Dear boys

Dear Isaac,

My number one prayer for you, other that you grow up to be a man who loves the Lord, is that you grow up to be a man who knew how much he was wanted. By your birthmom. By your Daddy. By me.

I remember that after you were conceived, I asked the Lord why he did it this way. Why did he gave the baby to Bri and not me? If he knew that you were destined for our family anyways, why not just put you there from the start.

But God knows so much better. I look at your sweet smile, your tender heart, your kind voice. And I know those things are a perfect combination of the genes God destined that you be born with. I knew your birthmom when she was a very little one as well. She was passionate about her stuffed animals. Just like you are. She would sit in awe of her favorite Disney characters. Just like you. She loved taking baths and the water and was a good sleeper. Just like you. You are Isaac because God gave you to Bri. And you are our son because God gave you to us.

Now when I look back, I know that, given the chance to control what womb you were conceived in, I would ask the Lord to do it the same way. Because the combination of Chris and Bri gave me the perfect little boy. We marvel at your love of words and colors and shapes. We smile at your interest in buses and trucks. Our hearts overwhelm with happiness when we see you hug your brother or come, a bit knock-kneed, out of your room holding your "Bubby" in one arm and your "Bear" in the other. You think reading books is the reason the Lord put me in your life. When you cry your eyes fill up with tears for many seconds before you ever blink. You like fruits and vegetables and think meat is a wast of time. You look up every time you hear an airplane. You say "please (police)-man" every time we go through the gate. You give big kisses and 1-2-3 squeeze. You love to rub noses.

You, my little boy, are the little boy we always dreamed of. You fit into our family as perfectly as if you were physically born there. We are so blessed that God chose our home to be your home and that he gave a third family to you, your birth family, that love you just as much as we do. Some children don't have one family that loves them. But you have my family and your Daddy's family, and your birth family. Three sets of people that thing you hung the moon.

And speaking of the moon, that's one of your favorite books right now. The one about the moon.

Thank you for being our little boy. I wouldn't change one single thing about you Isaac John. Over two years ago we found out you were destined for our lives and nearly a year and a half ago we held you for the first time. Since that moment, we knew that the Lord took our lives in a certain direction with the plan all along that you would one day be a part of that. How blessed we are to be called "Daddy" and "Mommy" by you. We love you Baby Isaac.



Dear Elijah,

You gave your Mommy quite a bit of trouble in the womb. What with that heartburn and nausea and kicking business. Then when you came out you decided to continue your goofy ways and wait nearly ten minutes to breathe on your own. Very funny little guy!

You are constantly leaving us in stitches. We watch you grunt and caw and giggle and can't help but smile. Your splashing in the tub. Your demolition of your food before eating it. Your ability to tear into the trash can in five seconds flat. Or the way, at the park, you skip all the toys and find a patch of grass to sit in and eat. Your silliness is so charming. And then in the same breath the way your bring us a book and snuggle up into our laps. And the way you will sit and snuggle on our shoulder for hours at a time. Cuddly and silly and funny all rolled up into one chubby little package.

One of our prayers for you is that you stay the gentle giant you exhibit each time you wake up in the morning. The little boy who towers over his friends but is as gentle with Scrubs and his brother as can be. We also pray that you never lose your sense of humor. (Although we do hope that your habit of closing your eyes when you cry and walking into walls doesn't stick with you like it has with your Mommy -- not the crying part but the running into walls part.) We hope that your simple passion for life is something that stays with you as you grow into the man we know God will help you be.

You think all food is delicious and you eat it with much gusto. We have not found a food you do not like. At least not yet anyways. We don't think it's funny that "more" was the second word you learned how to sign. You also think everything in this world was designed to be your toy. Everything. Mostly the things you would never think would be a toy for a baby. Toilet bowl cleaners, trash cans, dog toys, sticks, leaves, dirt, fuzz, drawers, doors, spoons, cups. You love it all. You love everything. Your curiosity is truly the thing that drives me the craziest. But it is the thing that I love the most.

We love watching you follow your brother around even though it sometimes drive him crazy. We pray that the two of you are bonded for life and that you grow up as the best of friends. We are so blessed by our two little boys. You were the perfect combination of an answer to prayer your Daddy and Mommy could have ever asked us for.

We will love you always little Elijah Boy.