November 25, 2015
Dear Will bug,
Thanksgiving is tomorrow, so I wanted to write you and Livi because it has been long overdue! Will...I don't even know where to begin in telling you ALL that you are at 3.5 years old. You are seriously the sweetest little boy in the world! You have such a big heart for people, even at your young age, and I am so proud of the way you consider others. You were coloring in your coloring book tonight and said "Mama, I am coloring these pictures for all the boys and girls that don't have mommies and daddies". I explained "operation Christmas Child" to you this year and it left such a burden on your heart...and I am so proud of your desire to care about those we talked about. You are asking so many questions lately about God and Jesus and are especially absorbed in understanding the Christmas story this year...and this is so exciting to me! Just yesterday you said, "Mama, that mean ol' King Herod wanted to put baby Jesus in a trash can!!!" I had to laugh, because your love of all things garbage truck got mixed into Christmas message, but it showed that you understood how evil Herod was! I love to hear you pray at night, because you always pray for all of those that we have talked about that are sick and in need of healing. There was one night a few weeks ago that I forgot to pray for those in need of healing and when I said "amen", you called me out...which I was thankful for.
You may have been a "late talker" but you are making up for it now, because you never stop...and I love it! It is amazing to me how much information you are processing all the time, and what a sponge for knowledge you have. You know all your letters and can sound them all out! You are coloring in the lines well, and LOVE to color with markers. You continue to be obsessed with garbage trucks, garbage men, recycle trucks, recycling, etc., and our garbage men look for you every Thursday morning, even though they know you're at school on Thursdays now. I waved to them the other day as they slowed down to honk, because they told me they missed their little buddy. I truly believe that you have touched their lives as much as they have touched yours.
You and Livi have started fighting daily, multiple times a day, but I also observe how much you love for her. Livi ate all her blueberries the other morning and we were all out, and you looked in your bowl and picked some out and gave them to her because she was crying for more. I cherish the moments that I see how much you protect her and want her to be happy...and my heart wants to explode. I love seeing you in the role of big brother, because despite the ways you aggravate the heck out of her, it is obvious how much you adore her and worry over her. You still can't say your "L's and V's" very well so her name continues to sound like "Wibby" when you say it...which is pretty stinkin' cute. I heard you yelling "Wibby Woo" the other morning and died laughing, because it was just too sweet.
Will, you have a mind like a steel trap and never forget anything!!! I am always shocked that you can remember things from a year ago and can recall specific details. You learn songs easily and quickly and I think that's why you thrive at Community Bible Study. You always come home singing your Bible verses and telling me all about the Bible stories you learned. I love to hear you recite John 3:16 the very most of all!
You have an infectious laugh and I wish I could make your laugh my ringtone on my phone. Your laugh is a good old-fashioned "belly laugh" as I've always called it and I cannot hear it enough! Thank you for the pure JOY that you bring to our family!!! I ask you all the time, "What do you do to Mommy's heart?" and you respond, "I make it happy!" I pray you always know that I consider it pure joy to be your Mommy and I am so proud of the boy that you are.
I love you Will bug, Angel bug, Will bean, My buddy, and all the other names I call you! Thank you for being the sweetest little guy in the world...I couldn't have dreamed you any more perfect than you are!
Love, Mommy
November 25, 2015
Dear Livi,
I am so late in writing you an 18 month letter, but as I consider all that I am thankful for this Thanksgiving, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to write to you. Livi, you are growing up so fast and your personality is even bigger than you! You are already showing us how sassy, determined and opinionated you can be. One of your favorite terms, as of late, is "uh-uh", as you shake your head no and give a look that emulates that of a teenager. You are starting to talk a lot more, and some of your favorite words include: mama, dadda, Will, bubba, meelk (milk), dog, peese (please), more, book, bebe (baby), and baany (bunny). You LOVE to read books and crack me up when I pick one you don't like because you close it and say "bye bye". You wave to everyone you meet, especially to tell them goodbye and will keep waving violently until they notice you. You adore your big brother and watch him like a hawk, however, you have also learned how to make him crazy-which you do quite well!!! I watched you snatch his toy the other day and run from him, giggling all the way! Praise Baby Christmas is your newest addiction, and you will cackle laughing when a baby comes on the screen-as you point and yell "bebe!!!" You love to dance and move back and forth whenever you hear Mickey Mouse Clubhouse coming on. You are still a wonderful sleeper and sleep about 11-12 hours a night. I love to watch you sleeping on your tummy with your pink bunny tucked under one arm. You love shoes and will put anyone's shoes on your feet and stomp all around the house in them...especially your brother's camo rain boots! Jesus loves me continues to be the only song you want sung at bedtime, and if I start to sing another song, you keep saying "Jesus" until I start singing it again...again I say, you have a very determined little personality.
I am so thankful for your big personality and I pray that you are always full of confidence so you can stand for your beliefs. I am in awe of you and Will and thank God every day that I was chosen to be your Mommy. I know I have written that before, but I truly cannot put into words the overwhelming sense of gratitude I feel for each of you. Your Daddy is so very smitten with you and when you take his hand to walk to his car for "moms morning out" he beams at the sight of you. Will is not always kind to you, but he worries about you and protects you so much-and I love this about him being the big brother. A few weeks ago he was crying at bedtime because he wanted "my sister" and you had already gone to bed. I was getting ready the other morning while y'all were in the den, and I came in to find him "reading" a book to you...my heart melted because it showed me how much he loves feeling like he's helping you. I pray that y'all have a special bond, and this has been my prayer since the day you were born. I was so thankful that Will was going to have a little sister to love and watch out for.
Happy 18 months Livi Lou! Your Daddy and I love you to pieces and cannot imagine our family without you. I am sad at times knowing you are growing up and that you are my last baby...but I combat that with all the joy that watching you grow up brings.
Love, Mommy
