Mayer In The Middle

My sweet little Mayer, my middle child, my third son who I adore.

Today you asked me a question.

I was listening to John Mayer's new song Half of my Heart on youtube.

You jumped into my lap and said "Mommy, is that man named after me?"

And you pointed to the name Mayer on the computer screen.

What happened?

Just yesterday you were a baby and now you're reading your name and asking important questions.

You are five-years old and start kindergarten in a few weeks.

I need some time to reflect on how fast you are growing up.

Mayer, there was a time when you were my baby.

Always in my arms.

Getting you to smile was easy.

Getting you to sit still wasn't.

And I would introduce you to people as "My Mayer Man."

You came after two old brothers.

Sometimes you liked it.

Other times you didn't.

Amazingly, you keep up with them.

Following in their footsteps.

But you also walk to the beat of your own drum,

like searching for special rocks everywhere we go.

Or wearing your hooded sweatshirt most of the summer.

You are a great big brother to your little sister.

Mayer, you are the middle child and you make us proud.

You light up the world with your smile

and your tongue.

You were able to meet your Great Grandpa before he past away.

You were born on Opening Day of the Diamondbacks, so you win tickets to every opening day game for the rest of your life.

You broke your leg just days after learning to walk.

Even with your cast, you kept on walking (or scooting).

Mayer, Daddy and I prayed for you to be part of our family.

When you were born we wanted a unique and strong name for you.

Something that would represent you well.

We really liked John Mayer and his music (still do).

We researched the name Mayer and found out it was also a town in Arizona.

I feel that you will be a great leader someday, but right now I want to tell you I love having you as my little boy.

So, to answer your question, "John Mayer has your name and you have his."

Mayer, I did something fun and special for you today.

I found John Mayer on facebook and told him about our conversation.

I wrote:

John, you are such a talented musician. I had a son five years ago and named him Mayer. He finally understands he was named after you. We were watching your Half of my Heart video on youtube and he said "Mom, is that me?" I said, "That's who we named you after." He really liked that and I just wanted you to know.

I also wrote John Mayer on Twitter because I hear he tweets a lot.

Mayer, thanks for being my great little guy.

You make me happy, just don't grow up too fast.

What I've Learned From My Children

This last month, the counselor has been doing the morning routine; waking the boys up, making lunches, getting breakfast ready and saying prayer with them before they go to school. Around 7:30am my bedroom door opens and in walk Chandler and Payson, ready to give me a kiss good-bye. Their kisses are soft and smell like Lucky Charms and I love them. I usually drift back to sleep, sent with kisses from my boys. At this point, Mayer usually crawls into bed with me and falls asleep by my side.

My four little boys keep my life busy and my heart full of love. Perhaps this is why I keep having children. The journey is amazing. I never expected to be surrounded by such love. I never knew I had so much to learn.

From Chandler I learn how to be gentle.

He’s gracious with compliments and words of praise.

His sensitivity is one of his greatest gifts. He’s the first to offer help and service when I’m in need. He goes the extra mile with jobs and homework. His work ethic is impressive and he's set a goal to be a doctor some day. He's a great example to his younger brothers. Chandler loves when I scratch his back.

From Payson I learn to celebrate each day.

Payson takes risks and is always the first to try something new.

His sense of humor occasionally gets him in trouble because he is a huge practical joker.

He flips, jumps, runs and shoots with the coordination of someone twice his age. When I introduced myself to a parent at one of his basketball games, she said, “Oh, your son is the one who needs an agent.” To say he is competitive is a huge understatement.

Payson is sincere when asking the funniest questions like “Mom, if there was a penny in my tummy would it be dark?” or “Which is faster – red or black?” I never really know how to answer his questions, but I do now how to run my fingers through his hair and tell him how smart he is.

From Mayer I learn how fast children grow up.

Mayer does everything his older brothers do and he rarely acts like the “little brother.”

He’s independent, strong-willed and incredibly social. He always has a friend by his side.

We spend a lot of time together at the computer. He shares my desk with me and colors while I work on my book. We spend hours this way – he with his work and me with mine. He loves to race and create crashes with his cars. He also likes to take things apart and unfortunately, a lot of what he takes apart ends up in the trash.

From Reef I learn little boys are precious.

He has stolen my heart with his baby talk, drooling kisses and little toes.

“Momma,” he shouts when I walk in the door, making me feel like a superstar. On our daily walks he talks about the moon and ducks and the dogs. He loves dark chocolate and already asks for it by name. The dogs follow him around like he’s their charge and he loves to be outside. Reef is my little side-kick, anxious to go wherever I go.

My boys look so much like their daddy. The gift is I fell in love with the counselor and now have little faces staring back at me that look just like him. In 10 days (or less) I’ll have a little girl to stare at. I can’t wait to see what I learn from her. I love you Eden and can't wait to meet you.