Happy Birthday, Granty!

This is Grant when he first woke up this morning. If only we could all look this cute first thing in the a.m.! :)

I decided I would write "birthday" letters to each of our children on their birthdays. They can collect these when they eventually leave home (yes, they will leave home) ;) and have a bundle of letters to take with them filled with memories and milestones.

Dear Grant, one of my sons and best friends,

You are 3! When you were born we had no idea how wonderful you would be. You are such a fun, light-hearted, sweet-spirited little boy. You bring us SO much joy! You love playing with Aaron, your best friend. You are fiercely loyal to him and will always defend him and take his side. :) I think you two will always be best friends. You enjoy reading books (and often want to take over and do the "reading") and love playing cowboys with Aaron. You want to do whatever he is doing. You love your cousin baby Max and often want to hold him. You love to eat. It is hard to keep up with your appetite! You particularly like fruits and vegetables, which is probably why you are so strong! You seem to have a strong, solid build, and people often make comments about this. :) You love strawberries, blueberries, yogurt, oh, and ice cream! You are a natural at sports. You instinctively know to dribble the soccer ball and to keep it pretty close to you. We are signing you and Aaron up for soccer for your birthday. I think you will really enjoy this.

You say very good prayers. Once a babysitter told me that you prayed before you went to bed. She said you went on and on and on as you prayed, but she said you were so sincere. This really touched me, and I think it touched her too. You love Jesus and Heavenly Father, and you know they love you too. Once when sitting in church, you told Daddy, "Jesus loves me." Oh how wise you are! :)

I can always count on you to make me smile. You give the sweetest hugs and will often hug for a long period of time. You love seeing Daddy when he comes home. You say the funniest things. A few weeks ago you and Aaron were up before I was. When I walked into the kitchen, you said, "Mom's awake! Da, da, da!" Yesterday after waking up from your nap, you emerged from your room and exclaimed, "Cock-a-doodle-do!" You are constantly keeping up smiling and laughing.

You talk very well. People often comment on how well you speak. We think it's probably from hearing your big brother speak a mile a minute! :) You have really enjoyed going to preschool. You seem very bright. We were at the playground the other day and you identified a hummingbird and named it without any coaxing. You seem to remember well the things that you learn. We feel so blessed that you are so healthy and happy. We hope you always know of our great love for you and of the immense joy that you bring to our family. You are such a special little boy. We can't imagine our lives without you! We love you! Happy birthday, Grant! Here's to a great year.

Love,
Mom