Dear Camden,
I can't believe you are already 2 years old!! You haven't acted like much of a baby in several months, but now you are officially out of babyhood and into toddler-land. It makes me sad that I don't have a little baby to rock and cuddle, but you are such a fun little boy that it seems like a fair trade. You have always tried to keep up with your big brothers; walking at 9 months, playing with the same toys, talking early. Now, you are all playmates. You love each other and you all love to play together. Lots of time you play Cars or Toy Story 3 or Thomas the Train with Landon. Or, Spiderman, Iron-Man, or other superheroes with Ayden. The three of you will give each other a sweet little hug that, in the blink of an eye, turns into an all-out wrestling match....sometimes in a fun way, and other times - not so much.
You are 100% (maybe more) an adventurous, fearless, carefree little guy. I often refer to you (in a good way, of course) as monster, stinker, or bully. You climb like a little hooligan....if you can't reach it, you use something to stand on. You started using the stepping stool to get on the kitchen counter, so I put it away. You improvised by pushing your little table over. Once I put that up, you started carrying in the laundry baskets and turning them upside down. It's impossible to Camden-proof the house. You are, thankfully, staying in your bed....although for a few weeks we resorted to, ahem.... alternative forms of keeping you safely in bed at night. ;) But, if you wanted out, there would be no stopping you. Some people suggest that I put a baby gate on your bedroom door....and that makes me laugh, because you can climb over one of those in a matter of seconds. You scare me, sometimes more than your brothers did, because you aren't afraid of anything.
You are also a big talker. You are great at letting people know what you want. You speak in sentences already and can say what you like and don't like. You are incredibly smart...and even know how to tease. You like to tell people that your name is "Landon Ryan Ball," which only serves to aggravate the actual Landon. But, you say it with an ornery little grin, because you know exactly what you're doing.
Sometimes you get cranky, but lots of times you are a happy little man with the cutest little smile, dimples and all. Your Daddy is your favorite person. You run to him when he comes home from work, ask for him when he's gone, and tell others about him. You are enjoying books more, although you really prefer to look at them by yourself, and not for Mama to read to you. You like to color, although you have to be heavily supervised. :) You've become more of a picky eater, but you like yogurt, mac and cheese, chicken nuggets, and pasta. You like to pretend to talk on the phone, and you love to go to church.
You have learned a lot in the last year. You feed yourself, drink from your own cup, talk in sentences and say lots of words, run, play, tease, and hide. You put yourself to sleep as long as you can suck your thumb and hold your "night-night". You have a better memory now, and remember most of our family in Missouri. You know our special friends from church and lots of our students by name. You can undress yourself and almost get your own flip-flops on. You like to brush your teeth and hair and take a bath. You like to say prayers and sing songs. Your favorites are "Jesus Loves Me," "Rain, Rain, Rain," and the Veggie Tales theme song. You are a great dancer. You like to watch Boz, Tangled, and Toy Story 3. You can count to nine and know a horse says "neigh" a dog "ruff".
You are a precious little boy, and a perfect part of our family. We love you so much, and we are excited to see what your third year holds. I can't wait to see how you grow and change this year, and all the new things you'll learn. I'm so thankful that God sent you to be a part of our family. The last two years have flown by, but no matter what, I'll always treasure your sweet baby soft curls, dimpled grin, and slobbery kisses. As you get older and even more independent, I'll hold tight to these days when you still want me to kiss your owies and scoop you up for a hug and kiss. As you begin to understand more and more about Jesus, I'll always remember your first innocent little prayers, repeating after me that you're thankful for you family and your night-night, and your bed, and the adorable way you draw out "aaaaaaaaaaamen."
I love you, monster man. You've wrapped yourself around my heart just like your big brothers. I always thought I wanted a houseful of girls, but this mama couldn't be more thrilled with my three crazy little Ball boys. You keep me on my toes. You keep me laughing. You keep me exasperated. But more than anything, you fill me with joy.
As I wait (and wait....and wait....and wait) for you to fall asleep to tonight so I can sneak in and smooth your curls and tuck your blanket in around you, I'm saying prayers, thanking God that He trusted us with you.
Happy 2nd Birthday, Camden Isaiah Ball!! I love you!
Mama
