One More Day to Be Three

Who doesn't love to be the center of attention on his birthday? Today the Second Little Nguyen celebrated his birthday with his preschool friends. Normally very quiet, he came alive when I walked in to join him for lunch in his classroom, and he was full of things to tell me about his special morning. His teacher, Ms. Maribeth, brings out the best in him, and she makes a point to ask him very open-ended questions to help him elaborate on his thoughts. She sat with us and chatted while he ate his lunch, which I thought was very sweet. So many teachers have a different approach, but Maribeth often reminds us how quickly the special moments in these early childhood years fly by, and she welcomes us into her classroom. I am thankful for that.

The Second Little Nguyen loved sharing the ice cream cone cupcakes with his friends, and I have to admit, there were so few crumbs since there were no paper liners to be peeled off before eating them. His grin was a mile wide when his little friends sang "Happy Birthday" to him, and he was delighted to finally be able to choose a prize from Ms. Maribeth's infamous birthday box. He is now the proud owner of a new little pickup truck and a moving van, which he will add to our already vast collection of small die-cast metal vehicles.

When he woke up this morning, we told the Second Little Nguyen that he had just one more day to be three years old. He told us he wished he could be one year old again. We wish that, too. One seems so long ago...