Happy 5th Birthday Coley Monkey...

Dear Cole,

Happy 5th Birthday.

You have no idea how much you mean to me or how proud I am to be your mother. You are a shining light in our family and a true gift. I love you more than you will ever know. I love what an incredible big brother you are to Kiley. You are honest and trustworthy and a friend to everyone. You play well by yourself or with friends or with kids you've just met. Your obsessive love for elephants makes me smile and reminds me of who you truly are; strong and proud and dependable. You also never forget anything (you get that from me). I love you for how well you share and what a grateful and unspoiled child you've become. Your father and I have high hope & expectations for you and I'm sure you'll rise to the occasion as necessary.

I love that your favorite color is purple and that you could give two shits about what people think about you. You are independent but not stubborn (you get this from your dad). You have an acute attention to detail and a slight obsessive-compulsive nature that can be enlightening and maddening all at the same time. You are a perfect mix of your dad & I and shining example of everything that is right with the world. So on your birthday, my little Coley Monkey, my wish for you is another year of playfulness and a lifetime of happiness (mixed in of course with some Legos and cake).

My love always,

Mom