Ten Things I Love About You

1. The way you squeal with delight when Daddy and I pick you up from church. You excitedly announce to all your teachers, “My mommy! My daddy!” Anna, I am so happy and blessed God chose us to be your parents!

2. The way you brush my hair out of my eyes so many times and tell me, “There you go, Mommy.”

3. Your tender heart. You have been so easy to teach. Discipline is for the most part just a simple talk.

4.Your giving spirit.

5.Your bravery and fearlessness. Anna, your leg is in a cast right now due to your adventurous spirit. Even the cast does not keep you down. God has given you such zeal in this life!

6.You have an enormous love of shoes even at such a young age! I took you the other day to the shoe store to pick out some new summer sandals. There was a large toy activity table next to the toddler section. Cody ran straight for it, but you had other things to entertain you……You spent the whole time trying on everything from princess sandals to light up shoes to fur-lined boots!

7.You are our little princess and tomboy all wrapped up in one sweet little package.

8.I will always love your trademark crooked smile.

9.You have the silliest sneeze that always makes us all laugh. It is repetitive and followed by one ending sneeze/cough sound. It is the funniest and cutest sneeze my ears have ever heard. Even when you were itty bitty and Cody could not yet play fully with you, you would always make Cody smile with this sneeze. I will never forget the first time he heard it and asked in shock and disbelief, “What was that?” You are too precious!

10.Your thoughtfullness. Anna, you are constantly quick to ask your daddy, Cody, or I if we are alright after we get hurt or just simply bump into something. We can always hear your tiny little voice asking, “Okay, Daddy? Okay, Cody? Okay, Mommy?” You have such a large heart, my sweet little girl.

To Cody, my first born, my JOY,

1.The consideration you show to others. Cody, you came up to me the other day and simply kissed my arm for no obvious reason to me. I said to you, “Thank you, honey. Mommy needed that.” You responded with a sweet smile and said in the most caring and thoughtful voice, “I know that makes you happy.” You also noticed that my drink was gone the other day at dinner. You offered me your drink instead and said, “Here, Mommy, you can have some of my drink.” Sometimes, Cody, you seem more mature than your age. Please don’t grow too fast……I love this time with you.

2.I love the way you show you care for Anna. Many times when Anna is sick I will walk into the room to find you with a Kleenex wiping her nose for her. Now that is true love. I am so proud of how you look out for your baby sister. Thank you, honey.

3.Your love of books. Cody, you have loved books ever since you were a tiny baby. I love all the hours we have shared snuggled up together reading stories and watching your imagination soar. Even when you have been sick in the middle of the night we have layed together in your bed reading stories by a dim night light. That time has meant the world to me.

4.I will always love your energy and spunk! You definitely have that crazy boyish energy you like to let out on a daily basis. From playing tackle to playing chase to pillow fights you make our world so much more fun!

5.Your sense of humor. You have gradually learned how to joke around and laugh over humor that is a little bit older. The other night as Daddy was tucking you in, he scratched your arm for you. You looked at me and asked if I would scratch your thumb. I thought that was an odd request, but I did it anyway for you. You immediately began laughing and told me that was the finger you slobbered on! You were quite proud of the joke you pulled!

6. I love your curiosity and love of nature. Cody, you like to befriend any ant or bug that you find creeping on the ground and immediately try to find a way to scoop it up. You love going to our neighbor’s house, so you can feed and catch their fish in the palm of your nubby hands. Even at the pediatircian’s office the other day, you and Dr. Eaton shared some good conversation about catching snakes and lizards and other fun things. You even got down on the floor to demonstrate for him how a lizard crawls around. It was the best army crawl I’d ever seen, and Dr. Eaton got a big chuckle from it! Thanks for giving us a whole new perspective on this world and God’s amazing creation.

7.Ever since you were little, you have been pretty cautious. You know your limits and will not go past that. I have found that to be very clever of you. You are quite insightful, and that is a good trait to have.

8.You are fun to shop with. Cody, you are my companion, my conversationalist. Never stop sharing your heart!

9.You have a keen eye for detail. You are quick to compliment and take note of a new outfit, a nice gesture, or even a new recipe attempted at dinnertime. I appreciate it, sweetie. I hope you know how truly wonderful YOU are! Your daddy and I love you SO MUCH!

10.You are an encourager. While I was pulling wallpaper down the other day you came up to me several times and said, “Good job, Mommy! You’re working really hard!” You even take the time to encourage Anna whether it be her coloring skills or a new feat she is trying to accomplish. There have been countless times I have overheard you saying, “You can do it, Anna! You can do it!” Thank you, Cody, for that extra lift you give others and the love you demonstrate everyday.

Anna and Cody, God blessed this family greatly when He gave you to us. I hope you know just how very special you are. You brighten up every single one of our days. I love all the little giggles, smiles, and squeals throughout the day. I love the tiny fingerprints on our doors and windows. I love the toys your daddy and I find in our bed at night. I love the countless snuggle blankies scattered throughout the house and the picked dandelions, rocks and pinecones on our table by day’s end………I love how you view these things as treasure. I love seeing the joy you feel while making pictures from the clouds and the way you scream with delight when you hear the ice cream truck on the next street down. It is the simple things that mean so much to you. You are so pure, so innocent. Always keep that wonder. Always know that you are God’s creation, and He loves you more than anyone ever could. I pray that you will always be in awe of Him. I love you.