***I am so thankful to be a part of this blog circle "Letters to our Sons" with so many amazing photographers and moms. In honor of our love for our little boys, we are posting a monthly image(s) along with a corresponding, heartfelt letter. After reading my post, please click HERE to continue around the circle, starting with my very talented and good friend Jill Cassara.

"So, how many hats does Cash have?'"

This is a question Pow-Pow often asks when we go and visit him and Grandma.

"Well," I say, "quite a lot."

Dear Cash, my son and wearer of many hats ~

You have been wearing hats since before you could walk --- heck, before you could talk! At six months old you wore your first one; it was a newsboy hat and it was white, for your baptism. I don't recall you keeping it on all that long that particular day, but by the time summer arrived three months later, you were hardly out and about without one. On your first birthday that September, a family friend gave you a plaid newsboy hat that looked just like the Kangols Daddy always wears. To this day, one of my all time favorite photos and the inspiration for me to dust off my camera and delve into photography again, is of you and Daddy in Central Park wearing your newsboy hats. It makes my heart swoon.

Just after your first birthday we made a trip to southern California. By then you had several newsboy hats - plaid, houndstooth and pinstriped. During a stroll through the village of San Clemente, we came across a black gingham porkpie that would become your signature hat - above all others. From that point on you didn't go anywhere without your porkpie, drawing smiles and comments from passersby everywhere. You have gingham, plaid and blue wooly ones for the the colder months and blue/white and black/grey straw ones for the warmer months. Dad and I are still surprised to this day how attached you have become to your hats and how you fuss when someone takes it off your head. It's no wonder that Jon Klassen's book,"I Want My Hat Back", about a bear who has lost his hat and desperately wants it back, is one of your favorites. Equally amusing to you is Klassen's sequel to the book, "This Is Not My Hat", about a fish that stole a hat and will probably get away with it, that Santa put under the tree for you this Christmas.

"A hat is a flag, a shield, a bit of armor, and the badge of masculinity. A hat is the difference between wearing clothes and wearing a costume; it's the difference between being dressed and being dressed up; it's the difference between looking adequate and looking your best. A hat is to be stylish in, to glow under, to flirt beneath, and to make all others seem jealous over. A piece of magic is a hat." ~ M. Sliter

Above is a collage of photos of you wearing various hats throughout your first three years of life, which by the way, was an absolute joy to create. To the left is the photo of you and Daddy that I cherish most of all, for reasons already mentioned. Framed and prominently placed on our bookshelf, I find myself looking at it all the time.

You are my little dapper don, my pint-sized aficionado whose hat wearing is a vital part of your personality and style. Who knows if your little brother will become such a fan, but it was just this month that he started wearing your white newsboy hat - the first one you ever wore.

Hats off to you my son! May you always be king of your own swagger.

Love always and forever,

Mom