Letters to our Children: Gavin Joseph

Dear Gavin,

I am thoroughly enjoying our time together here at home! I know you miss Sydney while she's at school and it warms my heart to see you two reunited at the end of the school day. You both take off and play for hours until it's time to eat supper! Some nights, you both play constantly until Dad comes home and even then, you take a short break to greet him and then get right back to playing. Watching you two reminds me of the scene at the end of Toy Story 3--where Andy brings his toys to the little girl named Bonnie and they start playing together. You two can make a story out of anything and with any characters (usually it's barbies and dinosaurs--what a combination!) I love it though and it is so much fun to watch. I try to play as well as Sydney, but it can be a challenge for me to revert to my childhood, imaginative mindset! So we spend our days building train tracks, working on and completing puzzles, building with legos, crashing trains on the train tracks we built, searching for worms (and any other bugs we can find!), reading books, and playing other games (today was Hedbandz!) I feel so blessed to be here with you every single day, you are growing and changing right before my very eyes and I am so proud of the little man you are becoming.

Whenever I let myself sit back and just watch you when you're playing on your own or with others, or if I sit back and watch you get yourself ready, or watch you with Avery...I see glimpses of the kind of person you will be as you grow older. You are thoughtful (you are a great helper and love to have "jobs"), you love to cook! (you always want to help me bake or make your lunch), you are loving (you always talk about how you miss Dad, Syd, or Aunt Bailey), you are adventurous--driving Dad crazy as you constantly flip over the rocks in the front yard in the search for bugs! You are determined and strong-willed. I admire this quality because I know it will take you far in life, however, it can pose quite a challenge for us as well. : ) I am figuring you out though and can generally help us both work through sticky situations so that we are both happy in the end. You are a problem solver! I love watching you build your trains and figure out what to do when they just don't connect...your little hands move so quickly to flip them around and connect them--then you flip around the rest to make it all work together. (this also applies to building train tracks!) Books and puzzles are still a favorite of yours and on occasion, when I cannot hear you somewhere in the house (I must admit, for a brief moment I panic!), I will find you looking through books in your room or putting puzzles together (again-you're a problem solver!) This is another quality that will take you far in life! I cannot wait to see what lies ahead for you, sweet boy. I am honored to be a part of all of the great things you will do. I love you more than you'll ever know!

Love,
Mom