Dear Austin

Little Austin James...
you have my heart completely.  

Your big brown eyes.
Those little smirks, followed by a big smile.  

Your contagious belly giggle.
The way you call yourself "Austie"
The love you have for others.
The way your vocabulary has come slow, yet you can say everyone's name clear.

The way you love and adore your sissy.

The way you say, "Aubrey Rooooose."  

(It is the cutest.)

ALL of these things and so many more,
make you to be my favorite little boy.

You make me proud.

You make me smile.

You make me laugh.

You also make me pull my hair out at times. ;)

God knew exactly what he was doing when he created YOU!

Austin, your words are quite entertaining.

This is definitely a topic that cracks me up.

Both of my kids have been the same with their vocabulary.

Today, at 5 years old, Aubrey Rose speaks clear and precise,

(with the exception of some "S" sounds)  :)

but there were days when I was wondering if we would always hear
"pa-too" for why, or "I-O" for I love you.
Now, Austin, you being 2 years and 4 months old,
you are following in your sister's same foot steps.
You have so many words that I have no idea how you come with it, 

yet I know exactly what you are saying.
Everything from
gulygul (motorcycle), to A-gay (Monster Truck), to gunk (milk), to Ka Chow (Lightning McQueen),
cha-cheese (socks), pack pack (IPad) and more.

Yet you say happy birthday perfectly and so many more words.
Your words are flying each day.
Just today you had 4 new words I had never heard you say before.

I don't think you have put more than four words together yet,

unless you count, "Anna See." for "I want to see."  HA!

Austin, I am sorry to say, but you like to throw fits,
actually very impressive tantrums,
when you are told no.

You are quite the competitor as well.
You race your sissy from the car to the front door at her preschool.
Right at the entrance there is this little plastic pig that the wings move up and down.
Each morning the two of you race and your two year old legs have no chance yet to her long 5 year old legs.  So you scream the whole way, "NOOOOOOOOO, SISSY!!!  ME SEE!! NOOOOOOOOO, SISSY!!  NOOOOO!!"
When I get to you guys, Sissy is jumping up and down happy
peeking into the window where the little pig sits and
Austin...Where is Austin?
Yes, on the concrete, face down crying.
Throwing a fit.
I should have taken a picture.  HA!

Even though you can be such a competitor of your favorite sissy,
you sure do adore her.
You want to do everything she does.

When she is at school,
you ask for her constantly.
You don't like dropping her off at school.
You tell me you want to go to school with sissy.
You want to know what she is doing and where she is at all times.
You get so excited when Aubrey Rose comes home from school.
You two are so adorable together as you giggle around the house chasing each other.

Even though your sissy means the world to you,
your daddy is your best buddy.
You follow him everywhere.
You want to do everything Daddy does.
Seeing you two together, absolutely melts my heart.

Austin, you are our little bruiser.
You are definitely ALL boy!!
Bruises and scraps all over.
I can't keep your face from being all scrapped up!

All of these pics above are within about one months time.
And all on the face.
Lovely.

Austin, you are such a big helper.
If I am carrying something big or heavy, he says,
"Austie help.  Soooooo bigggggg."
You sure know how to make me smile!

One of my favorite things you do is how you protect me from the cars when we cross the street.

When we are crossing the street, or walking into the grocery store or wherever, 

You get a very serious look on your face,
you put your hand out telling all the cars to STOP!!
 You proceed to say to the cars,
"NO, NO, VROOM, VROOM! NO! NO!  WAIT!! VROOM, VROOM"
It always makes me laugh.

Speaking of cars, I don't know how I have gotten this far in this letter to you without talking about your passion for any kind of transportation.  You can not leave the house without at least 2 cars or 2 trucks or trains or something that has some kind of tire in your hands.  Not just one, always 2 or more.  I probably have a million pictures of you with your cars.
This is how you hold your cars when we go places....

This is how you line your trucks up...

 (if you look closely you have fed each monster truck one goldfish)

 This is how you drive your cars/trucks....

 Two at a time.
Head down.
Focused on the trucks.
Add in the best "vroom, vroom" sounds a 2 year old boy could make.  :)

When you go to Oma's you need your
two trucks, plus a bucket FULL of more cars,

because you NEVER know when your favorite cousin Jedidiah is coming.
You always need to be prepared to share.  ;)

Oh, our happy little boy.

Austin James you make me laugh

and I praise the Lord of He created YOU!!!