A Note From Mom: RUBES IS SIX!!!

Baby Twin is SIX!! You've always been an old soul wrapped up in a tiny little body. You are curious and smart and so full of love. I pray that you are continually filled with wisdom throughout your days here on Earth.

To be so excited to do something new each day in school is so inspiring to be around. I love how much you love to learn. I hope you continue to have a deep love of learning, that you will always be open to hearing different perspectives, and you will be so grounded in Truth you can't be shaken.

You've been quite the traveler this last year, flying for the first time and seeing the Pacific Ocean! I hope you're always excited to see the world around you... whether it's in pictures or in real life... I hope it always leaves you more in awe of your Maker.

You are something else, Ruby Jane. You fill my days with joy and laughter and I'm so incredibly grateful that I get to walk through this life with you. I love you so much, Babe.

 You are so deeply loved, Rubes McGubes! I pray you take that love and lavish the world with it. Happy Birthday, little Baby!

A Note From Mom: ONE DECADE of ELLY!

Oh, my little Sweetness... you're 10!!! You came into this world as my little Round Baby, tore through the house as a toddler earning you the nickname Baby Destructo, and have grown into one of the kindest souls I've ever known. 

Ellyott Ruth... 'My God is Lord' and 'Friend'... you fully embody the meanings of your name. To watch you sit in awe of your Creator and befriend all that He has created is truly a gift to me. You are a precious creation and I love that you know that deeply. It allows you to view everything and everyone around you as a treasure.

I'm so grateful for you, Babe. I love listening to your stories, hearing you laugh... hearing you sing. You don't sing loudly, but it's so sweet to catch you in a soft melody. I love hearing you whistle. I love seeing you love on people and animals. You are so tender-hearted and gentle.

You are full of the best mischief and I love seeing your eyes twinkle and your dimples pop out when you're up to something. I love seeing where your imagination takes you. You are creative and resourceful and always ready to have a good time or a good snuggle. 

I thank God for you everyday. I'm so excited to see where He leads you. I pray that you continue seeking Him with your whole heart, that you're given eyes to see people the way He sees them, and to have a heart that is able to love beyond reason. Happy Birthday, little 10 year old! You are so deeply loved!!

A Note From Mom: Judah is EIGHT!!

Aw, Buddy... you're EIGHT!!! You've grown so much this year in all ways. You're taller. You're such a gifted artist... please don't ever stop drawing. And building. Your mind astounds me with the creations it comes up with and the way your hands are able to then make it. I pray that you daily ask God to give you imagination, and that you would allow Him to use your hands to create echoes of the perfection that He created.

Your courage continues to grow. You're very brave and you're very tender. You exercise gratitude and thankfulness. I love it so much. May God continue to fill you with gratitude and that you'll always find ways to exercise it and feel Him use it to strengthen you.

You are a very wild little boy, curious and inquisitive. I love watching you interact with your sister, with babies, with everyone. You're very charming, have very cute dimples, and such a handsome smile. You make me laugh and laugh and laugh. And nobody makes Ruby laugh the way that you do. You are my most favorite little boy in all the universe. 

I'm so thankful that we have these years together. I know we'll change and grow together. I know new seasons are coming, so I'm soaking this one in for however long it lasts. I love that you act like you hate kisses but then get that little mischievous smile on your face and let me catch you. You once told me that if I can't recognize you when you're a grown up, you're the one with the three freckles on your cheek. I daily catch glances of those freckles and thank God I still know you so well and that we get to be a part of each other's day and that He gave us to each other.

You are so deeply loved, Buddy! Happy 8th Birthday!!

A Note From Mom: Little Lucy is ELEVEN!

Made your first dress, sewn by hand

My diamond in the sky, my girl with kaleidoscope eyes. You shine so brightly, and you always have. You've always had that mischievous twinkle in your eye, and I hope you always do. 

Babe, I'm just so proud of you. Thinking back on this last year of your life... I'M JUST SO PROUD OF YOU!!!! I know it's hard being the oldest kid in the family. Believe me, your dad and I KNOW, but you were purposed to be just that. You have been gifted with incredible strengths that are being refined and sculpted, and just as you can start to see how a sculpture is taking shape, I see that in you often. Your sisters and your brother are watching closely and cheering you on. It doesn't always feel like that, but you're their big sister... the one who makes up incredible games, the one who's already read that book, the one who will always sing along and dance to every song... you have an incredible influence. I pray that as that influence grows and blooms beyond your siblings, it will be rooted deeply in humility. You are His, and He will use you in grand ways.

Sometimes it's hard for me to see you as the person that you truly are or are growing into. It's hard for me to look at you and not see my little roly-poly baby, but then I overhear a conversation between you and your friends or a family member, and I wonder who this grown up is talking. You have never been one who wanted to grow up too quickly, and I love and appreciate that so much about you. You teeter well between childhood and adolescence. I know you feel the changes coming; I feel them, too. I'm so excited to see this amazing piece of art being created right before my eyes. You are beautiful!!

You are so aware of who God is and what His word says, and I pray that you cling to that. He is so good, He is so powerful, He is so faithful and true. I pray that you always stand firmly on a foundation of truth. I pray that Truth would wrap around you like a fortress, that Integrity would lead you to always do the right thing, even when it's hard or you're the only one doing it. His ways are not our ways... cling to that truth.

I love you, Lucy. I love you and I like you and you're my favorite little Lucy!!! I love walking alongside you through life. You refine me and help me and point me to our Maker everyday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BABE!!!