to my jabberin' jack-jack...

I can't believe that you are two years old today. How quickly the time goes by, and how blessed I am to be your mother. Your precious spirit is a blessing to everyone you come in contact with and it is amazing to watch as you grow and become the person God has created you to be. I love to watch you as you discover and learn. You are so intelligent, so helpful, so gentle, so joyful. You have your daddy's sense of humor already and I think you've inherited my love of cleaning! Everyone always has a funny "Jack story" to tell...you just bring joy to so many lives. I never could have imagined, two years ago, as I held your five-pound body in my arms who you would become in such a short amount of time. You teach me daily to slow down and to enjoy each precious moment. Now your 34", 26-pound body is almost overtaking your short mommy, and yet you still ask me each day, "mommy, hold you?", and each night, "mommy, rock you?"

Your laugh is infectious, and I love to listen to you jabber, to hear you say, "i lub (love) you", to watch you play in the floor with your daddy, to see your joy when you see family members who love you so much, to listen to you make up songs on my guitar, to watch as you play with your toys so carefully and examine how each part fits together and works, to hear you count to 14 and spell your name all by yourself (thank you sesame street), and to hear you say, "God is love". I cherish the time that we spend in the rocking chair as we sing and pray and recite scripture with each other. I see in you the innocence that God commands and loves.
I wrote you a letter earlier this year that really sums up so many of the wishes that I have for you right now in my heart. It is so amazing how I can already see God working through your life, and how you my precious son have changed our lives forever. We are so thankful for you, so proud of you, and so hopeful as we look forward to many more years with you. I never could have dreamed how blessed I would be, and with each day my cup runs over even more. It is scary to think about raising a child in the world that we live in today, but I do not fear, because I know that you belong to the Lord...you have always been His. Determination has always been a strong trait within you...you were determined to be here on this earth, and early at that...you fought hard then, and I have no doubt that you will continue to fight hard for the Lord. I am so thankful for you and love you so very much.

The verse that we printed on your birth announcement has been such a reminder to me throughout these last two years of how the Lord knows just what we need and when we need it.


"Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from Him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth." ~Psalm 127:3,4

My son, you are just what we needed. We are stronger because of you and we are blessed to have you in our lives. I pray that you will always know how much we love you and even more, how much you are known and loved by God. You are ours for awhile, but His for all time. Happy birthday, my sweet Jack Jack. I love you, ten thousand miles high.