Will is FOUR!

Dear Will,

I am a month late in writing this, but better late than never.  Happy 4th birthday my precious little Will Bug!  

It is so hard for me to believe that it's been four years since you made me a mama...and ultimately changed my heart forever.  You are the sweetest, most loving little boy in the world and I am truly blown away at your ability to make my heart burst the way you do.  The last few months, you have become such the charmer-always giving compliments and telling me how much you love me.  You have a mind like a steel trap and can remember anything and everything we have ever done or discussed(this amazes your daddy!)  You have continued your love for all things garbage truck, and your relationship with Isaiah has only gotten stronger.  Each week you ask me, "is tomorrow garbage day?" and you do not stop asking until the answer is "yes!"  We have gotten to see our special friends every week this summer while you've been out of "school" and this has brought you so much excitement!

 You love to "do" for others and it's usually your idea to give our friends cold Gatorade or make them cookies.  For your birthday, I called the Environmental Services Department to see about getting a tour of the facility and it ended up turning into a small birthday party for you and some of your sweet friends.  I am so proud of you for loving others the way Christ loves us.  I feel like I am getting a glimpse into the kind of heart you're going to have as you grow up, and it makes me cry tears of joy to consider what a compassionate little fella you're going to be.  When Doc was leaving on his mission trip, you got money out of your piggy bank to give to him and it was YOUR idea.  You truly do consider others in such a big way to be such a little guy!  

Your favorite foods are chicken nuggets, yogurt, all fruit (especially strawberries and watermelon), oreos, biscuits with honey, and Sprite(which you discovered when you had an upset tummy and ask for at every restaurant we go to!).  
Your favorite books are the Bible, Truck Stop, Are you my Mother, Pete the Cat, and pretty much any and all other books!  You love to read and you memorize books well...and then read them to Livi.  Your favorite movies are Finding Nemo, Frozen, Stuart Little and Home Alone.  I recently introduced the original Parent Trap to you and you love it because it was my favorite movie as a child.  You think it's so funny to hear me quote the entire movie(you're probably the only person that will ever think this is funny!)  
You have started to love the pool this summer and you and Livi both ask, "is today a pool day?"  You do not like being in the "big pool" without your puddle jumper on, but the fact that you're no longer scared of the water is a huge step!  You love to do down the big slides and love to jump off the sides of the pool. You are doing really well riding your bike, but you would much rather be playing "garbage trucks" or building things in your sandbox.  You continue to sleep with your lovies, "Rover and Denny" and you cannot go to bed or nap without them.  You've been asking about getting another puppy for a few weeks now.  I think Gus' death has just now set in for you and you're longing for another dog.  You are not scared of animals and you LOVE bugs!  You and Livi would search the backyard for bugs for hours!  

Will, I am so proud to be your mom and I pray your sweet spirit continues to grow with you.  I pray your heart for others will only grow as you develop a heart for Christ.  I pray your consideration for others will help you to be the friend that "sticks closer than a brother"(Proverbs 18:24). I pray that you guard your heart when it comes to relationships, but that you will love with your whole heart when you meet the right woman.  I pray that your daddy and I can model marriage in such a way that you will want to have a marriage just like ours.  I pray that you will have courage to stand firm in your convictions and that you will set your mind on what is eternal.  I know you're only four years old, but these are big things...and I want you to know that these were things I was already praying even at your birth.  

I love you Will bug!  You are one sweet little guy and I am so thankful to get to be your mommy!!!  

Love you, Mama

Happy Birthday Livi Lou!

Dear Livi,

Happy Birthday sweet girl!!!  I must admit your birthday was bittersweet this year.  It is such a joy to watch you grow up, but very hard on your mama to accept that her last baby is no longer a baby.  I know you will get tired of hearing me say, "you'll always be my baby", but you will.  I am so enjoying getting to watch your little personality develop.  You are such a spunky little girl and I pray that spunk is always a part of who you are.  You already show so much confidence and assertiveness...even at the young age of two!  Your poor brother is usually the recipient of said assertiveness, but as y'all get older, I think he too will appreciate that you are not afraid to stand up for yourself.  My favorite part of your unique little personality is that you are so spunky, but also the most loving little girl in the world.  You love to give hugs and are very spontaneous with showing your affection...which I adore!  When Daddy leaves for work in the morning, you yell "hug!" and insist on giving him two to three hugs before he can walk out the door! The other day Will got sent to his room and was crying and you went upstairs to be with him and even took him a book you know he likes!  I was truly blown away at your young ability to understand that Will was sad and you wanted to cheer him up!(I may have teared up watching you).

You are starting to talk a lot more and LOVE to make animal noises!  You point to everything and call it by name.  You say your name, "Iveeee" and you say Will's name as "Wool".  You push your whole little body into mine and yell "ROCK" while we are reading books, because you love to rock.  You still adore all things baby doll and are immediately drawn to any baby we see in public.  You love going to the playground and swinging and climbing ladders are your favorite activities as of late. You are still a great sleeper and are usually a great little eater!  If you don't want, or don't like, what is on your plate, you simply push it away and say "uh-uh!"  I must admit that "uh-uh" and "no" are probably your two favorite words.  You love milk and it's the first thing you ask for in the morning.   You can put your shoes on by yourself and insist on putting on your own bloomers.  You can take off all your own clothes and unfortunately do this with your pajamas!  You still love "bunny buns" and cannot sleep without her!

I can describe so much about you, but what I can't fully describe is how much love I have for you in my heart!  I love you to pieces "Angel Girl" and I cannot imagine our family without your precious smile and your contagious laughter!  I think I say this every time I write you, but I truly cannot thank God enough for the gifts I have in you and Will.  I want you to know that your brother ADORES you!  I know you may question this at times in your life if he continues to pick on you the way he does now, but I a want you to remember that he loves you so much.  Your big brother planned your birthday dinner and was so proud that he picked things he knew you would love:  princess cupcakes, princess plates, pizza and capri suns).  He even asked me to open his piggy bank so he could buy you a present with his very own money.  I took Will to Target last week while you were at moms morning out and he picked you out a gift all by himself and I wish you could have seen how proud he was giving the Target checkout girl a ziplock bag full of quarters!!!  He told me the whole way home, "Mama, I think Livi is going to love her present!"  My prayer for the two of you is that you are more than siblings, but rather that you're best friends.  I want y'all to cling to the fact that God made you siblings...and that he made you siblings for a reason.

Happy 2nd birthday Livi Lou!  I will quit writing you all my sentimental details, because I am sobbing as I write...but please know you are loved!!!

Love, Mama (4-16-16)

Ol' Gus...

Today as our children napped, there was a new silence that we haven't experienced in some time.  It's a quiet that has lost the sound of paws walking across the hardwoods.  A quiet that has no sound of water being lapped up out of the metal  bowl. A quiet that does not whimper to be let outside.  It's the quiet that comes from having no pet in your home...and that's a totally new sound for us.  Today we told our black lab, Gus, goodbye.  Gus was the gentlest, sweetest, most loving dog you'd ever own.  I can say that because my dog, that died two years ago, was the polar opposite of Gus.  Gus entered my life when Cullen and I started dating and then became my second fur baby when we were married.  I am the first to admit that having two young children, and an aging dog, has not always made my O.C.D ways easy, but today I find myself grieving for the loss of such a sweet part of our family.  

It was just 5 years ago, on April 27th 2011, that we thought we had lost Gus.  Gus was in Cullen's home when the massive tornado hit Tuscaloosa, destroying his house...the house that Gus was in when it hit.  We searched and searched for Gus, and were so grateful when the call came in days later that Gus was safe and in someone's basement. I will never forget the way Cullen took off through the debris to get to the adjoining neighborhood where Gus was being kept and tended for...it was truly our bright spot in a dark and challenging time.  Gus surviving the tornado eased so much pain for Cullen and I think we always considered Gus our little miracle dog.  It was the following Christmas that a knock occurred at the door of our new home. We opened the door to find a couple standing with a gift bag and card addressed to "Gus".  The precious couple shared with us that they had been trying to track us down to let us know that they believed Gus had helped save their lives during the storm.  They shared that they were in their storm shelter and thought the tornado had passed and were getting out when Gus came running into them and they looked up to see the tornado coming...so they went back into their shelter, and took Gus with them.  After the tornado had passed, Gus ran off and that's when the other family took him in and cared for his wounds and cared for him.  They were convinced that if Gus had not come barreling into them, that they may have exited their safe place prematurely.  Gus got to see his April 27th friends that evening and they got to give him the gourmet dog treats and thank you card they had brought.  I share this story because it is a perfect reflection of what kind of dog he was...a hero of sorts.  

Gus will be missed by us all...but I know Cullen will miss him more than anyone.  I am thankful for his life, and am thankful for all that our pets have taught us about love and loyalty. Gus and Cheney have both left scratches on the floor, and an amazing amount of dog hair...but the paw prints on our hearts is what we will cherish forever.  

Cheney and Gus...shortly after we found Gus, May 2007.