Dear Bently,

You my son are getting too old! Every day your talking improves and every day I love talking to you! You tell me all the time what you see. The other day you were looking out the living room window. There were a bunch of birds on the ground. I was reading my book and didn't realize what you were doing right away. You started suddenly yelling "Stop! Stop birds! Stop walking on the snow! Fly!" It was hilarious! You were so incredibly angry at those birds! I couldn't help but laugh at your cuteness!

Bently you are such a sweet little boy. Sure you throw your tantrums and sometimes hurt your sister, but over all, you are just a sweet heart! You are so good at sharing. Today we were getting ready to leave the house. You happened to find the candy bowl on the counter. This is a huge bowel! There has been some M&M's in the very bottom past all the packaged stuff. You managed to find 2 of the last remaining M&M's. As we walked out the door you said "here mama". I was distracted and didn't understand what you were doing till you slipped the M&M into my hand. I hadn't asked you to give me one, you just did. It brought tears to my eyes. You were willing to share with me. It was a little moment but I can't explain how happy it made me. You share with me all the time. You never hesitate to give me some of your drink or a bite of your candy. You melt my heart every time little man. :)

The other day we were blowing bubbles together! As I watched you run back and forth blowing bubbles I couldn't help but wish to freeze time! You had the biggest grin on your face and I couldn't help but smile right along with you! Kid you are cute. Like adorable! With your blond hair and blue eyes, you are a looker! I wished just for a second I could keep you this age. That I could stop your growing up. That perhaps we could stay in this moment just a little longer.

I'm really going to have to get better about writing you. You do some many adorable things and I just love you so much! You are seriously the cutest little boy ever!

Love,

Mommy

Today I was midst doing my hair when you said "Take picture of Mom and Bently!" Taking pictures is one of your new favorite things to do! :) I told you if you got my phone I would take a picture. To be honest, I was hoping you wouldn't find it! My hair was a mess! But low and behold not a minute later you were back with my phone! So, good on my word, we took pictures! And I am so grateful we did! I love seeing you smile! I love taking goofy pictures together! I love seeing the world through your eyes. A world were looks don't matter. Where no matter what Mom's hair looks like, she's still just your Mom! Thank you for reminding me of that!

With Olivia getting better at napping in her bed we get an opportunity to have one on one time more often! I love it! This day we finger painted and played! We sure had fun! I wish you could remember these days!

The Hyer's bought you this adorable church suit! I couldn't resist taking about a million pictures of you! You are stud!

You have been sleeping horribly! Thus you have been acting like a little terror most days! This day was one of them! You were so tired. You told me you wanted to go to Walmart with me. We walked outside when you decided you didn't. So I walked you back inside. Then as I was leaving you decided you did want to come. Once I opened the car door, you didn't. I was done. I said forget it. I lifted you up and put you in your seat. You began to throw a huge fit. So bad I couldn't even buckle your car seat all the way. After 5 minutes of trying I gave up and drove very carefully to Walmart while you screamed the entire way. In Walmart you wanted me to hold you. I told you I couldn't hold you and push a cart. I gave you the option to ride in the cart or walk. Neither appeased you so I began to drag you through the store. You screamed for 15 minutes straight. Up and down every aisle. Finally I sat you on the handle of the shopping cart and let you lean against me. It was in this very strange position that you fell asleep for about 5 minutes. I guess that really reenergized you because you woke up in a semi better mood. We then spent some time looking at the giant valentines day animals together! I love you son and adventures with you are always just that, an adventure. :)

Dear Bently,

You are becoming an excellent big brother! I love watching you and Liv start to interact a little more. You love being with her and are always talking about Livvy. We'll be driving in the car and you always update us on her condition. "Mommy Livvy sad!" Or "Mommy Livvy's sleeping!" (Even though most of the time when you say that she is wide awake! Today as I was getting Olivia dressed you took the opportunity to blow raspberries on her belly! She just smiled and you couldn't help but smile back! Moments like that make my heart melt as a parent! I can't wait till you guys can actually play together!


We are struggling my son. Ever since potty training you refuse to fall asleep unless we are in there with you! Then after you finally fall asleep you wake up every 2 or so hours screaming your toddler head off. At first I had so much sympathy! You genuinely seemed terrified of something! It broke my heart to see you so scared! We worked on making sure you felt safe and talking to you about what's scaring you. You are having a hard time telling us what is scary. So far all I've managed to understand is you are afraid of your window and Potter. I don't know what the heck Potter did to you but he must of scared you. As the days have worn on I'm getting more and more frustrated. I think it has something to do with the fact your Dad and I aren't getting any sleep. We are both loosing it! We are exhausted. Between you and Livvy we're averaging about 5 hours each. If we're lucky. Last night you were up from 4:30 till 6 in the morning. I broke down and just cried. I was so tired and I was frustrated that as your Mom I couldn't help you! I felt awful. I could see it in your face that you were worried about me. Your at an age now when you know I'm sad when I cry. I try so hard not to cry in front of you! I'm sorry little man! It's not mad at you! I'm just frustrated that I can't help you! We finally solved it by leaving the light in the hall on and your door open. And you slept on the ground. I figured whatever works. But then you were up at your normal 8:30. I have no idea what to do but we'll just keep trying to make it better! I don't want you to be afraid! It breaks my heart when you yell out "I'm scared!" Or "Mommy help me!" I promise we'll figure something out!


You say some pretty cute things right now! Before you were terrified to go to bed you used to yell out "Help me! Somebody! Anybody!" when you woke up! It's hilarious! It makes me laugh every time! I had no idea where you got it from till your Dad informed me that is a direct quote from The Lion King! Also, you sing the circle of life almost word for word! But when it says, "Till we find our place, in the path unwinding," You always sing "Till we find our place of the path of Lion King!" I love it! Seriously it's so adorable! I'm going to make a quick list of all the songs you can sing by yourself. Seriously you are pretty amazing learning the words to songs!


1.) I am a Child of God
2.) I Love to See the Temple
3.) I'm so Glad when Daddy Comes Home
4.) Wrecking Ball by Miley Cyrus (Not so proud of that one but you really like it!)
5.) Bright Spring Morning by Suburban Legends
6.) This is the Tale of Cpt Jack Sparrow (Personal favorite of yours! ;)
7.) Monster Mash
8.) Splish Splash I was taking a Bath


There are more but those are the ones I can think of off the top of my head! See every night before you go to bed we sing songs with you. We used to just choose random songs but now you choose them! It varies which songs! You used to always have us sing the splish splash song and monster mash. But lately it's other ones! Like Cpt Jack Sparrow song or I'm a Child of God. A couple nights in a row (This was a couple months ago) you kept insisting we sing the Captain song. Every night you would throw a fit and we both had no idea what song you wanted! Finally one night your Dad just made one up. "Bently is my captain Bently is my captain, nanananananana!" You loved it so now we sing that song all the time! It's pretty hilarious! :)


I love you handsome man! I will try and be better about writing all the cute stuff you do! You seriously do hilarious things every single day! I love you Bently!


Love,
Mommy

Dear Bently,

Ah man am I behind on your letters. I had 2 weeks off of work and I did pretty much nothing productive. Okay that's not entirely true! I spent tons of time with you and organized a couple cupboards. So that was good! ;) Anyways I'll try and catch up and remember everything...


The first thing is a couple weeks ago, before California, I got you naked for a bath. I then said go get into the bath tub. I was shocked when I watched you climb easily into the bathtub. I know it doesn't seem like a big deal but watching your little toddler butt go up and into the bathtub hit me hard in the face. You're a big kid now. You can actually do things by yourself. I love watching you learn and grow but it is a little bitter sweet! :(


We went to California! It was fun but stressful. The driving to and from were the worst!!! We drove there in one day and it was rough. You did better than Olivia but you started to loose it by the end. the worst was trying to put you to bed that night. You were so wound up from sitting all day. Plus we were in a new environment. But you like I said you weren't too awful on the drive. You were actually pretty cute most of the time! You would wear the sunglasses the Hyers got you so you could be like Mom and Dad. Then we would all sing songs together! You love to sing! Love it! And you actually sing more words more clearly than when you talk. You know more of the words to the songs on the radio than I do! I absolutely loved watching you sitting in your car seat with you bed head and your sunglasses on singing your little guts out! Adorable!


You got to meat your Great Grandma and Grandpa Stetson while we were there! Grandma and Grandpa Stetson hold a very special place in my heart. Number one because they are amazing people who are always giving and number 2 because I feel like they are a small connection I have with my Dad. It's always fun to look at them and try and imagine which traits my own father would have. You loved Grandma and Grandpa and we had a ton of fun with them!


We also got to go to the graveyard and see my Dad's grave. It was such a beautiful and peaceful day! The sun was out and I just sat on the grass and took it in. I had a goal to make it without crying but that didn't happen. As I'm sure you will learn it doesn't take much to make me cry. It was the first time I "talked" to my dad at his grave. It was a little strange but it felt good to say things to him out loud. You mostly ran around the cemetery. You didn't understand and that's okay. I tried to explain this was my dad Papa Tim. You melted my heart as we walked away and I said "Say goodbye papa Tim" And you did loud and proud little man. I know you would have loved him! I'm so grateful to know some day you and me will get to see him again! :)


We also took a little trip down to San Francisco. I actually had a lot of mommy guilt this trip. I realized while in San Fran that the whole trip wasn't exactly filled with Bently friendly activities. I felt bad that you had probably been bored the past couple days. I realized it hadn't been the funnest trip for you and I'm sorry little man! I promise next time I'll plan more kid friendly activities! You did enjoy looking at the bridge and walking around in the rain. We also got to look at some seals which was fun! They are extremely stinky though! ;) You were so adorable the whole time! I just love going and doing new things with you. I get more excited for you to do new things than for myself!


The last thing I need to catch up on is we tried potty training! I was so excited to start potty training. We're pretty poor right now and having that extra money would be awesome! I set up a whole party for you and I talked it up. I bribed you with the zoo and talked all morning about going on the potty. Then I brought out a present for you. Big boy underwear. Now I was thinking before hand it might not go well due to you never really talking positively about the potty. But I took off your diaper and put on the underpants. Immediately we were in melt down mode. I managed to distract you with my Nook for about 2 seconds before it got worse. You were screaming so hard your face was starting to turn purple. You were thrashing around going from me to your dad to me again. I was totally confused and didn't know what to do. Your Dad said, "maybe he has to go potty." So I pulled down your underwear and sat you on the potty and immediately you went. Just like that you peed in the potty! I was on cloud nine! Your Dad and I screamed and jumped for joy! We were so happy! We gave you a treat. I thought for sure now that you had done it I figured you would want to do it again. Oh boy was I wrong. Now sooner was the treat gone than the screaming continued. Finally after a good 10 minutes of trying to convince you we put you back in a diaper per your demands. "No underwear. Diapers!" I guess we'll try again later. I want you potty trained before three but we'll see if that happens!


I love you handsome! I hope you always know how much!


Love,
Mommy


P.s. Recently you started calling my Mommy instead of Mama and I LOVE IT!!! Seriously was so excited when I heard you call me Mommy! :) Made my whole day! I don't know why it makes a difference but it does! :)