A Note From Mom: Sweet Little Elly, You're FIVE!!!!

Oh, my little Sweetness! It's unbelievable to me that you are five. You are such an amazing soul. Your kindness slays me and the genuine generosity that pours from your heart sometimes makes me catch my breath. You are being molded for greatness. 

I pray that you will always exercise the bravery that stirs within you (though it TERRIFIES me!) and always act upon the goodness and love that you have for others. I pray that you always cling tightly to the courage to do the right thing, and that you never stop reminding me how big God is. 

You are my little Snugglebear and I love you deeply.

A Note From Mom: Judah Is A Three Year Old

That face... that smile gets this little boy out of a lot! Judah continues to amaze me with his tenderness and consideration. He offered to give me a massage the other day and then proceeded to roll his cars and trucks across my back. I now get one every time I go into his room because I told him how awesome it was. Every so often he tells us things that he thinks are awesome. "Mom, that car is awesome." "That airplane is awesome, Mom." He loves to be read to. He's just beginning to engage in drawing and will now draw things specifically for me, and I love it so much.

He'll regularly go up to his room and play with his trucks or trains or tools for quite sometime and he's fascinating to watch and listen to. One day I heard him talking and had apologized for not hearing exactly what he said and he replied, "No, Mom... I just talkin' to myself." I love watching him interact with his sisters. He loves on Ruby so much, singing to her ("You Are So Beautiful To Me" is his go-to and it is amazing) and holding her hand in the car when she's upset. Him and Elly can play for hours together or just sit doing their own thing, but together... super sweet moments that I want to have in my memory forever. Lucy and him are SO much alike. Both are high energy and LOVE to have as much fun as you can possibly have together, and they do.

Judah, you are incredible. I hope that your tender heart is always able to empathize and engage with others the way it does now. I hope that you always choose to do the right thing... even if it takes you a minute to decide. I hope your love for tools and fixing things lends you great opportunities to serve others. I love you so incredibly much and feel so humbled at the thought of getting to be your mom. Happy Birthday, little Buddy!!

She's SIX!

Ooooh... my little Lucy. This last year you turned into a kid. Like a real kid that functions on your own, thinks your own thoughts, questions what you don't understand completely... a real, live kid. I love it and it also makes my heart ache as though a piece of it is slowly detaching. And that is what you're doing. You're a little piece of my heart, my soul, that is growing into it's own. It's amazing to watch.

You have an amazing sense of humor. Gosh, you make me laugh... so, SO much. Your dance moves are incredible and I hope you always have the confidence to be in the middle of a crowd and break out into a flamenco dance.

Your mind bewilders me. I hope your love for knowledge never ceases. I hope so much that someday you are a "book writer" because that's what you dream of right now. And I hope that the One who gave you that dream uses it for the good of many. You have always been this little light of mine and I hope that this dream allows you to radiate the darkness.

Never stop drawing, never stop painting, never stop creating, because you are SO creative. I love seeing the world through your eyes. 

Little Love... I adore you. I think you're one of the greatest people I've ever known. You're definitely the most energetic. Your smile makes me melt, and your laugh is contagious. I love you to the moon and back. Happy Birthday, kid!

A Note From Mom: Elly is FOUR!!

My little Snugglebear is four today.

Four years of irresistible dimples and sparkly blue eyes. Elly has been mine from the start, a true Momma's girl. Though she's becoming a bit more neutral these days; when she draws draws pictures, she now says that they're for both me AND Daddy. She wrestles with him more; she could sit and listen to him read to her all day. But in the middle of the night when she wakes up and needs snuggling... it's still me that gets that honor. 

This little lady can overwhelm your heart with her kindness and generosity towards others. And then moments later, you'll see her biting or hitting her sister or brother and remember she is indeed a little human. One of the sweetest naughtiest little humans that you just want to squeeze because you just can't get enough of her!

I love her... so incredibly much.

Ellyott, you make me want to be better. You make me want to love deeper and be kinder because I see the effects it produces in others when I see you exercising these virtues. I pray that your love for others only continues to deepen and that you're able to see people through the eyes of your Maker. Little girl, I KNOW that you were created to be used for great things, whether big or small, you will be used in grand ways.

I love you, Elly Belly.

A Note From Mom: Little Buddy is TWO.

This little guy is two today. He's a character. He loves to sing and dance. He's ready to do just about whatever it takes (even if it gets him in trouble) to make his sisters laugh... and they always do. 

Judah has such a sweet, tender soul already. He's the first to go get one of his sister's blankets off their beds if they need comforting. When he says he's sorry, he'll hug you and rest his head on your shoulder. He's just sweet.

He can also be SO naughty. A different kind of naughty than his sisters. And it's cute and frustrating all at the same time. It's different because he knows already that he is a man... a little man, but he is a man. And a man protects and provides and leads those around him... which can be difficult to do when you're only two and the youngest. But it's in him and I love to see it come out in different ways.

Judah, you're the only boy that has ever even come close to having a place in my heart comparable to the boy I love most, your dad. And it's because you're just the tiny version of him. The version that I can pick up and squeeze and hug and kiss and love on and you can't do anything about it because you're still smaller than me. The kindness and generosity you already show people gets me so excited to see how the One who created you will continue to use those gifts throughout your life. Your little heart already leads you to serve others in ways that blow my mind. 

Little Buddy, I love you so much and everyday I find more and more things that I love about you.

Happy Birthday, little man!