Shane's 4th!

I can't believe that my baby is 4 today! Time really does go by fast....A couple of weeks ago (o.k.I guess it was about a month or so ago) I got "tagged" to write down the top 8 things that I love about each of my children. Today I guess I will do the top 8 things that I love about Shane.
1) The idolization that he has for his dad. Shane absolutely loves Travis. He has since he was very little. Travis could always get him to sleep whenever I was at my wits end. He is always so excited to hear the garage door open when Travis comes home because that means that he gets to play with him for the night. He always says "When I get big like Dad...."

2) The love that he has for music. From a very early age Shane had great rhythm. We would stand in the Walmart parking lot and he would hear a diesel engine and immediately start bouncing to the rhythm of the engine. We have a digital keyboard that has a memory bank of short songs and he will sit for hours playing with it, making up dances to the songs, changing the tempo, or the octave (I don't even know how to do this). Most of the dances involve some sort of running or jumping so I love the fact that they expend ALOT of energy.

3) The love that he has for his brothers. Jace and he can be the best of friends and the worst of enemies, but all in all they love each other. He is such a good example for Jace and I know that they would be lost if the other wasn't around. Jace is always asking when "my brother" is going to be home whenever Shane is at pre-school.

4) The hugs and kisses he so willingly gives. I sometimes get so frustrated at night when I am putting them to bed, and then Shane yells, "Mom, all I want is one more hug and one more kiss." Although frustrating, it also makes me smile. I just hope that he never grows out of this.

5) The way that he is so willing to help with anything. He loves to help me make dinner and he is quite proud to announce to Travis when he has helped me make something. He loves to do the laundry. I know that this will change as time goes by but for now I am grateful/frustrated. He constantly reminds me when it starts piling up that we need to do a load.

6) His love for books. Since he was very small he has loved books. He will sit and look at them for hours. He loves to have stories read to him and it is good for me to just take a step back from the things that I "have to do" and relax with a good book. (He has My Truck is Stuck memorized).

7) His energy. I know that I sometimes get frustrated because it seems like he is constantly in motion, but I would prefer this to a sedate, boring child (what am I saying :) ??) He has boundless energy and is always finding ways to run, skip or jump. Hence the reason that I love the keyboard and our mini trampoline.

8) His love of the gospel. He always reminds us that we need to read scriptures before bed, and I am so grateful that this habit has been formed. I am reminded daily what a special spirit that Heavenly Father has sent to me. He is telling me stories that he has learned at church or from the primary songs (he came and told me the story of Jonah one day). His grasp of how much his Heavenly Father loves him is amazing. I learn from him each and every day.

I love you Shane and I am so grateful that you chose me to be your mom, and that I have the opportunity to be your mom!