To Beau, On Your 3rd Birthday

My precious Beau Elias: Today you are turning three - and again I find myself wondering how that is possible?! This year has been such a year of growth and change for you. You went to Thursday school for the first time, got potty trained, and became a BIG brother! The leaps and bounds by which you have moved this year just astounds your dad and me. You talk so plainly and we often get compliments on how clearly people can understand you, as well as how polite and well-mannered you are. It's so neat for me to be able to sit and have conversations with you - and I'm so thankful you'll have them with me! Sometimes, when playing or taking a walk outside, you'll ask if we can just "sit and talk." I treasure those moments with you because in those times, you allow me to see the world through your eyes. You are so smart! I started doing some simple lessons with you this year in regards to letter recognition, counting, colors, and Bible. You now can recognize almost every letter in the alphabet (you have a hard time occasionally with the letter D), can count to 20, know all your colors, and know FAR more in regards to the Bible than I knew at your age. You're actually so quick to catch on that your dad and I have had to look at lessons to challenge you because you seemed bored with most Bible lessons tailored to your age. It amazes us to see you learn so much about your Bible, but we're even prouder when we see you using what you learn in life situations or connect people's names to characters in the Bible. You are wonderful at reminding us to pray at mealtime and you and I always pray a blessing over you before you go to sleep - I think you really like hearing that each night. :) You started going to school once a week this year and did terrific! I think we were a little hesitant at first since it was always you and me, but you seemed to really blossom socially this year, and I think we attribute a good portion of that to putting you with other children during the week. You even made friends on your own, which is something that completely caught us by surprise. It was such a joy to hear you tell me about your days at school and mention the other children in your class and hear you call them your friends - although you're such a sweet buddy, it really should come as no surprise how people would want to be your friend. Just 12 days ago, you became a big brother! Your sister Cora Fair was born on the 15th of this month, so much of being two for you was wrapped up in Mommy's pregnancy. I want you to know how wonderfully you handled it, especially since I didn't feel well often with this pregnancy. There would be times where I needed to lay in bed and you would be so agreeable to that, and would grab books out of your playroom and hop in bed with me and read - I want you to know I'm so thankful for your attitude in those moments. You've been the best big brother and completely adore your sister. You'll sit and watch her and it seems as if she's the only thing in the world to you. You love giving her sugars and hate seeing her cry. Many times you'll ask us if she's crying because she misses you and run over and kiss her and tell her you're there. We see how loving you are and how God has put such a tenderness in your spirit. You've had your moments of frustration with Daddy and I in all the newness and have even thrown a toy or two (to which you were immediately disciplined), but after hearing the toy hit your sister, would fall apart and just sob. In those times your dad and I see just how much you care for her, that it breaks your heart to think of her being hurt - I pray that fierce dedication to her well-being will permeate your relationship throughout both of your lives. As with this age, there have been hard moments. With greater communication sometimes comes greater resistance. Daddy and I have really had to increase our awareness of discipline with you. You're a stubborn child (although your dad and I both are as well, so you just didn't have a chance), so often our discipline with you comes down to your unwillingness to let go of an issue. You're a tender soul, so often it just takes some firm talking out of what's wrong in the situation and taking it to a scriptural point and then "making it right." However, sometimes a spanking is required. No matter how we discipline you, we always end with a hug and reaffirming our love for you. I think you count on this, as it seems to help you feel reassurance that our discipline is not based in anger, but in love for you and your soul. Beau Elias, you bring so much joy to me. You are my first-born, my son, my "Beauster." I thank God for allowing me to be your mother and can't wait to see what three holds in store for you. No matter what, I pray you will seek His kingdom and His will for your life - you were made by Him and for Him, never forget that. I loved you yesterday, I love you today, I will love you always. Love, Mom

To Beau, On Your 2nd Birthday

My sweet Beau Elias:

Today is your second birthday; where has the time gone? This year has been so amazing and we have seen such strides made in your development and are seeing your personality form before our very eyes. I'm amazed at the little boy you are and am continually surprised by the amount of learning I get from YOU. This year you've really made me focus on patience, on taking time to really instruct you and discipline you in a manner in which is effective, but not out of anger. You can be very stubborn and judging from who your parents are, its not hard to see why you're like that. I work very intently to nurture the good aspects of that all the while being diligent to break the destructive parts of that behavior. You're a curious child. You want to see and know everything and have no fear when it comes to jumping off or climbing up anything. You dad and I will talk for a second being outside with you and as soon as we look over, you're scaling the fence. You're definitely going to be our risk-taker child if you stay the course you're on, so we're just preparing ourselves. You are so smart! It amazes me the way you put things (both physically and mentally) together and the new words that come out of your mouth in just the right way. You can count to ten, know your colors, know your shapes (even a pentagon, go figure!), and know quite a few Bible facts. Your ability to absorb information just astounds me, so I'm trying to balance teaching you as much as I can and pushing you without completely overwhelming you to the point of shutting down. But know that your mother thinks you are brilliant! You're very conscious of others feelings. The other day when I was crying you looked at Daddy very concerned and said, "Mommy, so sad. So sad, Mommy. It's ok." You gave me lots of hugs and kisses without even being asked. You're very affectionate and its something I just adore about you. I love dialogging with you. In the mornings you'll tell me "Good morning" followed by "Hi Mommy. Whatcha doing?" When I tell you what I'm doing and ask what you're doing, you usually reply, "Hanging out." You're so funny! You and I spend lots of time laughing together. You're like your mom in that you don't go to bed early and don't like to rise early. You seem to prefer the night-owl lifestyle. I was like that a lot as a kid too, so it doesn't surprise me too much. If you would have your way, you'd stay up until 11 or so at night and wake up around 9 in the morning; sad for you we have had to curb that. You also are a monkey in the bed! You roll from one end to the next! Since we're still working on getting your reflux back on track, we've had some hard nights, but typically for your dad and I you wake up at least once in the night. It's totally ok with us at this point, we've come to the realization this is just how you operate. Your dad and I had tried taking you off your reflux meds to see if you still needed them and lo and behold, you do. Hopefully it's something you'll grow out of soon though. You're a picky eater (at least for us). You LOVE fruits, but are not much a fan of meat and carbs. You also like veggies pretty well, but fruit is by far your favorite. You love milk (esp. since us taking you off the reflux meds), but also like your sitter's decaf iced tea, grape juice, fruit punch, apple juice and the packets of sugar-free pink lemonade we stick into your water. You're learning to be a sharer and have quite the outgoing personality (another trait you get from your dad). You have a love for the Lord that is unspeakably precious. At night you often roll back and forth whispering, "Good night, Jesus." You also do tremendously well with your memory verses and will make sure everyone prays before we eat. I see such potential to form a servant's heart in you and your dad and I are taking steps to really foster that. 

Beau, I could go on and on about you, but what I want you to understand is this: you are such a blessing to everyone you meet. Whether or not you know it, so many are blessed by you. I am constantly learning from you in regards to forgiveness and trust. While I pray for you and aim to foster your relationship with our Lord, I want you to know how much you have aided in my own relationship with my Lord. I can't imagine where this next year will take us and to be truthful, I'm learning more and more to just enjoy each moment I have with you. I've learned to not worry so much about dishes, or dusting (although they still get done), because this time I have with you is something that I won't get back. And I don't want to miss a minute of it. I love you to the moon and back, my precious Beau Elias. Happy Birthday, darling.

Love, 

Mommy

S'mores

We have a fire pit in our back yard from when Brandon and I got married, and tonight Beau wanted to make a fire. So, I got some marshmallows, graham crackers, and chocolate and POOF!; we were in business. Beau had a great time holding the sticks, roasting mallows and once I made a s'more...he was in love. I'll let the pictures tell the story, but tonight was such a night of fun memories! Tomorrow's the big birthday!

Mallow in hand

Roasting with Daddy

Feeling the roasted mallow

S'more? Yes please!

Eating s'mores with Mommy

Smoky

Mommy and Daddy had fun!

Blurry, but I love that we're both looking at the camera

Smooches from this guy are the best!

Daddy making his own s'more

Yummy gooey, chocolaty goodness

The face of one happy s'more eating boy :)

27!

Today is my 27th birthday. I got to sleep in, then woke up and played around with my guys. My sweet son actually told me "Happy Birthday, Mommy!" That was one of the best parts of today. I went to a meeting with the Cleburne Pregnancy Center today about doing some peer counseling for them. Really great meeting, seems like there are some really wonderful things going on there. The plan is for me to do my volunteering on Wednesday when our office is closed so Brandon's not missing me working and Beau's still with us (the volunteer work is only for 4 hours). I've been feeling this call for awhile to get back into serving and this organization seems to have a lot of opportunity for me to really be of service. I talked with Brandon about it and I think we both feel this will be a wonderful opportunity to minister to others. After my meeting my sweet friend Emily took me to lunch at Purple Turnip and it was so fun! We don't get too many opportunities to spend time just the two of us, so it was such a joy to get to spend some girl time together. After that I spent time with the boys, particularly Beau since Brandon had to do some work. That Beauster and I had so much fun and spent a good portion of our time just laughing! My MIL came and got Beau so Brandon and I could do our annual IHOP meal for my birthday. The pictures below will show our time, but its something I look forward to every year. After our meal we hopped into Target and I got to get some lounging pants and a couple comfy (and cute!) tees that were on sale for my birthday  - what a sweet hubs! We also got Beau his gifts from us that we'll be giving him on his actual birthday. We finished the night by tucking that sweet baby in bed and I've been updating my pictures and updating the blog. I'm so grateful for all the sweet messages, calls, and texts I got today; it truly humbles me how loving people are. Now we're just in excitement mode for the Beauster's birthday - I CAN'T believe he's going to be TWO!

My IHOP dinner - nutella and banana crepes with strawberries and whipped cream - YUM (with coffee of course!)

Brandon's IHOP meal - sunny-side up eggs, bacon, hashbrowns, and stuffed cinnamon raisin french toast, and coffee

My card...

Ha! Love those boys!

My sweet hubs

 Love this guy!

Yup, we cleared 'em! (well, I ALMOST cleared mine, but Brandon finished it) I've been told calories don't count on your birthday...right? :)

Petting Zoo fun!

Today Cleburne had Springfest. Luckily, with Brandon's office being downtown, we had access to a great parking spot. There were lots of vendors and food out and we were having a pretty good time until...the petting zoo. We had walked down to the plaza downtown and saw a petting zoo. Instantly we knew Beau was going to love it. So we paid the $3 admission and he and Brandon went in. And they stayed in. For quite awhile. Beau just LOVED seeing and petting all the different animals. After this, he was pretty much spent, so we left, ate lunch, and let him take a nap. That boy loves his animals!