32 months

To my little Prince Leighton:

Tonight I got to tuck you into bed and I savored every moment. Lately, you prefer your daddy doing it because apparently he is way more fun! Oh, and he lets the bedtime routine go a little longer than I do....So, who can blame you?

Well, today you are 32 months old. I figured since Chase gets a monthly update, it's about time you get some blog-time too! It is hard to believe that 32 months ago today, mommy and daddy had just met you. Wow, what a day that was! One of the 3 best days of my life! One day I will tell you about it. It was hard but awesome. You were awesome. You are awesome.

So, maybe when you are older you will wonder what you were like when you were 32 months old. Let me tell you! From the moment you climb into our bed in the morning until we tuck you in at night, you bring a sweet joy to each moment. Now, that's not to say there's never a not so perfect moment but really, sweetie pie, you are just that. Sweet as pie.

We are in awe at your sporting abilities already. You drain that basketball into your little hoop (which we have raised because you are bored when it's low) shot after shot. Sometimes, when you are downstairs with daddy playing, he calls me down to watch. I will probably make a video of that one of these days. Maybe they will show it at your NBA draft celebration! And if not the NBA, it could be the NFL because you have one monster spiral with your kid nerf football. You have an accuracy that is almost scarry. This last week you picked up the golf club and started swinging that like you knew what you were doing. Again....daddy called me down to watch! So, you get the point. You've got some mad skill at 2 1/2 boy.

Speaking of 2 1/2. When people ask you how old you are you usually say 5 or 3 1/2. But I don't want to think about 5 yet. That means Kindergarden!!!! I just want you to stay little, playing with my hair and sucking on your lower lip whenever you need to relax or feel comforted. Sure, there are times when you twist it so hard that my hair almost comes out of my head. And I may jerk my head away and say "quit that in an angry mommy voice", but please know, one day I will really miss that you used to play with my hair.

As far as your cognitive/educational skill, again, I have to honestly say you really might be a little genius. You talk in full comprehensible paragraphs, and have for a very long time. You can read many of your own books and you have a really good memory. You have many favorite songs including: Jeremy Camp's "There Will Be a Day", John Mayer's, "Say What You Need to Say", Tenth Avenue North's " Love is Here", The entire Sesame Street Soundtrack (especially "Ladybug Picnic") Go Fish's "5 Little Monkeys" and "The Mini-van Song". And as of late, your favorite one to turn on when we get in the mini-van is from a CD your Auntie Valerie gave you, "We're Going to the Beach".

You are also doing a great job at potty training and just have occasional accidents-usually a poop behind the chair! Potty training has been fun and easy this time around. (Yes, I tried about a year ago, SEEN HERE, and that didn't go so well). My favorite part of potty training is seeing your run around in your cutie-patotie underoos!

As far as your little brother Chase is concerned, you couldn't be a better big brother. Really, you are pretty sweet with him. I mean, sure, every once in a while you do run by him and just tap him enough that he topples over, but that is like bound to happen with brothers. You love to help me feed him, which really helps when I need to do something quick. You aren't so thrilled when he crawls onto your current toy but you quickly figured out if you gave him a replacement toy, he wouldn't bother your stuff. Much. You give him big ma-wah kisses all the time. You also like to make him laugh whenever you get the chance.

Ok, so my favorite part of this post is this. Below are a list of some of my favorite quotes that you have made over the last few months. Sometimes I just can't believe how much sunshine you bring into my life.

[comments pasted from my Facebook page]

so Leighton called upstairs to me today: "mommy?" me: "yes, Leighton". "mommy, are you and daddy so proud of me?" me: "yes, Leighton, me and daddy are SO proud of you! and then goes on to drain a half court shot in his mini hoop!

so Leighton is a little sick today with a croupy sounding cough. he keeps saying, "Mommy, I have a throat in my mouth!"....poor little man.

this morning in bed.....Derrick was tickling Chase and he was belly laughing. Leighton stopped us and said, "we better get that on Facebook".......so here you go Leighton...it's on Facebook! p.s. why does my two year old know what facebook is?

"mommy, i'm gonna shut you down"

"i i i need a haiwcut"!

fruitsnack, can you kiss me?

"i'm so proud of you Grade!

Leighton said this to Grandpa: "Granpa has a train in his butt...............toot toot"

the scene: i told Leighton he wasn't allowed to do something. then the phone rang. it was his dad. i handed the phone to leighton. he said this: "dad.....mommy hit my feelings!"

and my FAVORITE QUOTE of all time actually happened this morning.

we were downstairs playing and you were making me some tea out of your little tea pot. out of the blue you said, "Here's your tea, mommy-princess".

I could have just melted right there. I'm not sure where you got that because I don't remember telling you what a princess was but, I will be honored to be your princess. For right now anyway. And you, my boy, will always be my little prince.

In closing, I would like to share with you the biggest hope I have for you in your life. I pray that you will know how special and loved you are. I pray that you will know that you were "fearfully and wonderfully made" (Psalm 139:14) by God, our Savior. When we had you dedicated at 4 months old, the verse we chose for you was this, and it pretty much sums up my hopes and dreams for you: It comes from the book of Ephesians. Chapter 3. Verses 16-20.

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge-that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

I want you to know and experience the deep love that Christ has for you. I want you to know that we consider it our greatest responsibility as parents to teach you that the most important decision you will ever make in your life is to accept Christ as your personal Savior and know that he went to the cross for you. He took your sin, your pain, your suffering. He took it for you. And for me and for daddy and for Chase. And for all of us. It is our choice to accept that gift and live our lives as a declaration of what Christ did for us. I pray that you know the deep love he has for you, specifically for you. I pray that you know he will be there for you when you go through the most difficult battle of your life. I pray honey, there is never a difficult battle for you, but I know better than that. We all go through a worst. A deep deep place of pain and desperation. Trouble will come. I pray you know where to turn in your most difficult hour. Of course we will always be here for you and do whatever we can to help you. But our God is a mighty rescuer and wants to rescue us. He promises us over and over again in the bible of that. I pray that you experience a rescue like I have. I pray that you understand how important Faith is. Faith is believing what we cannot see. Faith can be amazing and it can be hard. But cling to that faith and it will serve you well. Honey, I could go on and on here. The point is, I love you will all my heart and I would go to the ends of the earth for you.

Happy 32 months, my Prince.