Bridger, Bridger, Bridger.

If you have ever met this kid we call Bridger then it would be apparent to you that he is unique. He is not the model child that wows his audience by his preforming like a little adult. No, he is pure kid. He has TONS of energy, TONS of imagination, and TONS of emotion bursting out ALL the time. He is a joy but I have to admit he is a very big handful of Bridgerness. At various moments of being his mother I have asked myself, "is it just me or is it ten times the work to raise Bridger then it is for every other kid in this world?" I often am thankful he was our first. We had no idea that he took so much extra energy to raise. We just loved him to pieces and thought every other child was boring and lacking in personality in comparison. This past summer as we lived in other people's homes it became even more apparent as they too found him a really fun, enjoyable, and mischievous handful. I asked both my mother and my mother-in-law for advice seeing how I love how their kids have turned out. Both sincerely said they had no idea what I could do to rein in my Bridger. They both said, " I never had a Bridger." While it made me feel a little worried I have to say it was a little validating to hear that I am not a bad mom, I just have a boy with five times the energy and "creativity" then the average child. I mean, as I type this he has unrolled a role of toilet paper and is now making me into "a princess" with it. I am adorned with a crown, a necklace, three bracelets, one ring and one slipper beautifully made out of toilet paper. How could you not love and hate that simultaneously?!?!? So cute right?!? And yet I just lost a roll of toilet paper and have half an hour of picking up tiny pieces of toilet paper ahead of me. I LOVE this kid like crazy and never want him to lose what makes him so wonderfully him but it is good to know that when I have moments of trying my hardest to not pull my hair out that it is not a reflection of my poor parenting skills but just part of the mostly fabulous job I've got as his mother.

The other night as I talked to my niece (she is 24) about how it was to raise Bridger and worried out load that I was doing a terrible job she cut me off and told me how great I was doing. She said she watched me with him and was so impressed with how well I do with him. She said I was the perfect mother for him. I cant tell you how much it means to me to hear that. I often get looks and comments of disapproval that usually just roll off my back but sometimes they add up and I start to get me all sad. So I am glad that someone sees a method to my madness as I try to be a good mother to this Bridger Man. I like to think that he's a free spirit brought to this world to tackle giants and spread around some joy.

He just asked me to marry him. So sweet. This boy has such a big heart! He has a tender heart...he loves deeply, he loves being loved, he loves to upset people but hates to disappoint, he loves to laugh and cuddle, he loves to run and jump and play, he loves to fight and kill every bad guy he can find, he has little interest in sitting still and reflecting on the serious things in life but when he dose it changes him and impacts him deeply, he has an insatiable sweet tooth, he has a beautiful testimony and often tells me that he wants "Jesus to come down to be with us."

Bridger, you are such a perfect fit for me. You help me where I am lacking(being spontaneous, playful, and wild) and I help you where you need it (show you that you are cherished and loved, how to be reverent and gentle, and to heal your "broken heart").

Your daddy loves you with his whole heart. I saw it the moment you were born. I will never forget the love that was present in those first hours after your birth. I have rarely seen your daddy so utterly over joyed. I know he has a very special place in his heart for you. He gets homesick for you so easily and has been missing you very much.

Bridger even though you get into trouble at least 20 times a day I am so glad its me who gets to stick you in timeout, cuddle you, tackle you, read to you, talk to you all day long, and tuck you in at night. I just love being your mommy. Thanks for picking us to be your parents. We count it as a great and FUN honor to have our hands filled by you.