My itty bitty baby ain’t so itty bitty anymore.
Because…
(Anybody need a pizza!?)
*****
What a year you have had, my Little Man.
Full to the BRIM of joy, adventure, learning, and growth.
And, of course, a whole lotta laughs. Cause that’s how we roll…
And so here goes my Ode To the Little Sir William
version 9.0!
*****
Hip Hip Hooray! (x9!)
Little Sir…
The Teenage Countdown is on, folks…
Happy Birthday, Baby Girl!
And yes, you are still – and always will be – a baby in my heart. Regardless of the fact that you are now, officially, TALLER than your ole’ Ma. And still growing. In the words of the Little Mister, back in his toddler days, “I feel so widdle.”
And you, my dear one, are tall and gorgeous and extraordinary!
Fearfully and wonderfully made by a great God who loves you, and cheered on by parents who adore you!
You amaze us each and every day.
You know who you are, you know you think, and you know what you stand for.
Your courage and fortitude know no bounds (even when we’re arguing!)!
And so with every bit of my heart, every breath in my lungs, and every grey hair on my head, I celebrate you on this, your very special
You are the one. The only.
**************************
You are…
The heart and fire of our family
The Leader of the Pack
The Ringleader of the Monkeys
You are a…
Beauty, inside and out
#TheEmpress
In a league of your own!
You are…
Adventurous
With a love for God’s creation, which inspires you to see
no mountain too tall and no ocean too wide
(though sometimes, the elephant seal is a bit too stinky)
You are…
FUN!
A joy seeker
A happy maker
A goofball through and through
You are…
Brilliant
A bookworm, a writer, a poet
A chess champion, a French whiz
A Middle Schooler!
You are…
A fierce competitor, soaring to new heights
A bold leader, who can be counted on by her teammates,
and is undaunted by tense and high stakes moments
The “Tower of Terror” middle blocker for Durham Flight!
You are a….
Deep thinker and feeler
Who constantly astounds me with your insights and tenderness
You are…
A preteen!
A rollercoaster of sass, and opinions, and style…
OH MY!
And with that big heart of yours,
you love your people in BIG ways!
Your family…
Your friends…
Your furry pup…
And all of your lil campers!
Because truly, you are the sweetest, most helpful
Camp Counselor,
Babysitter, and
Sunday School teacher.
The Pied Piper of Fun lives on in you,
just like it did when you were little!
Our TWELVE YEAR OLD darling girl!
You are a delight.
A gem.
A bright shining star.
We love every bit of your brilliant, beautiful, adventurous, fierce, compassionate, fun, strong, hilarious, passionate self. You’ve had a great year, and we are so excited to see what God has in store for this next to come.
Love,
“Shortie” (a.k.a. Mom)
**************************************
Psalm 139: 1-18, 23-24
O Lord, you have searched me and known me!
You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from afar.
You search out my path and my lying down
and are acquainted with all my ways.
Even before a word is on my tongue,
behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.
You hem me in, behind and before,
and lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
it is high; I cannot attain it.
Where shall I go from your Spirit?
Or where shall I flee from your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me.
If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and the light about me be night,”
even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is bright as the day,
for darkness is as light with you.
For you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.
My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.
How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
If I would count them, they are more than the sand.
I awake, and I am still with you…
Search me, O God, and know my heart!
Try me and know my thoughts!
And see if there be any grievous way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting!
TEN
Double digits
One entire decade
A ten-fold of loop-de-loops around the sun.
That’s our birthday boy,
He’s as bold as a bear,
as cool as a popsicle,
and as goofy as a clown.
He’s the sweet cream who holds our Little Oreo Cookie together,
And golly, do we love him!
The Little Mister has had a GREAT year.
He has grown in leaps and bounds in his faith, courage, intellect, and leadership.
He has amazed us with how he has tackled challenges with drive and determination.
And most importantly,
He continues to live each day with HEART and passion.
This post is for you, my darling boy.
A moment to pause (not an easy task when you’re a never-stopper’, go-go-getter’ kinda guy!) and look back on your 10th year.
To revel in the incredible Young Man that God is shaping you to be.
And yes, I’ve barely begun this post and I’m already crying…
Love,
Mom
*******************
You’re the glue. The firecracker. The crazy-maker. The friend.
You’re a hugger of trees. An eater of granola.
An explorer of nature. A seeker of adventure.
A 21st century Tom Sawyer…just without the tobacco!
(thank goodness for that)
50% dirt. 50% dog. 5000% heart.
Doer of Hard Things
Winning races. Scoring touchdowns. Riding horses. Crushing vision therapy.
And bringing down the house with your Faces of History paper!
Sprucedale Ranch “All Around Cowboy” of the week
Dare to do mighty things, Lil Teddy Roosevelt, dare to do mighty things!
Star gazer. Plan maker.
Risk taker. Mama-grey-hair generator.
Grandson. Nephew. Cousin.
Ringleader. Camp Counselor. Compromise maker. Faithful scout.
A warm welcome to all.
Followed by a bucket full o’ mischief.
You’re a maker. Thinker. Believer. Artist.
And a bona fide 3rd Grade Whiz!
Winner of Scouts Choice and Most Beautiful awards for the Pinewood Derby!
One guess who had the idea of making “poop cookies”…
All the jokes. All the noise. All the wiggles.
All.The.Time.
You’re the most amazing Little Roller Coaster this world ever did see.
With energy (and jokes) that knows no bounds, compassion for everyone (furry and otherwise), and a heart as big as the universe.
The world is a more exciting and loving place because you are in it.
Wackadoodle too.
We LOVE you,
birthday boy!
Elliott’s 10-year-old growth stats:
– Height: 4 ft 10.1 in (90%)
– Weight: 79.3 lb (73%)
