Cohen Jacob {2}

Loveable. Funny. Smart. Sweet. Wild. Strong. Leader. Strong will. Daredevil. Beautiful. Cuddly.


Dear Cohen,

Just like that I am writing to you on your 2nd birthday.  It seems like just yesterday I heard the words "it's a boy" and I was able to hold you for the first time!  You have been such a special addition to our family.  I can't remember life without you!

You are such a light in this world!  Your smile is adorable and your dimple MELTS me.  Your brothers love you so much!  You are always just 1/2 a step behind and following EXACTLY what they are doing.  You have a masters degree in climbing.  That is probably why you have already been to the emergency room two times.  Take it easy on me boy...

You are funny and love to make us laugh.  You tell us "knock knock" jokes.  You laugh and that makes your jokes even funnier!  Your favorite song is "happy birthday to you."  I never want to forget the way that you call my name.  There has never been a sweeter sound!  I take mental snap shots in my mind of you at this very age.  I always want to remember your little rabbit teeth, killer dimple, and beautiful big blue eyes.

You are so special and I am so glad that God selected me to be your momma.  You are a blessing to all who know you!  Keep smiling and the world is yours!  Happy birthday and dream BIG my baby.  You are a good boy and will do great things in this world...

All my love,
Mommy

Make a wish and dream BIG my baby...

Roman Wade "4"

My dearest Roman,

I always want for you to know how special you are to me.  From the first moment that I looked at you it was love at first sight.  I am so blessed to be chosen as your Momma!  Your little personality is evolving.  You are really shy and don't like to be the center of attention.  I pray that you grow to be comfortable in your skin.  You are my middle baby and are deserving of a little extra love and attention.  You are a Momma's boy and enjoy tagging along with me to run errands and grocery runs.

You are active and love to be involved in our everyday work.  You don't have much interest in television.  You would prefer to cut the grass with daddy or bake with mommy.  I pray that you always keep such a strong work ethic.  This quality will take you far in life.

You are a boy with many interest.  You love working and also people who work.  You love music, (favorite songs are Amazing Grace, You never let go, and Sing Sing Sing) superheroes just like your big brother, John Deere tractors, and garbage trucks.  I mean you REALLY love garbage trucks.  You also really love to have fun!  I love nothing more then to watch you at a party.  Your smile lights up my world!  I adore your sweet spirit!  You play well with others and you love your brothers.  You are smart, you are kind, and you are really funny!  You speak so well and your vocabulary blows us away!

This past year we have had our challenges.  Boy, you have a will of steel!  I like to say that you take after your Daddy and he says you take after me!  Either way, your steel will comes from your daddy!  ;)  You sometimes get embarrassed and have a really hard time redirecting.  When this happens we pray over you and your Daddy puts on Amazing Grace.  Jesus has a way of calming your spirit and the music soothes your soul.  You are so special and God has great plans for you!

I can not wait to see what next year has in store for you.  However, would you stop growing up SO QUICKLY!?!  Four years has happened in a blink of an eye.  Whatever God has in store for you it is bound to be special because YOU are special.  Always know how deeply loved that you are.  Today and always, "you're a good boy and will do great things in this world..."

All my love,
Mommy

Roman {3}

Dear Roman,

My sweet, loving, beautiful, smart, witty, sensitive, fiery, timid, and compassionate 3 year old boy.  I will never be able to put into words how much I love you.  You bring so much joy to my life.  I look at you and I see me.  Oh my goodness.  The idea of that really excites and scares me!

Once you entered our lives 3 years ago I began to really enjoy being a mother.   With you I threw out the "rule books" and parented from my gut.  Oh how that was such a freeing feeling.  Thanks for being patient with me as we figure out this here life together.

You are such a sensitive soul.  You often wear your heart on your sleeve and shy away from any sort of attention.  Your sensitive and compassionate spirit will take you very far in life.  Stay sweet my baby.

You have so much love for others.  I am amazed to watch you both with your big and your baby brother.  You compliment each of them so perfectly.  I love to watch the bond that each of you has as brothers grow.  Root deep my boys.  You are the best friends that you will ever have.

"3" is one of those ages that comes with many challenges.  Intentional defiance sets in, boundaries are tested and limits are pushed.  This year is sure to come with many highs and lows.  We will both grow through this.  Always know that, "you are a good boy and will do great things in this world..."

"3"... bring it on!

All my love,
Mommy  

Griffin love

Dear Griff,

You are on my heart tonight.  I need for you to know how proud I am of you.  I hope that I tell you enough.  

You have such a kind heart and desire to please others.  You are so gentle with Cohen and are beginning to play really well with Roman.  You are the best big brother.  You are the oldest and have little eyes studying your ever move.  Teach the little ones well.

You will begin Pre-K4 at the big school next week.  I pray that you go into the school and be a light.  Keep your kind heart when you are exposed to the big world out there.  I am sad to say that it can be a very cruel place.

You ask me several times a day, "Mommy are you happy?"  The answer is yes I am.  You make me happy and I am so very proud to be your Momma.  I love you more then you will ever know.  Always know that, "you are a good boy and will do great things in this world!"

All my love,
Mommy

I received this sweet note on Griff's last day with Miss Deb.
This truly makes my heart sing...

Roman "2"

Dear Roman,

In the blink of an eye you are "2" years old.  I have no words to describe how much I love and adore you.  You have brought so much joy to our lives over the past 2 years.  Before you were born it was hard to imagine being able to love our second child as much as the first.  Then we met you and it was quite simple.  You are so lovable.  You are so cuddly and huggable.  You are a good boy.  You are our special gift sent from up above and we can't imagine life without you!

I love your spirit and the "life" that you bring to the room.  You are fun.  You enjoy playing with others.  You are funny and make us laugh all day long.  You are curious and watch and observe everything around you.  You are smart.  So very smart.  Your babbles have becomes words and now sentences.  You amaze me with all that you have learned over the past 2 years.  You are good and you are loved.

You adore your big brother and follow his every move.  Soon enough you will have a baby brother or sister to follow in your footsteps.  I just know that you will teach him/her well!

I wish I could slow down time, but I can't.  Instead I photograph almost your every move with pictures and words to remember.  I always want to remember you just the way that you are.  I adore your smile and the way that it lights up the world.  You are a light so shine bright!  As I whisper to you every night before bed.... "you are a good boy and will do GREAT things in this world!"

I love you so very much.  When you blow out your candles tonight dream BIG my precious angel...

All my love,
Mommy    

Griffin "4"

Dear Griffin,

I can't believe that you are already "4" years old.  I still so vividly remember the moment that you were born.  You were my first baby.  My first glimpse of a love so great that words can never express just how big it is.  Thank you for being patient with us as we figure out life as a family together.  Hard to believe that something so precious as a child comes with no sort of instruction manual.  Hands down the scariest moment of my life was being rolled out of the hospital with you in my lap.  You were 2 days old and I had no idea what we were supposed to do next.  You were so tiny.  You were so fragile.  You were so precious.  You were mine.

"3" was a very trying year.  You were beginning to become into your own person.  A little person with big ideas and big expectations of the way that things are supposed to go.  I am really excited to see what "4" will look like.

You have added so much to our family.  You challenge me as a mother everyday.  It isn't always pretty but the love that I have for you is never in question.  I am so in love with your heart.  I see that one of your special gifts is serving others.  This is such a beautiful quality that will carry you far in life.  We are working very hard on obedience and following directions.  (I am 35 and still struggle with these same issues.)  I love your smile.  It can light up a room.  I love your spirit and try so hard not to ever squash it.  I love your curiosity even though it occasionally gets you in trouble.  I love you with more than you will ever know.

This coming year is sure to be a year of change and adjustment for all of us.  At the grand age of "4" you have big shoes to fill.  You are a big brother to Roman and another baby on the way.  Roman watches your every single move and wants to be just like you.  Teach him well.  Just as I whisper in your ear every night before bed, "You are a good boy and will do great things in this world."

All my love,
Mommy   

6 years in the rearview

Dear Griffin and Roman,

This week marks the 6 year anniversary of hurricane Katrina.  Although the event was such a dark time in the lives of many so much good has resulted.

Your daddy and I were newly engaged and ready to commit our lives to each other.  We were dreaming of our future together and suddenly everything that we thought that we knew was in question.

I was riding out the storm in Jackson, Miss while your daddy was downtown working at the Ritz Carlton.  At the time he was a manager with the hotel and had to stay behind to take care of guests stranded at the hotel.  It was very hard for me to drive away without him.  I had every intention of riding out the storm with him until at the last minute he packed me up, put me in the car, and set me on my way.

I remember watching the aftermath unfold on television while my heart was breaking.  The love of my life was stuck in the middle of so much ugly while the city that I loved so dearly was rocked to its core.  I remember thinking I can not possibly bring a child into such a broken world.

The days following Katrina were tough and the road was not easy.  We mourned the loss of our things and our city that was no longer.  However a valuable life changing lesson was learned.  We lost possessions but still had each other.  We cried out to God in a way that we never had before.  We were made aware of our vulnerability and weakness.  Without HIM we had nothing.  Without each other we had nothing.  As we started to rebuild our lives we set Him as our foundation.  From that point we started to build our future together.  Literally from the ground up.

The progress that our city has made in the past 6 years is encouraging.  So much good has come out of something so bad.  The memories of this devastating storm will always be with me.  I pray that both of you will never have to experience such a tragic event in your lifetime.  BUT if you ever do know that there is beauty at the end of the rainbow...

All my love,
Mommy

3

Dear Griffin,

I must be honest with you.  The past few weeks have been trying on all of us.  You are "3" and flexing your muscle of independence.  You have pushed the boundaries that we have established and have really tested what I am made of as a mother.  I have recently had some very real  and difficult conversations with myself,  your Daddy, your teachers, and several of my girlfriends.

I have shed many tears and yes I know this is only the beginning.  This whole mothering gig comes with so much responsibility and without an instruction manual.  I am being guided by my gut and my heart.  I pray with you, for you, and over you while you sleep at night.  With God as our center I know that we will get through this together.  

I see qualities in you that already make me so proud.  Your kind heart and desire to take care of your friends.  I pray that you always have such a kindness about you and willingness to serve.  

I have big plans for you my love.  I want your life to be filled with riches.  My dreams are not to see you on the movie screen or the cover of a magazine.  The riches that I want for you will come from your heart.  I want for you to love God and others.  I just want you to be happy.

Every night I whisper in your ear, "you are a good boy and will do great things in this world."  Why do I say this?  I say this because I know it to be true.  Dream big my baby...

All my love,
Mommy

Griffin... 3

Dear Griffin,

I can not believe that  we are already celebrating your third birthday.  It seems like just yesterday you made your "sneak attack" into this world at 36 weeks!  I will always cherish the memories of Dr. P announcing, "it's a boy!"  There is no other feeling like finally meeting the person that you have been in love with for many months.

You have added so much to this world already.  You love life and have such an adventurous spirit.  You are such a blessing to all whose lives that you touch.

God knew exactly what he was doing when he matched us up as a family.  You have so much to offer and you have taught us lessons on seizing the moment!  You have such a strong will and determination.  Both of which are characteristics that will get you places in life.  Thank you for walking with us as we figure out this parenting thing.  I love doing "life" with you my precious baby...

Today we celebrate "You" and create many wonderful memories to hold on to for years to come.  Happy Birthday my precious angel.

All my love,
Mommy

3/10/08
Love at first sight...

3/08/11
The difference of 3 years.
Here you are running outside
of the hospital where you were born.

1st birthday

2nd birthday

3rd birthday