Happy Birthday Mac!

Dear Mac,

2 Years ago yesterday, you officially joined our family. You were such a personality from the very beginning! It was clear from the start that you love people. It was clear from the beginning that you are laid-back and happy--yet determined when you have your mind set (just like your daddy). It was especially clear from the beginning that our lives would never be the same. Since that day, what a blessing you have been to us!

You have grown and changed so much. You have learned to eat solid foods, you have learned to crawl, you have learned to pull up and then to walk. Then--the most amazing thing for a mama to watch--you have learned to talk. You have learned to throw balls (one of you favorite things), you have learned to laugh and play. You have learned to share.

It's amazing how the Lord expands capacity for love in our hearts. I never thought I could love your daddy more than the day I married him--yet I love him more all the time. I never thought I could love you more than I did at first--but I love you now more than I ever have. I never thought I could love another child...but I love your sister just as much. What an amazing miracle, what a tough force--this thing, this emotion, this action: love. I do love you, darling, more all the time.

Some of my favorite memories of you....

-You used to say "uh-oh!" if we forgot to pray before eating. This evolved into having to ask a blessing for every piece of food that we added to your high chair. It was pretty sweet and funny.

-You still don't know the words "mine" or "no". I have no idea how this is true, since they are the trademark words of your age/stage of development. I'm in no hurry to teach you these words.

-Once, when you and I went to Old Navy to buy daddy some pants, you were walking and holding my hand. You knew that it was very important to always hold mama's hand. When I had to let go of your hand for a few seconds to sort through the stack of pants, and told you to stay right there, you obediently stayed, and when I looked up you were holding the mannequin's hand instead, perfectly content but a little bewildered by the fake person. Safety first!

-I'm not sure what your official first word was, but among the first was "ball". You used to wake up saying "Ball, ball, ball!" over and over again. You know every kind of ball there is to know: golf ball, soccer ball, basketball, baseball. You love them all.

-You are huge. From the day you were born (8lbs, 14 oz; 21 3/4 inches) you have not stopped growing. This summer--before you were two--people would stop and ask, "How old is he? Three?" Well, no, you were one. You dwarf most of the other kids your age. But you're not fat. Just tall and built. I kind of like it--it makes me feel like you can hold your own.

There are so many more.

I'm so proud of the child you are becoming. You are kind, you are funny, you look out for others. You rarely complain and are generally happy-go-lucky. You are demonstrative and affectionate. You receive discipline well and rarely have to be corrected twice. (Is it boastful to think these things of your child? Isn't it a mama's job to be proud? I am proud of you! How could I help it?)

We are headed into the terrible twos...I know I'll have my work cut out from me. We are both far from perfect and have a lot to learn. But despite all the curve balls I know are coming, always know that your daddy and I will never stop loving you. You are a precious addition to our family. Thank you for being such a ray of sunshine. Happy Birthday Mac!

Love you,

Mama

ps--I decided that the first picture in this post needed to go...it seems like it's more of a mom and dad picture than a family picture (which is what I was going for). But I don't have the patience to figure out how to take it out. Oh well. Your daddy is such a perfectionist with stuff like this, and I usually just give up. I wonder which one you'll be?