I can't explain to you how awesome this little guy is. Unless you've gotten to know him, you probably wouldn't notice, but he is one of the coolest kids I know - and I'm not just saying that because I'm his momma :)
One of my greatest joys in motherhood has been watching my kids become little people with their own personalities. I hope that I always encourage my children to be who they want to be, to love what they love and to not worry about always fitting in. Brooks
always walks to the beat of his own heart. He is a man who knows what he likes, and will accept nothing less. And I LOVE that about him.
When he was a toddler, I called him my little politician because he never met a stranger. In restaurants, he would wave and say hello to everyone as we walked to our table. People smiled in return as he offered them his signature dimply grin. Although a little more timid now that he's older, he is still my more social child. While his brother hides behind me and waits for me to enter a room first, Brooks usually beats me to the door - with his little chest poked out. At birthday parties and social gatherings, Brooks can often be found having the time of his life all by himself without a single thought about what the other children are doing. It's not that he's intimidated to play with them, because he does socialize quite well, he just wants to do what HE thinks is fun, even if that means playing alone. LOVE that.
He is fearless and "as tough as a pine knot". When big brother is too afraid to go into a dark room and turn on the light, Brooks will gladly do it for him. When he falls and scrapes his knee, he may cry, but he has usually stopped before I can even get to him. He'll go down any slide, any time, anywhere - no fear.
Brooks is also my best eater. He is always willing to try new foods, and rarely decides he doesn't like something. He's not big on berries (may be the tartness) or some of the tougher meats, but he loves veggies, casseroles, pizza and pasta. His very favorite foods are cheese (cooked or uncooked), jelly biscuits, tacos and potato soup. He LOVES mustard and requests it will anything that he feels needs a little "somethin" extra. I do think he prefers the savory foods over sweets at this point, but he doesn't shy away from desserts either!
He has the most mischievous little grins you've ever seen. When he knows he's doing something that's not allowed, he'll almost always give it away with his facial expressions. His big blue eyes have such a gleam, and his little mouth curls up in the most precious way that it's almost impossible to keep a straight face while punishing him.
On his 3rd birthday, his favorite things are his papa, "ill" (Will), "excavers" (excavators), Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, "yegos" (legos), pajamas, watching Disney Jr on the ipad, Temple Run and Perry the Platapus on his ipod, his farm toys and playing in the dirt. He always always has to have a toy in his hand to go to sleep - sometimes a toy in EACH hand. His brother Will is his best buddy and he loves to hold his baby sister in his lap.
Brooks is potty trained and sleeping in a twin size bed in a shared room with his brother. He is my most independant child so far. Every morning, I give both boys a pair of socks, shoes, and their jacket (they go to grandma's in their pjs). Every single time, Brooks has his socks, shoes and jacket on completely before Will has even stopped whining for me to help him get his socks on. I love his independant nature, and I like to think that he got that part of his personality from his momma (because he resembles me in no other way).
His behavior is so so. I mean, he is 3, so what else can be expected? He is often caught doing things that he has JUST been told not to do. He likes to climb things - think his dresser, pantry shelves, etc... he also loves the occasional bed jump, taking toys, and hitting his brother. I don't really think he would haul off and hit another child - but your brother doesn't count though, right? He likes to fight with his brother over toys, and try to get away with "no nos" while we're not looking.
Brooks is such a fun and vibrant boy. His little guilty grin and snickering laugh make him impossible not to love. And he loves so freely. He will be the first one to tell you "I ove you momma" or "I ove you 'ill". He still has several speech issues - I'm pretty sure that I'm the only one that understands what he's saying sometimes. I'm a little concerned about this, but I know from experience that the 3rd year is a year full of growth and development, so I'm trying to be patient and allow him room to correct some issues on his own. For example, he will not say his "Ys" when saying "yes" or "yellow". He says "es" and "eyyow". He does use the "y" sound when saying "Ls", like "I no yike that momma." He also still uses phrases like "I'm are" and "I no like that."
We had a small (not really small in number, but small in that I didn't do anything but cake and balloons) birthday party for him last weekend at our house. Me being the awesome person that I am, did not take one.single.picture. Oops. Totally forgot. But he had a great time and when asked what his favorite part was, he of course answered "cake."
I love love love this mischievous, handsome, easy-going, sweet boy. He is a all-boy and makes the world take notice when his feet hit the floor in the mornings. I can't wait to see where this little man goes in life. When I imagine him as a teenager and young man, I imagine a boy who will have many friends, and probably many girlfriends. I see him being the child I never see because he'll be my socialite. I see him being athletic and the child that I have to threaten to do his homework. He will have a blast in college (just like his momma) and worry me to death. I am so excited to go on many adventures with our little man. We love you Brooks - all the way to the moon and the stars!!
(I miss the curls so much)
