Happy 4th Birthday, Landon Ryan Ball!

Dear Landy,


Oh my goodness!! Today is finally your birthday and you are four years old!! How we've been waiting for today to come! This is the first time you've really gotten excited over your birthday coming and you have proudly announced over and over that you will be four years old! I asked you if you would like Daddy and Mama to get you something for your birthday and you said, "Umm, a cake!" I laughed and asked if maybe you'd like a special toy or something just for you, and your response? "A cake, with CANDLES! My friends will sing 'Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday, dear Landon, Happy birthday to you' and then I will blow the candle out, like this (insert blowing out the candles whoosh)!"


Tonight, we will have our family birthday dinner of chicken scampi, because that is a favorite of yours and your brothers right now. You will get to eat on our special birthday plate, and Daddy will say a special prayer for you before dinner. Then, this weekend, you get to have a birthday party with all your special friends and aunts and uncles of the heart. :) You picked a Toy Story 3 theme and were so excited as we bought the matching paper goods.


You are the sweetest four year old boy! My little Landy. You've always been one to melt hearts with your smile, and my oh my, you can still pull that off!! I will just be sitting in a chair or making dinner or some other simple task and you'll come over to me and give me a hug or rub my arm or leg or very pregnant belly and smile that Landon smile up at me. Then you'll give me a kiss and say, "I love you, Mama." Sometimes you even tack on, "you're a good girl," to the end.


You are a big helper for Mama, always wanting to be in the kitchen to watch me cook, helping me pick up toys in your bedroom. You love your big brother, Ayden, and your little brother, Camden. You love to follow Ayden around and do what he does, but you also like to play with your little close-in-age playmate. It seems like you are either playing together like the two sweetest boys you've ever seen, or you are fighting like cats and dogs. But, you do love each other and have really learned to play well together a lot of the time.


You will be a good big brother to your new little sister in just a few months. You are so funny about it. If we point to my belly and ask whats inside, you tell us its a baby. But, then, you point to your own belly and say, "this is my sister!" I know she will feel like a precious part of our family when she gets some of your sweet kisses on her forehead.


Right now, your imagination is taking off! You and Ayden like to play pretend with the pirate ships. You will load the ships up with plastic army men, designating the good guys and bad guys and staging a whole, dramatic scene. You also build Gongman City nearly everyday out of some type of block: our Mega blocks, alphabet blocks, legos, trio blocks, the wooden blocks Daddy made you...or a combination of all. Gongman City is the place where the evil peacock Shen lives on Kung Fu Panda 2, and you love to build that tower. Anytime you build anything, you always run out and tell me to come look at what you made. When I get there, you hold out your hand and point to your creation and excitedly say, "See, see, see, see?"


You also still love to play with your trains and you love yourself some Toy Story and Cars. Its rare that we leave the house without a Lightning McQueen stuffed in your pocket. In fact, I think you might have had one in EACH pocket when we went to church Sunday night. But, generally, you need that certain ONE....don't ask me which, because all of our 273 Lightning McQueen cars look exactly the same to me. But, there's always a certain one you want, and you'll painstakingly sift through the bin of cars until you find just the right one.


You enjoy coloring and puzzles and the occasional book. Now that Ayden is reading, you prefer to sit in my lap and listen to him read over sitting down and letting me read to you. But thats okay. The other day, you were "reading" to Camden, and I was one proud Mama to see you tracking that print, line by line from left to right. Mmmhmmm, your teacher Mama was cheering you on over your shoulder.


You love your Daddy SOOOO much! I know that all of my boys love me, but you definitely all have a special connection with your Daddy, too. And, you have the best, you know. He loves to come home and wrestle with his boys or get down on the floor and play cars or trains or ships or puzzles or whatever else you come up with to do. Your Daddy sets a good example for you and your brothers, because he loves Jesus, he loves your Mama, he loves his boys (and soon daughter), and he loves student ministry and students. In that order, which is the way it should be.


You also love church. Sundays and Wednesdays are your favorite days and you get so excited when you know its church time. Mr. David and Mrs. Eileen are your Sunday School teachers, and you run in each Sunday and give them a big, "Hi!" On Wednesdays, you are forever talking about how you like Mr. Josh and you sing the songs you learn in preschool choir with gusto. The latest is Zaccheus, and we've had fun telling him to come down out of that tree! And, of course, our sweet Mrs. Jones, who teaches you on Wednesday nights. You love each other and she loves to teach you and your friends about Jesus.


This year, you will get to start preschool! Ah!! I'm not sure if I'm ready for that just yet, but I know you will love it! Sometimes you still ask if you can go to school with Ayden, so I know that you'll be ready when its your turn next year. And, of course, you are so very smart!! I still think of you as my itty-bitty Landy-boy, but the truth is, you are getting to be a big boy and you are ready to do big boy things.


You have learned so much over the past year. You are (finally) potty trained; you can get undressed and help dress yourself; put on your shoes; identify shapes, colors, some numbers, and lots of letters; put together puzzles; draw circles; speak much more clearly; and so many other things, I can't even list them all!


Sometimes, you discipline yourself. Just today you had to sit in time out for dumping Camden's puzzle on the floor (time-outs are becoming more and more rare, though), and after you sat the appropriate time, we had our typical talk about why you had to sit there, being kind to our brothers, and then you apologized to Cam and gave him a hug. A few minutes later, I was busy working on housework and caught a glimpse of you....back in time out. You sat yourself down there for a few more minutes, and as I watched from around the corner, got back up to play when you were done. You've also been known to put yourself to bed if you get tired. We'll wonder where you are and go looking, and find you sound asleep in your bed.


Speaking of beds, you and your brothers just got new bunk beds. A full size on the bottom for you and Camden, and a twin on top for Ayden. You are all sharing a room now as we prepare for the arrival of Baby Girl Ball, but you are all handling the change very well. You like being in with your big brother, and he likes the company. The only downfall is that the three of you don't always go quickly to sleep at bedtime...but we'll keep working on that. ;)


Well, Landy, I hope you have a wonderful birthday. I hope you feel special and loved and cherished, because you are. Daddy, Mama, Ayden, and Camden love you sooo much. And, Jesus loves you even more than us!! I can't wait to see what the next year holds for you.


Love,
Mama