It’s your second birthday today, Klaus! It’s both difficult to believe that you’re two, and impossible to believe that you’re only two. You’re nearly 3 feet tall, and a healthy 35 pounds, but you’re still such a snuggle-child sometimes. You’re smart and talkative, always eager to be in on the conversation, with your deep, bellowing man-voice, whether we’re discussing politics or teaching Sophia how to read. 

You are a whirlwind child–you follow your big sister’s every lead at a pace not too much less than the speed of light. 

You are a fierce lion child too–you growl on demand and take your sister’s toys with a bravado that belies your size. Though she is a many inches taller than you, and uses that height to her advantage, you somehow manage to hold your own, coming out on top at least as often as you lose. 

Sometimes though, in between being a whirlwind and being a lion-child, you are as still as a lake in midsummer. You climb into my lap, or ask to ‘hold you’ and I can still kiss your soft cheeks, smooth your rumpled hair, and wonder at the depths of your chocolate brown eyes.

Everyday with you is full of adventure, Klaus, and as swiftly as these years seem to go by, I’m thankful for every second that I am your mama. Your birthday is one of the best days of my life. Happy birthday.