Birthday Boys

My little boys turn three years old on Sunday. I'm overcome with how blessed I am to have them in my life. They are growing up so fast - I wish I could just freeze time right now and have them stay this sweet and innocent. But, I can't do that. Instead, I want to write them each a little message so that they can look back on this time in their life and know exactly how I felt.

Michael,

You are such an independent little spirit. Sometimes I don't know quite how to handle your declarations of independence, but we are working on that together. You have a very developed sense of humor for a little guy and you are always making everyone laugh. My little clown. You see humor in so much around you and I love that about you. You love your baby sister so much, you are always giving her hugs and kisses, and you do such a great job helping me with her. You love to read. You sit and look at your books for hours. You have an appetite for knowledge and are very observant of the world around you. You soak things up like a sponge and then shock me by perfectly reciting something you heard in passing weeks before. You also love to play with your race cars and you have the funniest way of lining them all up in a row. You are the best growler I know - and that includes the dog. You are definitely my little talker and I never know what is going to come out of your mouth. Just the other night as we sat down to eat a very nice dinner, you informed me that "Little boys eat cookies - Mama's and Dada's eat broccoli" and then demanded your cookie for dinner. Last week as we were riding in the van, you told me the sun scared you. I asked if you meant that the sun was hurting your eyes. You said yes, and then you asked me to make the sky dark. I was in awe of your complete faith in me and so badly wished that I could accomplish that for you. I don't ever want to let you down, and I promise to be the best Momma that I can for you!

Happy Birthday sweetheart - I love you!

Tommy,

You have such an enthusiasm for everything in life! Everything you do is done with gusto and passion. Even when you are talking, you can't help but yell every word because you just can't stand to have it bottled up inside. You have always been my tenderhearted one, and you still love to cuddle, but the frequency of those times are starting to slip away as you get older and it makes me sad. Your love for your family is almost fierce in it's intensity. You are very loyal to us and you defend us heatedly at the slightest hint of offense. You were a little unsure of your sister in the beginning, but you have become a wonderful big brother to Juliana. You love to run and jump and are always saying "Momma - watch me!" as you leap off the couch and tumble across the floor. You have the best scowl of anyone I know - strangers even comment on how impressive it is. I can't help but chuckle when I see it, especially when you start to smile a little bit and then struggle to fight the smile. You love to sing. Every night at bedtime, you and your brother help me sing You Are My Sunshine. You take great care in making sure that you say all the words and your little voice is so sweet. It's one of my favorite parts of the day. I hope that it stays in your memory as one of your favorite things too and I promise I will always be there to "watch" you take leaps in your life.

Happy Birthday sweetie - I love you!