My Loves

Dear Tanner,

I love you because ...

• You are my first born. It was you who made me a mommy.
• We asked God to give you to us. We carefully planned for you and prayed for you.
• Since the beginning, you've been full of smiles and personality.
• You put up with a rookie mom, who is still learning every step of the way.
• You love ice cream just as much as I do. The minute you sit in your carseat, you are asking for a "snack-y." And every time we go through a drive-thru you think we're at Starbucks and start screaming "Co-COA!!!" from the backseat. I love it. :)
• You are brilliant. You may not be the first of your friends to walk, develop a vocabulary, or become potty-trained, but every time you do something new I'm certain you are the SMARTEST kid ever.
• You aren't stingy with your kisses and hugs.
• You are an amazing big brother and you don't even realize it yet. You are full of love and gentleness for your little brother and seeing the two of you together warms my heart.

Dear Landon,

I love you because ...

• You are my second-born ... my icing on the cake, and I feel like I can simply ENJOY you!
• You are the best "surprise" of my whole life and a reminder of God's perfect timing.
• You proved to me that a mother's capacity to love grows exponentially with each new child.
• You are so patient with me. Unlike Tanner, sometimes I don't even realize you have a wet diaper until your clothes start getting damp. Your spit-up actually makes it down your chin and onto your clothes before I can get there to catch it. You never get ALL of my attention, but you love me anyways.
• You've made the transition from one to two easy with your laid-back personality and all that sleeping you do!
• You are brilliant. You just are ... moms know these things.
• When things get crazy with Tanner, just cuddling with you reminds me of all the reasons I love being a mom.

I was talking to a dear friend the other day who is expecting her first baby. Like most moms, she's a bit nervous about how the arrival of this little one will change her life. I told her this: I almost never lay in bed at night and think ... I wish I could have seen that movie, I miss going out whenever I want, I miss my life before kids. Instead, I spend each minute up until I fall asleep thanking God over and over for the two precious gifts he has entrusted me with. I love my boys. I love 'em. I love 'em.