To Dude On His 5th (kind of) Birthday

 

 

 

 

Five years have gone by way too fast!  It makes me a little sad that you are a whole hand old. I guess there is comfort in knowing that you are really only one years old, being born on Leap Day and all.

You are the best little boy any parent could ever ask for.  You are easy going and laid back.  You are still rough and love to wrestle and, to my chagrin, fart.  And on command at that.  You are also hilarious!  You are by far one of the funniest 5 year olds I've ever met.  You've got some crazy mad dance moves, too.  I don't know where you get them from, but you've got them.

You have been  very obedient in your first five years of life.  You came out of the womb being obedient.  Your due date was March 21.  Your Daddy thought it would be great to have a Leap Day baby.  I told him he was crazy!  That was way too early.  The doctor said he was crazy, too!  So, he had a little talk with you.  He told you that it would be so awesome for you to be born on February 29th.  Sure enough, you obeyed and were born on Leap Day.  For being born 3 weeks early, you were 7lb and 7oz and completely healthy.

You have been our Dude from day one.  You love Superheroes and "Sirs".  I think that's a great combination.  When you are asked what you want to be when you grow up, you say an astronaut, a teacher, and a "sir".  (For those of you wondering what a sir is, that's all military people)

 You love picking out "Dude" trucks and going to baseball games.  You would be happy just to eat at Chik Fil A every day.  Oh, and yogurt, too.

I know that you are going to be a great pianist like your Daddy and sister. You already impress me with what you can play and you're only 5 (kind of)

You are just beginning to understand that life as a military kid is tough. You still ask about all your friends in New York and when are we going to move back. It's not easy to move, but like your sister, you make friends so easily. As you grow up you will think it is awesome to have friends all over the world.

I'm so proud of how you remember the scriptures that we learn every week. I'm glad you are hiding His word in your heart. I'm excited to see what you do for Jesus as you grow up.

I hope the next five years will be as easy and fun filled as the first, but I'm sure we will have some bumps along the way, but remember that I will forever love you.

Happy 5th Birthday (kind of), Wesley Tate!

A song for Wesley

                                        

Dude Through The Years

 



Always the ladies man.

He has a very repentant heart.

 

To Madelynn On Her 10th Birthday...

How can it possibly be 10 years since you were born?  How can you possibly be two full hands old?  It really only seems like last week that you came into this world on your actual due date (which I appreciate your timeliness, because we discussed while you were still in the womb my obsession with being on time). 
You came into the world with a little drama, which should have been warning right then.  You were bigger than they thought (8 lbs and 13 oz bigger) and they had to do an emergency c-section.  For a split second (which actually seemed like an eternity) we thought you were a boy.  The nurse said, "look at the little guy" and in the split second all I could think about was the pretty purple outfit my new son was going home in.  Your Daddy quickly got clarification that you were actually still a girl.  So from birth you were a drama filled red head. 

I remember being alone with you late that night in the hospital room thinking what in the world am I going to do the with this baby.  I was new mom, what did I know?  I still sit alone in the house at night with you now and wonder what in the world am I going to do with this baby?  I'm still a new mom, what do I know?  I've never raised a pre-teen before!

You have been through so much in your short 10 years.  You are so strong.  Stronger than many adults.  It's not easy being a military kid.  In just 10 years you have had your Daddy deploy three times, moved 6 times, and have gone to 4 different schools.  My heart breaks for you a little with each move because it's hard to move to new schools, but you have done so beautifully.  Making friends so easily. 

You are a wonderful student. With each move you have had to learn the different ways of each school, but you catch on and you do it. Some days are tougher than others, but you don't give up.

You have made me and your Daddy so proud.  You are an amazing piano player. A terrific singer that has tried out and made the school choir twice! For only being 10, it's unbelievable what you can do.

You are a traveler.  You like to see the world.  It doesn't scare you try something new.  You have been on more adventures and seen more amazing places than most people.  There's so much more!

You can be full of drama at times.  Many times it leads me to extreme eye rolling and you in some trouble, but honestly this could be your way to scholarships for college.  Yale and Harvard have great drama programs.

You are extremely headstrong.  Sometimes that gets you in trouble, but I know that it will do you well as you get older.  You will not be pushed down.  You will go for what you want and not let anyone tell you that you can't do it.  I think of the Shakespeare line, “Though she be but little, she is fierce!”  It describes you well.

You have a kind and sensitive heart.  You have a special place in your heart for children with special needs.  That's a calling that only a few people get.  Special people.  Very few children would give up their recess to volunteer in the Special Needs class.  Not many 10 year olds would already know that they want to be a Special Needs teacher.  That's amazing.

Most of all you love Jesus.  It makes me very proud when you play and sing worship songs.  It's a joy to watch you get excited to play for church.  I can't wait to see what you do for Him in the next few years.

We have our days when we get on each others nerves and I know there will be many more in the future, but I am so glad I get to be your mom!  I'm so glad that He chose me to raise you.  There are days that I fail and days that you act, well, like a red head, but you should always know that I will forever love you.
Happy 10th Birthday, Madelynn Claire!

I think this song was written especially for you

 

 Madelynn through the years

 

Operation Kid Comfort

This past Wednesday I was able to see what true, selfless giving was.  It was given to my kids in the form of a pillowcase and quilt.

A while back I had heard of Operation Kid Comfort.  This service is for children of service men and women who are deployed.  It's an all volunteer organization who make pillowcases and quilts for the children.  I submitted Madelynn and Wesley's names along with some pictures and these wonderful ladies worked their magic.

I was so glad Madelynn was with me on Wednesday when they called to tell me that they were all done.  I had not told either of the kids about this very special gift.  The look on Madelynn's face was priceless when the sweet lady who made her pillowcase unfolded it.  Madelynn gasped and whispered, "It's beautiful." 

Madelynn seeing her pillowcase for the first time.

Wesley saw his when he came home from school and he was thrilled! You would have thought Batman was sitting on the couch!  He loved it!  He also likes to wear his as a cape.

He loves his special quilt

You can find out more about Operation Kid Comfort here

I'm not a crier, but when I saw the love and time that these wonderful ladies put into making these quilts, my eyes nearly started sweating. 

A few of the wonderful ladies who do wonderful work.