My son, Henry turned 3 years old in July. It’s really hard to believe that my first little baby is a full blown, rambunctious, never slows down, very sweet little boy. As a baby he had the happiest countenance of any baby that I have ever met. He would look into stranger’s faces until they would look at him and then he would smile. His good nature has followed him into toddlerhood and he is constantly handing out hugs to everyone and gentle face touches to every baby he meets. And now, he’s a big brother and he’s quite proud of it. He tells everyone we meet about his baby sister Peyton. He comforts her, plays with her and loves to give her kisses.
I asked Henry some questions recently and here are his answers.
What is your favorite food? Fries and chickens
Who do you love? Daddy, Hurley, Chickens, Aaron, Madi, Jesus
What do you want to be when you grow up? Me! Winnie the Pooh!
What’s your favorite color? Orange
What’s your name? Hemy Michael
Henry spends most of his days playing outside. He loves his sandbox and fighting dragons with sticks. He is such a great explorer and is constantly finding toads, frogs, praying mantis’, dog poop and bird’s nest. He will run back into the house, and say, “Mommy, daddy, come, come,” clap his hands twice and run back out excited to show us his new loot. He’s loves books with the same ferocity that his mama does. We frequent the library at least twice a week. He’s daddy’s boy, always following Josh around, helping him mow, garden or just gack (wrestling) around.
Henry loves to cuddle and still sleeps with us. He’s in for a big change soon because we will be transitioning him to his own bed in his own room this fall/winter. We have truly enjoyed spending such a sweet time with him for 3 years. At first he slept with us because he woke so frequently and it was easier on me to not have to be up and down all night. But it evolved into a special time for us, to feel close, warm and safe. I hope there are nights he still climbs into bed with us from time to time.
He loves his Grandpa Schmackers and is constantly (pretty much every day) asking to “Go to Grandpa’s house?” He also asks to go see his cousins, “Giddy up (Gideon), Max and Misariah (Mariah).” Every night he prays for Mommy, Daddy, Peyton, Henry, Hurley, Bella, his grandmas and grandpas, his cousins and aunts and uncles. We must close our eyes when we pray over our dinner and he genuflects before he enters the pew at church. Recently one Sunday at church, during a song at communion, out of no where, he buried his face in Josh’s shoulder and started to cry. We aren’t really sure why because he wasn’t in a bad mood or upset, it was as if he was moved by the moment.
We are so excited to watch Henry continue to grow and learn. His joy and smiles are so contagious. A day doesn’t go by that he doesn’t remind me that life is really just one big adventure, waiting to be explored and run through. I could talk for days about Henry’s big personality and the impact he has made on my life. I never knew that one little boy could change and influence me so much.
We love you Hemy Michael.
