Happy Birthday, LM! 2013

My dear Lego Meister,

Well, that's one thing I accomplished (with the help of some friends) this past year--thought of an appropriate name to replace "Little Mister," which didn't seem to fit anymore.  "Lego Meister" might not last forever, either, but we'll go with it for now. :)

Eleven!!!  Eleven?!  How can this be?  How can all of this time have gone by already?  Oh, my Little Mister (oops! I meant Lego Meister!), my moments and days and weeks and months and years with you are slipping away.  How I wish I could say I've made the most of every second, always tried my best to be patient, and have done everything in my power to be a good example to you.  But I have failed numerous times.  Thank you so much for your forgiveness, LM.  Forgiveness is so important.  You are gracious in your forgiveness toward me. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. Colossians 3:13

As always, I am so proud of you!  There have been times in this past year that you have blown me away with your maturity.  One major period of time that sticks out in my mind is right after my major surgery, when you came home from your Chicago cousins', where you stayed during my surgery week, and, though your heart was broken to say goodbye to your beloved Chicago kin, you jumped right in with both feet to help me.  Remember how I could do basically nothing at first?  With such kindness, gentleness, and willingness, you did whatever I had to ask you to do while your dad was at work.  Wow, LM!  It brings tears to my eyes to remember how you served with a servant's heart.  I don't know if you realize this, but it was SO HARD for me to ask you (and everyone else who helped in various ways) for help.  I learned a thing or two along the way, too!  Anyway, I thought it was very clever of you to find those old baby monitors and set them up so I could easily call you when you were in your room doing school work.  You did your school work very well--independently and without complaint.  THANK YOU, my son, for how you blessed me with your patience and lots and lots of help. Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord, not for men. Colossians 3:23

Listen, my son, to your father's instruction and do not forsake your mother's teaching. Proverbs 1:8
Listen to your daddy, my LM.  I see you listening, taking in his instruction, even though sometimes it's not what you want to hear.  Don't stop listening!  And take heed to what he says.  Daddy is imparting precious wisdom into your life.  Don't let it slip away unheeded!  Your dad is a gift.  Not all dads take the time to speak truth and wisdom to their children.  Sometimes Dad's wise words are during moments of correction.  You may not enjoy his words of correction, but someday you will see what a gift they were.  Trust that we love you, even if you don't agree with or enjoy what we say sometimes! :)

You are such a delight to me, LM!  Your laughter, your songs, your witty words, your intelligence, your questions, your answers, your creativity . . . these all bring me utter delight.  I love how you keep working on and adding to your fort outside.  It's quite the intriguing structure, with its tunnels and rooms and storage areas . . . all made without a nail or adhesive of any kind!  Yes, I think you could probably survive in the forest for a good long while if you ever had to! ;)


Keep singing and writing down those songs of yours, my son.  They are such a pure reflection of your heart and love for the Lord.  I know He takes joy in hearing them.

Happy Birthday, with much love!
Mom

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

First rain after the drought, July of last year

Dear Little Mister,

You're ten!  For real!  At last!  After months of telling me you were ten, now it's true!

I haven't thought yet of a good online name to replace "Little Mister," so LM it is still, for now.  I'm thinking about it, though, so hopefully I'll come up with something soon.  Though you'll always be MY "Little Mister," it does seem like it's time to give my big 10-year-old boy a more fitting online name!

Wow, where do I start?  You, as always, are growing so fast.  In every way.  You've learned more self-control this past year, and are making better use of your time.  You read God's Word with such interest and ask thought-provoking questions about what you are taking in.  Memorizing Philippians 2:3,4 has helped you focus on what/who is most important, and I love how, when you are with your friends and you realize you are putting into practice what we've talked about concerning that Bible passage, you wink at me with a "knowing" expression on your face.  You're starting to put together how God's Word works in our lives, how it is living and active and truly helps us!

It's cool to see you earning a bit more independence as time goes on.  It tugs at my heart a bit, but I sure don't want to hold you back from what you are ready for!  I'm so very proud of you, my wonderful son.  Whether each day, each moment, is good or bad, my love for you never lessens.  Every passing second, whether pleasant or difficult, only causes my love for you to grow.  I love you to the moon and back, you know! To infinity and beyond! ;)

I love all the reading we've been doing together and the discussions about everything under the sun.  I love all the songs you make up as you go along, praising our God and expressing your thoughts about Him.  I love how you love your time with your dad and how cute you two are together.  I love that you love to do nice things for people.

One thing I treasure so much is how willingly you forgive me when I mess up.  I'm sorry for how I sometimes lose my patience or am too quick to jump to conclusions.  Thank you so much for your forgiveness!

Now, press on, my wonderful son!  Keep up the good fight!  There are obstacles to come and you need to be vigilant to recognize and overcome them.  Your spiritual enemy hates you because of Whom you love.  But " . . . greater is He who is in you than he that is in the world." 1 John 4:4  You have the weapons and you are doing a great job learning to use them.

Also ahead are many happy, fun, and playful times.  Stay a kid as long as you can, my love.  Savor this wonderland called childhood.  Enjoy!

Keep smiling that handsome, heart-warming smile!

I love you,
Mom

"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others."  Philippians 2:3-4

Little Mister's Birthday Letter, 2011

My dearest Little Mister,

Really?  Hasn't it only been a month or two since I wrote your last birthday letter?  That's how it seems, but, according to the calendar, it has indeed been twelve months!

 As always, I'm a bit misty-eyed as I sit to write this.  You're growing so fast!  The other day when you were playing air hockey with Grammy, in a glance it hit me how tall you've grown this year.  One of these days I'm going to have to come up with a new online name for you.  "Little Mister" isn't going to cut it much longer!  I think maybe it will okay, though, until you're ten. :)

As we sat reading together a little while ago, I noticed all the scratches and bruises on your legs and arms.  They reminded me of how "all boy" you've always been.  Each scratch and bruise has a story of its own--an adventure or a risk, a discovery or maybe even a rebellion or two.  Lessons learned and experiences experienced.  Your life so far is just full of stories!  Your daddy and I are so very honored to be a part of so many of those stories.

You've grown not just in stature, but as a person as well.  Daddy's and my hearts were blessed and touched beyond measure by your baptism last August.  Daddy and I were a little unsure when you first approached us about it, because you were so young and we wanted to make sure you understood what you were doing!  But, after having many discussions with you about it, we knew it was more than a passing fancy for you, but a true desire to take this step of obedience and identify yourself as one who believes and follows Jesus.  We most certainly could not deny you this!  To watch your daddy baptize you was one of the sweetest moments of my life.

Teaching you third grade has been a huge blessing--one I don't take for granted!  We had our ups and downs, but we've learned so very many cool and interesting things this year, haven't we?  I love re-learning things I've long forgotten and discovering new things through your eyes.

We're pleased at the progress we've seen in your self-control and attitude.  You're still working on it, I know, and it's the *progress* we're looking for, my dear.  Your daddy was just telling me the other day how he has noticed you more quickly taking responsibility for your mistakes and more often trying to rectify them.  I see that, too.  It takes maturity to own up to things without being prompted to.  Good for you!  Keep it up, buddy! :)

It was awesome to see you memorize all that Scripture this past year for Awana, and then be able to participate in the Quizzing.  I love it when Daddy is reading a Bible passage to us and you start to recite something you recognize as he reads.  I'm amazed and awed at how your brain can memorize and recall things so easily.  You inspire me to keep trying--thank you for that! :)

Soccer--it was a blast to watch you play this year.  Yes, I almost "died" the first few weeks when it was soooo freezing cold, but here I still am to tell you how much fun it was to see you try a somewhat new-to-you sport and notice how much you learned and improved throughout the season.  You're a natural athlete, and your independent spirit is evolving well into a sense of teamwork.  Fun times!

You're so loving, Little Mister.  Sometimes it's hidden by a stubborn or goofy exterior, but your many acts of kindness and tokens of love shine through.  You are one of the most rough-and-tumble type boys (a rootin', tootin' cowboy, as you call yourself!) I've ever met, yet, when the situation calls for it, you can be as gentle and sweet as can be. :)

Now, about that mohawk . . . lol!  I'm "glad" it's gone now, but it was never that big of a deal.  I just liked to razz you about it.  When you asked us if you could have a mohawk, I wasn't thrilled about it, only because I like other hairstyles better.  But you were not asking us out of a spirit of rebellion or to attract attention to yourself.  You just liked the style.  We were fine with that.  Just remember someday, when you're going to job interviews and things like that, you might be better off with a more conservative haircut. :)  The fact of the matter is, Daddy and I love you no matter what your hair looks like, and we are much more concerned with what's going on in your heart and mind than we are about what your hair looks like.  We are excited about what God is doing in your life!

Happy Birthday, my Little Mister!
With much love and many hugs,
Mom

Proverbs 23:15-16
My son, if your heart is wise, then my heart will be glad; my inmost being will rejoice when your lips speak what is right.

1 Timothy 4:12
Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.

2 Timothy 2:22-25
“Have no part at all in the wrong things that young men like to do. Believe. Have love. Follow what is right. Live at peace. Do these things along with others who have a clean heart and talk to God.
Keep out of foolish quarrels. You know that they start fights.The Lord’s servant must not fight. But he must be kind to all people. He must be a good teacher to them. He must be patient with them.
When he corrects those who are against him, he must do it in a gentle way. It may be that God will turn their hearts to know what is true. ” (WE)

Little Mister's Birthday Letter

My dearest Little Mister,

How can it already be time again to write your birthday letter?  You're going to be eight years old this week!  To me, eight seems so much older than seven.  You're another year closer to independence, and that makes me both proud and sad.  You'll never be a mom, so maybe you'll never understand what I mean by that.  But it's the reason I hold on tight when you sit next to me on the couch or when you need comfort because you've injured yourself or your beloved cousins have gone home.  I know these moments will grow fewer and farther between.  That's a good thing, but it's hard for a mom to let go!

You've grown in every way imaginable this past year, my son.  The struggles continue, but some are lessening their grip on you.  That's because you continue to fight, my little knight in shining amour.  You know the weapons available to you, and you are doing a good job learning to use them. 

Your genuine love for your God is such an inspiring thing to see!  Yes, you have made Him your God, not just Someone you go through the motions for because your parents want you to.  A few weeks ago, when you asked me to find you an online Bible dictionary to help you figure out things you were reading in your Bible, I was more shocked than I let on.  And, though you said you wanted to do that to be like your daddy, I know you wouldn't do something you didn't really want to do (as long as it wasn't a requirement anyway) unless you really wanted to, even to be like Daddy! :)

I love to hear you sing and you've become quite the crooner, Little Man!  You've always enjoyed making up your own sweet (or loud) songs rather than singing along with others, but when I taught you The Star Spangled Banner this past school year, we discovered that you might even enjoy singing with someone else once in awhile! ;)  Anyway, your made-up-as-you-go songs of praise to the Lord will always be my favorite.  They come from your heart and your Father hears them, certainly with great happiness.

You've done well in school, as always.  Those multiplication tables have been a little tricky, but we'll find some fun ways to keep our minds engaged this summer, including getting/keeping those "times tables" in there!  I love to watch your careful attention to symmetry as you build with Legos, K'nex, blocks or anything else.  You come up with the best creations!

Oh, how I love you!  I can never express to you the depth of my love and I fail often at being what a loving person should be.  But I see what you, my dear son, are up against in your own battles, and I'm inspired to fight like you do.

Thanks for all the spiders you've saved me from this past year and for gallantly opening doors for me when you think of it and for making sure I look both ways before I cross a street.  We have had many fun and funny times this past year, and I look forward to years and years of those special times.

Remember King Josiah?  He was just your age now!

"Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years. ² He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and walked in the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left."  2 Chronicles 34:1-2

Now, Little Mister, you're not likely to be a king, outside your imagination, anytime soon.  But your daddy and I pray that you will indeed do what is right in the eyes of the Lord and walk without turning aside to the right or to the left.

Happy Birthday, with much love!
Mommy