and WANT to help more around the house.

You are also SO brave. You amaze me at the rides you want to ride at Disney. The tears you shed when you’re not quite tall enough. You love adventure and truly enjoy the rollercoasters and thrill rides! You aren’t afraid to try new things and I admire that about you!

You are still very much a mini-me. It’s so neat having a child look so much like me but you act a lot like me too and have similar personality traits and interests that I remember having at your age. You tend to be a bit quiet around new people and can take a little while to warm up. You also LOVE animals. You love playing with toy animals, having stuffed animals, reading books about animals, watching movies about animals, and seeing real life animals too. I believe my love for animals as a child helped foster my love of being a mom so I’m all about the animal loving!

Even though you may have some similarities with me, you are still uniquely you. Your little voice, your cute phrases, and your ideas and thoughts. You are very thoughtful and consider things before speaking. You know much more than you openly share. You may not want to tell us what you are thinking and tend to respond with “I don’t know” even if you do know! But then I will listen to you in your play or catch you talking to your siblings and hear those letter and number recognitions! You know your stuff!!!

With the age of three there has been so much freedom. Going and doing. Being able to be more flexible with your schedule. You do SO well napping on the go and you travel great! You are our most flexible child yet and it makes this season of life more fun knowing we are able to have adventures and that you’ll be able to go right along with ’em! You actually are SUPER FUNNY when you’re super sleepy so even our later Disney nights are hilarious with you 😉

All of our Disney trips this year have been so fun. It’s been neat hearing you learn so much Disney knowledge at such a young age. I think you probably have the parks memorized 😉 You have your favorite rides and experiences and love the moments when it’s just the two of us and you get to have more say over what we do together!

You are such a FISH and have just really blossomed with your swimming abilities. It’s awesome to watch you go – go – go in the water. Even though you LOVE the pool and LOVE swimming you do NOT like the beach. You would prefer to sit in the hotel room rather than be out in the sand and ocean. I don’t foresee you being a surfer girl someday but I could really see swim team in your future if it’s something you continue to enjoy at this level.

Speaking of interests, you tried out gymnastics for awhile this year and I was surprised you didn’t enjoy it more. You have a natural talent for it but if the interest isn’t there then Daddy and I would never push that on you. If you decide to pursue it, or another sport or interest, we will always root you on! We hope each of our children find something they are passionate about in life and we will always work to do our part in helping those goals be successful for you.

You have done SO WELL in school this year. Your first year of school was a big transition for you and there were some struggles with that adjustment but your second year has been smooth sailing. You love your teachers and friends and pray for them daily. It’s so neat having Carter in your class and the bond you two share is really something special.

It’s crazy to think you are entering your LAST year of preschool and that next year you’ll be heading to kindergarten. I’m so thankful you’ll be at the same school with Kye and Britt but it’ll be a tough transition for Mommy to see you go all day long. I’m going to soak up our lunch time together this year as much as I possibly can!

Looking ahead to this coming year I’m so excited to have each experience be as an entire family – our complete unit! I can’t wait for our new Thanksgiving tradition at DISNEY. To head off on adventures to California and skiing. I can’t wait to make lots of memories with you together and see you experience the world!

Of course I’m also excited for many Disney World trips and especially our solo weekend together. I loved taking Kye and Britt on a solo weekend around your age and that’s a special thing about being four is that solo mommy trip. I know we’ll have so much fun. Our day together for your birthday at Disney may have been a bit of a bust but I can’t wait to have our redo 🙂

As your mom, I will ALWAYS support you and cheer you on in all you do! I am ALWAYS here for you. I’m never too busy to stop and snuggle. To share our hearts. To listen. To share. To be there for you no matter what life may bring. You are my little girl. You are special to me JUST AS YOU ARE. I want you to always, always know that.

I’m your mom. Your parent. And it’s my job to help raise you up to the best of my abilities. So I know sometimes you won’t understand all the decisions Daddy and I make or how we go about doing what we do in our parenting but I promise you that we’re always thinking about the big picture, the long term, and are just doing our best to give you our best selves. I will mess up. And when I do I will try to always apologize. But know that I ALWAYS LOVE YOU!

It’s such a gift to watch you grow up, experience new things, and become the person God called you to be. I’m so proud to be your Mommy and love you so, so much my sweet littlest girl!

~ Mommy