New Year, indeed

A rare post from me. And to think I used to do this nearly everyday. Well, as you can see, my sweet boy is just that -- a real live boy. The baby is gone. Even when I call him "baby" sometimes he will correct me -- "I'm not a baby. I'm a big boy."
Yes, my love, you are.
A big boy who has changed so much in the past year and yet, yesterday when I went in to wake him from a long afternoon nap, looked very much like that sleeping baby in the picture above. It's enough to bring tears to my eyes.
He is full of questions and demands and imagination. Just today, I missed him and after looking in all his favorite places -- his train table, his reading corner, my room where he makes a "rabbit house" on the other side of the bed and hops around pretending to be Andrew Rabbit, I found him lying on a stack of pillows on the guest bed facing the window, where the sun streamed in. He held a little red coffee cup from his kitchen in one hand and his legs were crossed at the ankles.
"It's a sunny day at the beach, Mama." he said "I'm drinking chocolate milk. Mmmm mmmmm!"
I'd like to say that at this point I am never surprised at what he says, but truth be told he surprises me daily. He is so smart and so observant and sometimes so wise.
This year, we filled two Operation Christmas Child boxes and I explained that some children in the world don't have a lot of toys or crayons and books and we were going to send the boxes to them as a Christmas gift. He happily helped me choose small gifts for the boxes and weeks later, as we began to talk more and more about Santa, out of the blue he told me he had a great idea.
"Santa can take toys to all the boys and girls that don't have any!!" he said "That is a great idea!"
Yes, my love, that is a great idea.
He is turning three in a few days. I don't know how that's even possible, yet here I am planning a construction zone party for next Saturday.
He loves trucks and blocks and building things. He surprises me with how much he knows about such things, the names of the trucks and what each one is for... shapes and numbers and letters.
He gets angry sometimes because he can't read the words in his books, but he wants to so desperately that I think one day, he'll surprise me.
He is such a good boy. And I try to remember to tell him that everyday.
At night when we say prayers, it always goes like this:
Me: God bless...
Andrew: Mama. You Mama?
Me: Yes, I'm Mama.
Andrew: I love you, Mama.
Me: I love you, Andrew.
The days slip by. Weeks seem so short. Before I know it, another month has come and gone. Seasons change faster than they used to and suddenly, here we are at the beginning of a New Year.
I wonder what 2014 will bring for our family, as we transition from this Air Force life into civilian life.
I do know that wherever we end up, my life will be filled with precious moments like the ones I've mentioned here, thanks to my sweet boy. Happy New Year, indeed.