My sweet boy, what a joy you have brought to us these past few years. I was contemplating all the ways in which you have made our family better, and the word that kept coming to mind was "joy". You have an incredibly happy, good natured spirit and we are so lucky to have you with us.
2020 was kind of a doozy for a lot of people. The world was catching on fire, there was a massive world wide pandemic that may still carry on for years to come, and I won't even get into Trump and the mess he made because Grandma will get excited and start defending him. Then riots began DURING the pandemic, and an earthquake hit Utah and Idaho during all of this. Life can be crazy, but at the center of my life is a sweet, smiling, little guy, ready to tackle whatever is placed in front of him!
Because of the pandemic we decided that we would be homeschooling. It was a hard decision, but one that ended up bringing our family into VERY close quarters, and we saw growth, and we learned new things about one another. It turns out you are the CUTEST little homeschooler. You are so eager to learn! You were reading by the age of 3, and figuring out how to do addition problems. You also started picking up Spanish and now I can tell you things in Spanish and you respond quite easily in English. You UNDERSTAND SPANISH! That is really exciting for me. I love teaching and you love learning. Can you be my sidekick forever???
Also, this year we continued to foster your little relationship with Grant and Sofia. You loved to approach me and explain the following:
Cort: Mom, I have 3 friends.
Mom: Oh, really? Who are they?
Cort: Lukey, Sofia, and ... That's it. I have 3.
We would have this little discussion over and over, but you never could come up with that 3rd little friend. It made me smile though to think that you and Sofia might be dear friends as you grow up.
This past summer you also proved to be just the happiest little friend, willing to cuddle, play quietly when needed, and throw the iPad when overstimulated. When I broke my foot Grandma came to take Lily, Sawyer, and you up to Washington for 3 weeks while I healed. Grant was to stay home and be my best little helper. Instead, you began throwing up in Boise, on the way back to Grandma's. Your asthma kicked in, and Dad and I made an emergency trip up there to bring you back home. My foot throbbed, but I insisted on coming, because I knew my little guy needed his Mommy and Daddy. We held you as you cried and tried to breathe, and you snuggled in close.
It was extra scary because we almost lost you last December. You had a terrible asthma attack, and in your struggle to breathe I ran you over to the ER. The doctor was so happy to see you start to breathe normally again, and I cried tears of relief that you were going to be okay. It made me realize again just how special you are to me, little Corters. I'm so glad that Heavenly Father decided you could stay and be mine awhile longer.
We also moved you into a bedroom with Grant. We were all biting our nails at that one. But both you and Grant are amazing roommates! Grant has been such a good brother to you and has shown you the ropes of sharing a room. You still want to sleep on your crib mattress on the floor, even though I set up a special big boy bed just for you. But it's okay, because I know you will grow up eventually, and if you want to stay little for awhile longer, I can handle that, given you are my last.
Some of your favorite things are jumping on the trampoline, sharing a room with Grant, playing legos, playing with Sawyer's cars, watching Sawyer play Roblox, Lily's best friend (Paisley), climbing constantly onto my counters to get "drinks", getting your own water from the fridge, playing "Nerts!", doing puzzles, coloring, and sneaking out the back gate. You do NOT like me singing, and you do not love to sit and have people read to you. You also like to say "Poopy butt" and laugh, but we are working on that.
I love you little man. I can't wait to see you continue to grow and learn this next year!
Love,
Mommy
