Dear Hutton: 2 - 2 1/2 Years

Dear Hutton,

It is now March 2013 and I am so late in writing this letter – your 2-year letter that has become your 2 – 2 ½ year letter and if I don’t get it written pronto it’ll be your soon-to-be-3-year letter.  I have no good excuses for not sitting down and doing this before now, it’s just…..well, there are two reasons: 1) I find it daunting to sum up an entire year in a few hundred words, so daunting that I put it off (and put it off, and put it off) and 2) life, man.  Life is so busy these days, good busy, but busy.  While 2012 was spent working through insurance items, 2013 has so far been spent finishing the house and getting caught up on other miscellaneous items that we let slide to the wayside last year.  And then there’s you boys; you three rambunctious, full-of-energy, keeping-us-on-our-toes, boys.  We wouldn’t have it any other way, but life - it’s exhausting and time- it goes too fast.

Photo by Natural Intuition Photography

 At 2 ½ you are a full-of-life, spunky, crazy, determined little boy.  Opps, I mean Big boy.  Big boy.  You do not like it when people call you “little.” Hutton Big Boy.  You tell them.  And you are, because while you are only 2, Keaton is now 4 and the two of you, you are a pair. This might not be fair, but I suspect this happens often in families, probably especially when a third child arrives; while you are a year and a half younger than him we expect the same out of you that we expect out of your 4-year old brother. So yes, Hutton, you are a big boy. And speaking of that big brother of yours, oh, you idolize him. You look up to him so much. You copy everything he does and says, you like the same things he likes; all you want is to be his very best friend, which is why it confuses me so much that the two of you fight like cats and dogs.  It has been like this since Day 1.  I thought it would get better as you got older, but really the fight has just changed.  Not to say you never get along, oh there are moments when you are inseparable, best buddies, as you guys say – you “hunt” together and do art together and drive tractors and build log cabins. If I take just one of you to the store you both always want to bring something home for the other one – so I know you love each other, I just don’t understand why you two seem to think it’s your job to get under each other’s skin.  I used to like to say – he may be the only brother you have – when the fighting started, but I can’t really say that anymore.  Nolan arrived this year and since the very beginning you guys have loved him.  But you Hutt?  You adore him.  No-win you call him. You look out for him and kiss him and love him so much.  I wasn’t exactly sure how you’d respond to having a baby in the house, but I needn’t have worried, you love that little boy, your “yittle buddy.”

Photo by Natural Intuition Photography

When you were a baby your Dad and I used to say that you were our surfer boy.  We expected you’d grow up and move to the coast or maybe you’d climb mountains or be a diver – whatever it was you’d be a thrill seeker.  I have to admit, you’ve surprised me with developing some of my Type A personality traits.  You like things orderly – while you’re brother’s room is always a mess, you keep yours clean and when we ask you to pick up you can do it in 5 minutes flat (although, for disclosure sake, tonight I walked in to do a inspection and your floor was spotless and just as I was praising you I looked up and saw the mound on your bed – every little thing from the floor was up there. And I couldn’t help but laugh.)  You like things lined up in rows: toys, chairs, shoes, you line them all up.  And your concentration, focus, and patience on things like puzzles or the computer is, well, it’s kind of amazing to me.  You take your time, you work different angles, and more times than not, you figure it out on your own.  You are very independent and not in a I’m-going-to-do-this-myself sort of way, but in a quiet, controlled, I-got-my-coat-and-shoes-on-and-I’m-ready-to-go, sort of way.  (Shhhh….don’t tell you big brother, but you need less help getting ready than he does.  Now, yes, a lot of times your boots are on the wrong feet, but hey, I’m not complaining you did it yourself!) But!  None of this means you’ve lost your spunk.  Oh gosh no.  No, no, no.  You Dad and I still very much think of you as our surfer boy.  Our thrill seeker.  Our Woooo!!!!! Boy.  And the way you drove Keaton’s tractor through the yard this past summer was confirmation of that.  I think watching you probably shaved a year off of my life.  You are insane.  Turning your head to laugh and smile and (I think sometimes purposely) coming within inches of running head on into trees.  Or there was the time while building our new house that you jumped 4 feet off the patio door just because you wanted to go outside and had you, you know, Used The Door! You would have had to walk all the way around the house.  That same night you also launched yourself – purposely – into the window well.  Oh child.  And you love every second of it.

Photo by Natural Intuition Photography

My most favorite thing about you at this 2 – 2 ½ stage has been watching how your communication has grown and matured.  While you are now talking in full sentences (paragraphs), there are still a few things you say that remind me you are still only 2 years old – and I just love those things.  At the moment, my most absolute favorite is your word for whipped cream, like the real whipped topping that comes out of a can – or, as you call it: psht, psht.  Like the noise it makes.  Mommy, I want some psht, psht.  And your Dad and I? Well, yes we now call it psht, psht.  You also currently call raspberries: the ones that go squish, squish, in my mouth.  Or, sometimes for short: the squishy ones.  Around the age of 2, when you were trying to express your dislike for something you would say: No, Not!  Hutton, come over here and pick up your toys.  No, Not! Hutton, we need to get jammies on.  No, Not! 

Photo by Natural Intuition Photography

At your 2-year well visit you weighed in at 28 lbs and were 2 feet 11.75 inches tall.  Nowadays I think you are tipping the scale at about 30 lbs.  At 2 ½ if I asked you your favorite food I’m pretty sure you’d say pizza – you have been known to wake up in the morning asking for it for breakfast.  You also love fruit, beef sticks, and cereal.  You love watching Max & Ruby, Dora, and Diego, or Ago, as you call him. You love all things farm and hunting and, just like your Daddy and your big brother, you are a worker.  The other day we were downstairs playing and you brought me your coat, work boots, and a hard hat and asked me to put them on.  “Where are you going?” I asked you.  You lifted your head and looked in my eyes – “To work” you told me, like, duh, where did you think I was going? You’re a fairly easy-going-kid except when you have your mind set on something and - hoo boy!  Look out.  Determination, I guess that’s your strong suit.

Photo by Natural Intuition Photography

Shortly after you turned two we cut off your signature curly blonde hair.  You still have curls, but you prefer to keep your hair short now.  I guess it’s because you are a “big boy.” Sadly, I know I have to let you grow up, but if it were in my power I think I’d freeze time to keep you “yittle” just a bit longer.

Photo by Natural Intuition Photography

I love you, my stinker-winker,

Mama