Dear Karsten---
I sit here on the eve of your 3rd Birthday in complete awe of the fact that you're turning 3 in just hours! What a year it has been!!! You have matured in more ways than I can even express. I just read the letter I wrote to you when you turned 2 and it said that you were saying more than 60 words. Now, sweet boy, you talk in complete sentences! Your vocabulary blows my mind on a daily basis. You know the names of countless ocean animals, dinosaurs, and other things like thunderstorms and rain clouds. You make connections between things you've seen on tv and things you see in real life. You make connections between things you've read and things you've experienced. It's remarkable to see how your brain works!
You're quite the naturalist and LOVE being outdoors. You enjoy collecting rocks and picking flowers for Mommy! Whenever you go for a walk with Daddy you have to stop and pick me "flowers". You put them in your pocket and then proudly deliver them to me when you get home! You win me over everyday with your sweet face, thoughtfulness, and snuggles.
You love spending time with Daddy, playing with trains, kicking the soccer ball, or attacking Mommy with dinos! Daddy is your best buddy, but you are undoubtably a Momma's Boy! You love giving and receiving snuggles every morning, afternoon, and evening. I hope and pray that we continue having a close relationship as you grow and mature.
At 3 years old your current obsessions are playing with your trains, dinos, and watching Octonauts. You continue to love books and your current favorite is Llama Llama Misses Mama. We have to read it every night and you can pretty much echo everything I read! You play very independently with your trains and other toys, but as soon as Daddy gets home you want him to play with you.
You are very active, but you also know how to kick back and relax! When we get home from school you like to take off your shoes, lay on the couch, and watch Octonauts or Dinosaur Train.
Your favorite foods are chicken nuggets, pizza, yogurt, fruit, and pretty much any junk food that I will allow. One of my biggest goals for this next year is to alter your eating habits, making you a more well rounded eater! Tonight we had a birthday cake for you, but wouldn't let you eat it until you had eaten some of your grilled chicken. You were very uninterested in the chicken until you saw the cake and knew you wouldn't get any until you ate the chicken. I've never seen you put chicken into your mouth so fast! We were all laughing hysterically! I learned a valuable lesson....you will eat your dinner if dessert follows!
This year you began school. You have learned so much and made some great friends! I love seeing you every afternoon at dismissal and talking to you about your day. You always make sure to tell me who had a potty accident or who got into trouble! Mac is your best friend at school and I loved seeing the two of you play together on your field trip!
You are working really hard at potty training! We just stopped putting pull ups on you during the day and you only have had a couple of accidents since then. This is a huge milestone and I know you have great satisfaction when you go on the potty! You're such a big boy!
You continue to get cuter and cuter every day. You captivate people around you with your charm and smile. People tell me all the time how cute you are! You are so special!
Some of your Karstenisms are:
saying "I can't want that" when you mean "I don't want that"
saying "ish" for "fish"...still, to this day....though he can say his "f" sound
saying "I want__________________" all the time
running around before your bath yelling "naked boy!"
wanting to play games on "mommy's phone"
saying that you "want a snack"... first thing in the morning
wondering what a particular "moise" aka noise is
pointing out construction sites while driving around
Showing me things in real life and then saying "like my book" because we've read a book with the same thing in it.
You continue to be our greatest delight. You bring so much laughter and joy to our lives and we couldn't imagine our lives without your bright smile. I thank God every day that He allowed me to be your Mommy.
I love you with all my heart Bugsy!!!
Love always,
Mommy (and Daddy)
To see more Dear Karsten letters click here and scroll down
