Happy 3rd Birthday sweet Collen!

To my sweet son:

    On the day you were born, we were full of anticipation, worry, joy, fear and hope. Your entrance into this world and our lives brought so much joy, so much renewal.  You will never know just how much you changed our lives when we heard that little cry and saw your beautiful face for the first time.  In that moment, we were healed.  You won't understand that for a long time, but Collen...you are more than a blessing.  You are a promise.  You are our rock.  We look at you and see the promises of our Lord - we see that He is faithful, and He is good. 

 This is among the most beautiful moments of my life.  Meeting my 2nd son....it was love at first sight.  You reminded us so much of your big brother, but you had qualities all your own as well.  You had dark, dark hair and more playful disposition.  You are uniquely you...but you do share qualities with your big brother.  One day, you will understand just how special that is! 

You stole our hearts from the moment we saw you.  You grew so, so fast!  We spent so much time just staring at you in awe.  You were really here; we were blessed with another baby boy!  We made it a point to soak in every moment and appreciate each day we were given.  We continue to do this because we love you so very much, and each day with you is better than the one before!

Look at you at one year old!  Boy was that a celebration!  Again, one day you'll understand just how momentous that day was in our lives.  In our minds we were thinking "we get to keep him!!"  In your mind, it was "cake??? They're finally letting me eat cake!!" :)  At one, you were doing so much!  You were saying your first words (hot, ma ma, da da, pa pa) and mastering walking.  You were so full of life and laughter (and still are!).  

A year passed so quickly, and before we knew it, you were two!  At two, you were so very smart and seemed to be soaking up everything around you!  You loved puzzles, coloring, Curious George (you had a George birthday party at 2!), and reading.  You were so very silly and filled our days with laughter!  Mommy was still the one you clung to, and I held on tight to you, too.  You had a baby sister on the way, and your life was about to change...for the good. :)  We spent as much time with you as we possibly could because your days as the only child would soon come to an end.  You were so excited about being a big brother! 

 Today, you are three.  I look at you and can still remember the moment I first held you.  How can you possibly be three??  Oh how you've changed and grown in this past year!  You continue to be full of life and personality.  You love people.  You don't know a stranger, yet at times you are shy.  But you open up quickly and consider someone you just met a friend for life.  I love this about you because more than anything else, I want you to love people....to show them love and always be a helper to those around you.  You continue to love puzzles...we have had to get you more challenging ones, though, because you quickly master the ones that are meant for your age group.  I have a feeling math will be one of your stronger subjects.  You love to paint, create, color.  You love to play with your cars, but animals continue to be your favorite!  You've just recently become interested in superheroes.  You've never seen a Spiderman movie/cartoon, but you know who he is, and he's your favorite!  You also love Thomas the Train, Daniel Tiger, and Caillou.  George is still a favorite as well.  You adore your little sister, and you even let her play with your toys sometimes.  She thinks you are super cool...she follows you around the house and laughs at all of your silly faces.  I already see your protectiveness over her, and I pray that will continue to grow as the two of you get older.  She's going to need you, buddy.

Collen, you are so very special to us.  You will never know just how full my heart is with love and adoration for you.  You are my joy and my heart. You are one of my three greatest accomplishments!  Each day with you brings abundant happiness, joy, and learning on my part as a parent.  You are so much like your mommy - spontaneous, exuberant, a dreamer, and full of imagination!  Daddy is your hero, and the bond between you two is so strong!  You are Daddy's best bud, and I love seeing the two of you together.  We love you so very much and are so excited to celebrate another year with you!  Happy Birthday sweet boy!  You're three!!  I look forward to many, many more birthdays with you and thank God for you every single day.

Love,
Mommy