Dear Malakai...

Dear sweet Malakai,
Today you are officially two years old. It's hard to believe that it has been a year since your 1st birthday and two since the day we saw your handsome face for the first time. You look even more like your daddy than ever before, but have a few of my features and a look all your own at the same time.

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Over the last year you've become even more fiercely independent. I tend to describe you as a very strong willed child. You don't throw tantrums very often or for very long and I'm so thankful for that. However, on a rough day it makes it hard to know how to deal with your break downs because it's so rare. Although I see more fits in our near future. While it's exhausting I'm here to learn through this stage with you and come out better at communicating with one another on the other side.

You love to explore and figure out how things work. Buckles, buttons, and just about anything that comes apart or moves fascinates you. You've discovered digging in the dirt, collecting rocks, and a love of swimming. You are adventurous and fearless. If left to your own devices you would walk straight into the swimming pool or off the edge of the deck, you're still learning boundaries and what it means when something is dangerous. You do understand when you get hurt and will tell us by saying "hurt" or "ouch" and then "tiss" for a healing kiss from mama or daddy. We love that part, especially because it's most often nothing that really hurts you.

On the eve of your birthday you had your first big accident. You ran head first into a sharp cornered piece of furniture and it knocked you back hard. When I picked you up you had blood running down your face but you calmed down faster than mama did. Thankfully you didn't need stitches but the visit to the doctor was still an unpleasant one.

Over this year we have settled in to our 2nd home together, you learned to walk, had your first real sickness, tried many new "nummies", started to talk and do odd things in your sleep (just this past week you've taken to stripping from the waist down and falling asleep that way), you've memorized some of your favorite stories and read them to yourself,  you've also ripped many books and broken many crayons among other things,  you've destroyed almost every "baby proofing" device, you had your first haircut, you've learned the names of your closest loved ones, you experience your first and 2nd snow,  attempted potty learning but then  you have endured and overcome a painful hernia and surgery to correct it and the issue you had at birth, you've mastered nearly half the alphabet and quite a few numbers and love to sing the abc's and the birthday song, you love to sing + dance, you are increasingly polite; using please and thank you without being asked, you like to pray before meals and always say "may-men" afterwards, you are able to repeat just about any word thrown your way as long as you're in the right mood, you've developed a love of animals, you've learned to climb the furniture and love to empty your drawers in an attempt to find clothes for going outside, you can get yourself completely undressed and partially dressed, you still love to snuggle with mama + daddy on occasion, and so very much more...

I am so excited and blessed to continue to watch you as you learn and grown physically, mentally, and spiritually over yet another year. I pray that you never forget how deep our love is for you, especially once we welcome your little brother into our family in the fall. I am confident you will grow into the role of big brother quickly and enthusiastically. You are so strong and resilient and inspire me to be the same for you and our family.

Today is the first day of your THIRD year of life! Happy 2nd Birthday Malakai Benson, I love you very much.

Yours,
Mama.