My first born is FIVE!

 June 26th, 2017

Happy 5th Birthday Will Bug!!!

 I am a month late in writing you, but that's just because we've been busy having fun!  We had a wonderful trip to Chattanooga celebrating your birthday!  When I asked you what you wanted for your birthday,  your response was "to stay in a hotel"...so that is exactly what we did!  We went to the aquarium, the incline railway, the splash pad, and went to ride on a train!  It was a great trip and I think you and Livi's favorite part was the hotel pool because it had a water slide.  

Will, you continue to be the sweetest little boy in the world!  You have a tender heart that considers others and you process so much with your emotions.  You had a great year this year at Northport Baptist Dayschool...and I watched as you went from having a lot of timidity, to being so outgoing and coming right out of your shell!  It was so fun to pick you up to hear about all the fun you had with your friends and all the things you had learned. You are an awesome story teller and love for Daddy to tell you "tall tales" at bedtime.  You love to be read to, love LEGOS, love all things NERF, and you are the best lizard catcher around! 

 As of late you have been setting up "lizard traps" in the backyard and I adore your creativity in telling me how each one works.  You have really started enjoying soccer and will play again this fall...at your request! :)  You are super excited about going hunting with daddy this fall and have told me repeatedly that you want to shoot a deer.  You and Daddy still love going to the woods together and have recently had a ton of fun fishing at the creek.  You have gotten bigger and taller, but you will still let me pick you up and you still love to snuggle...which makes my heart grow exponentially!  You have recently started giving me compliments and just this morning  you took my face in your hands and said, "mama, you look so beautiful!"  I truly cannot put into words how much your sweet spirit lights up my life.  You are SUCH a precious big brother to Livi and during VBS last week I observed you loving on her during the music time and "watching over her"  with such pride and such a protective nature.  You and your sister love to have sleepovers in the playroom in your sleeping bags...and I love watching y'all's friendship grow.  

Your newest expressions include, "oh my gracious", "oh my grief", "I love you with my whole heart", and "it's because I'm five!"  You are a lover of all fruits and you would eat tomatoes every day, all day!  You have a sweet tooth (like your mama), and I am constantly battling you and your desire for more Oreos :)  You have gotten so much better with your swimming and you no longer insist on wearing your puddle jumper in the pool.  Your drawing skills have also improved dramatically and I love your "real life" pictures of our family, and the garbage trucks!  You are still the #1 fan of the garbage truck and all our sweet friends on the truck!!!  You and Isaiah continue to have such a special friendship and I love watching you wait for the garbage truck to see if he's driving the truck!  You and Daddy have recently starting having very competitive games of Checkers where you have mastered the triple jump!  You and I planted  your first sunflowers this year and I so enjoyed watching your enthusiasm as you watched them grow.  

I love watching your heart and your mind yearn to know more about God...and in the last few months you have started asking so many questions and your prayers have gotten so precious!  I pray that you never stop seeking Christ in your life and I pray for the day that you accept Him into your heart.  I continue to pray your life verse over you...

Ephesians 3:16-19

 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

We love you so much Will and you bring so much joy into our lives!!!

Love, Mama