April 20

A.J. is short for Ayden James. Ayden means "little fire" and at the time we named our newborn baby boy that day in April 2004 we had no clue how much he would grow into his name.
This child can singlehandedly melt my heart, completely exasperate me, make me laugh out loud, and make me pull my hair out in one 10 minute span.
He is tenderhearted - as Steve and I both saw this evening when he burst into tears after HE hit Owen with a toy, causing Owen to cry. The mere sight of his brother in genuine tears over his actions sent him over the edge. He was heartbroken.
He is a pleaser - he'll do anything to gain your approval, loves to be a helper and will do anything to make you laugh. He's our clown, our silly kid - the goofy one.
He is a snuggle bug - always wanting and offering hugs, wanting you to "rub me" - rub his back, his arms, just be touching him anywhere. He hates to be alone - still won't sleep alone and even when he is in bed with us, will frequently wake up in the night and groggily whine, "i need you to ruuuubbbbb".
He is an excellent athlete - he started walking at 10 months - which lasted about 2 weeks and he's been running, jumping, hopping, and skipping ever since. He'll jump off anything. From the time he was one, he was jumping off the swing set, off his headboard on his bed, the back of the sofa, the coffee table. He has NO fear.
He's all boy - loves trucks, cars, and especially dirt.
He's high-energy and rarely slows down. A 30 minute mid-day nap will keep him up until 10pm. He's a daddy's boy and he's fiercely independent - "I can DO it!!" "Lemme do it!" but he is a sweet sweet boy and we love him dearly. He adores his big brother and can kick his butt in a foot race any day. He loves Lightening McQueen and peanut butter & jelly. He can eat yogurt by the quart and half a watermelon in one sitting. I don't know if he will ever give up his binky. He is a precious part of this family.

And today, he is 3 years old.

Happy Birthday A.J. We love you.