Today You're Seven

Dear Eli,

Somehow seven years have passed since you came into this world, seven incredible, wonderful, memorable years. As I was making your birthday cupcakes (camping theme this year) for your birthday celebration at school today, I got really choked up just thinking about all the wonderful years we've already had with you. Eli, you are such a joy! You are my heart, my happiness, my world. You make me strive to be a better person each and every day and for that I'm so very thankful. Every time I look at you I thank God for choosing me to be your mother. I'm far from perfect, but you love me just the same.

I can't wait to see what this year holds for you. You are rocking the first grade and your daddy and I couldn't be prouder of you! You read like a champ and amaze us every day with the words you know and understand. I'm so proud of all that you are achieving at school! You have really been into riding your bike (without any hands!) and playing basketball with your Daddy as soon as he gets home from work. I already can envision the two of you playing every night after school even when you're a teenager. Seeing the two of you together makes my heart nearly burst with love. We can't wait to see you play basketball this year! It's going to be so much fun!

Eli, I love you and I'm your biggest fan. You are my gift from God and I love you so much! I can't wait to see what God is going to do in your life and how he is going to use you. I'm so glad we get to celebrate your birthday all weekend long. It's going to be lots of fun! I love you, sweetie! Happy Birthday to the sweetest boy in the entire world!

A Note to My Almost First Grader

Dear Eli,

It's late, but I couldn't go to sleep without writing you just a quick letter like I always do the night before you begin school. I know tomorrow will be crazy busy, so I'll burn the midnight oil a little longer because it's for you :)

Eli, what a summer we have had! I think this has been such a memorable summer for me for so many reasons. First and foremost, I didn't have the weight of being fully responsible for our school's yearbook resting on my shoulders so that was such a huge relief! I am so glad that I didn't have to spend my mornings working on the computer while you entertained yourself. It's been so fun to wake up and not have anything planned. I loved every minute of that! Second, our summer was filled with so much fun! I looked at all our pictures that I took over the summer on Instagram and what happy memories we made! I have loved marking things off our "Summer Fun List" with you and deciding what we're going to do next. I'm pretty sure the "Summer Fun List" is here to stay :) Third, just being able to spend time with you has been such a joy. You're such a good kid and I love being able to have that time with you to get to know you better.

Tomorrow you are starting a new grade...first grade. I think I'm taking it a littler harder this year than last year because first grade is the grade I taught for 11 years. To think that you're finally old enough to go is incomprehensible to me. You on the other hand are extremely excited. You know most of the kids in your class and I'm very thankful for that. I'm glad you're going to be with your buddies but it's my hope that you meet some new buddies this year too. I hope you find the classmate who needs a friend and you become that friend for them. Your heart is so sweet and so tender and I know you'll make new friends fast.

Eli, I love you with all my heart. I tell you this all the time but I'm going to say it here too, "You are my greatest blessing from God." I am so thankful that he chose me to be your Mommy because it's such a joy! You are one of the sweetest boys I know and I really hope you always will be. I'm so excited to see what you learn this year and how much you grow academically, physically, socially, and more. I love you sweet boy! I hope that this year in first grade is your best year ever. You are such a joy!! I love you so much!

Mommy :)

A Note to Eli on the Eve of Your 6th Birthday

My dear sweet boy, tomorrow you turn 6 years old. It is so hard for me to wrap my mind around the fact that we have had you in our lives for 6 years now. Where did those 6 years go? It truly does feel like yesterday that they placed you in my arms and my heart grew immensely. If the love I feel for you is any indication of the love God feels for all of his children, the only word that comes to mind is "Wow." Eli, you are my heart and my soul. You are my sunshine and my light. I cherish every single moment I have with you and sometimes that isn't even enough. You are the sweetest and most precious little boy in the entire world. You have brought so much joy into our lives and made our lives so much fuller and richer.

Eli, you are so much fun these days. Of course, you've always been fun to me, but now you can do so much more. We talk and discuss everything. You love to know the ins and outs of everything. You ask so many questions on a daily basis and your daddy and I do our best to answer them all. I love how you're always thinking and always wondering. Keep being curious! You are one of the kindest boys I know. You care about others' feelings and go out of your way to make others feel better. You love to help and have started really contributing around the house with chores. I love having an extra pair of hands, too. You are so smart and the way your mind works amazes me somedays. You sat down the other day with a box of Legos, pulled out the directions, and put together the entire set perfectly without any help from us. We were so proud of you! You keep saying that one day you're going to grow up and be a worker man, but maybe that means engineer. You certainly love constructing and building things :)

You are reading so well these days and that makes my teacher heart happy. Your teacher told us last week that you brought one of your Fly Guy books to school and offered to read it to the class all on your own. I was shocked and so proud! I hope that you continue to love reading as much as you do now. It will open up a whole new world to you.

Eli, I could go on and on, but I'm going to do a post of all your favorites as a 6 year old very soon. More than anything I want you to know how much your Daddy and I love you. You are the best gift God has ever and will ever give us. You may be getting older each year, but you'll always be my precious little man :) Don't ever, ever, ever, ever forget how much I love you. I am so proud of you and I am so excited to see what incredible things God is going to do in your life and through your life. I love you, sweet boy!

Love,
Mommy

A Letter to Eli-The Night Before Kindergarten

Dear Eli,

Tomorrow morning you will wake up and you will immediately seem older to me. Tonight I put you to bed as a preschooler and in the morning you'll officially be a Kindergarten student. How in the world did five (almost six years) with you pass so quickly? Where is that little baby boy who was starting preschool so many years ago?  Life with you in school has been so much fun. You have blossomed and grown and learned so much. I wouldn't do anything differently in regards to your schooling if I was ever given the chance. We have been so very happy with your school, your teachers, and the quality education you're getting. You have been loved and taken care of just as if you belonged to each one of your teachers. That has certainly helped me because I never one day fretted or worried about whether or not you were happy. You have loved school every year and I know this year will not be any different.

I'm so excited to see you go to Kindergarten this year. I can't wait to hear all the stories you're going to tell me about all the fun things you do in your classroom. I can't wait to see you make new friends. You are growing and learning so much every single day. I'm so proud of all you already know even before you enter kindergarten. More than anything I love how you're becoming a reader. This morning I walked into your bedroom and you were sitting on your bed reading your Bible. What a precious, precious sight that was for me. I love our nights when we get to read our chapter books. We just finished Dr. DoLittle and tomorrow night we'll begin The Jungle Book. I love how that now you're getting older I can share some of the things I love with you. It's such a special time for me every night when we're snuggled up next to each other reading together. It's one of my favorite moments of each day.

Eli, I pray for nothing but great things for you this year sweetie. I pray that your little brain grows in leaps and bounds this year. I pray that you make new friends and keep your old ones. I pray that you will be a friend to anyone who needs one. I pray that you'll have compassion and love towards others. I pray that you will listen to your teachers and make good choices. I pray that you will always, always choose being kind. I pray for you to be comforted on those days when you're sad because I know there might be some of those. I pray that you'll always know Mommy and Daddy are proud of you and love you no matter what! I pray all this and so much more. I love you sweet man. You are my greatest blessing from God. I am so honored that God chose your Daddy and me to be your parents. It is such a joy and a delight!

Tomorrow as you walk through the doors of your Kindergarten classroom I hope you know how much you are loved by so many people. I am so proud of you and I look forward to all the great things you are going to do in your life :) You are my heart! I hope you have the best year in Kindergarten ever! I love you infinity times two whatever you say ;)

Mommy

The Night Before Your 5th Birthday

Dear Eli,

How is it that five years have passed so quickly? Where did all my time with you go? Tomorrow you turn 5 years old. How is that even possible? It feels likes just yesterday I was trying my best to go to sleep because I knew the next day I would finally get to hold you in my arms. The day you were born is and forever will be one of the absolute greatest days of my life. You made me something that I had wanted, prayed, yearned, desired, wished, and hoped for so many years. You made me a Mommy. Eli, please know that being your Mommy is the greatest blessing I've ever been given. Sweet boy, you are my heart. I love you more than words on a page could ever describe. I love you so much sometimes it hurts. I finally have a tiny glimpse of how God feels about us and what an amazing feeling that is.

Five years sound like such a long time, but I feel like they have flown by. What a great five years they've been though! There are so many wonderful memories that have been made these past five years and once again, I'm so glad I've blogged about them. Watching you grow into the little boy you are today has been such a joy! You are simply precious and I don't say that just because you're my son. Everyone that has ever met you has said those words. You have the biggest and kindest heart. You care so much about everyone and it makes me so proud to be your mom. You are funny. You make me laugh daily and I love hearing all your stories. You are so inquisitive about the world. I love watching you process new information. I love watching the little gears in your mind turn as you figure out something new. I love celebrating every accomplishment and milestone with you and this past year we've had several-learning to ride your bike without training wheels, learning to read, playing on your first t-ball team, playing on your first soccer team, and so many more.

Eli, you make life so much fun! I feel like you've made me such a better person and I'm so grateful for that. I'm so grateful that God chose your Daddy and me to be your parents and that we get to have the privilege of raising you. I love watching you learn more about God every day and it is my prayer that your desire to know more about God will never cease. I pray that you will always follow God and his will for your life. I pray that you come to know Jesus at an early age and you come to know his wonderful love and forgiveness. One of my favorite things this past year has been watching you commit scripture to memory. I pray that God's word will always be an important part of your life and that you will always seek Him!

Eli, I could write for days about all my hopes and dreams for you. I can't wait to see how God works in your life and uses you. I'm so happy that your Daddy and I get to be there to watch :) Tomorrow you turn 5 years old, but just know that no matter how old you get, you will always be my little boy. You will always have my heart. Sweet boy, I hope you have the best birthday ever. I can't wait to celebrate you turning 5 with all our friends and family. I'm so proud of you and I can't wait for all the wonderful things to come. You are such a special and sweet little boy. Happy 5th Birthday, sweetie! I love you so much!

Love,
Mommy

A Note to Eli-First Day of PreK-3

Dear Eli,

Once again, we're at the end of another summer. I think this one went by the fastest since you came into my world, and it's probably because we were busy from sunrise until sunset every day. In two short months you have accomplished so much! The first day of summer you were floating in Mr. Art's pool in your green puddle jumpers scared to death to even put your face in the water to blow bubbles. Tonight I watched as you dove in our pool over and over retrieving your favorite dinosaur off the bottom. This will be the summer I forever remember as the summer you turned into a fish :) Everyone that knows you very well is super impressed with your swimming skills. You have gone from a little boy who couldn't stand to even get his face washed at bath time to a little boy who runs through sprinklers, jumps into pools, goes underwater, and swims all over the place. I'm so proud of you!!

Not only was our summer spent in the pool, but you and I made regular trips to the library. I don't know if you have realized it yet, but your mother sometimes leans a little towards the nerdy side. Going to the library with you was one of my favorite things to do this summer. I loved watching you fall in love with  books and stories just like I did when I was little. As a teacher and as your mom, I know how important a love of reading is and it's something I truly hope to pass on to you. Your imagination has grown so much this summer and I can't wait to see how it will continue to grow as you get older. We just recently started our first chapter book series-The Magic Tree House- and you have fallen in love with reading. I started reading the first book just to see if you would have the attention span to sit through a chapter and when I got to the end of the first chapter one you immediately asked why I stopped. I knew then that you were hooked. We're on book five now of the series and we both love the time we get to spend reading together at night.

You and your Daddy had a summer full of fun as well. Nothing makes my heart fuller than to see the two of you together. You adore your Daddy and the same goes for him. Watching the two of you play baseball in our front yard gave me a glimpse into our not so distant future of days that will be spent at the ball park. I can't wait to watch you participate in sports. Okay, well if I'm totally honest about that, what I really can't wait to see is you in your little t-ball uniform :) You're going to be the cutest little ball player ever!

Tomorrow morning you start school again. You went to bed so excited about seeing your friends Hannah and Logan and your teachers Mrs. Paige and Mrs. Jody. This year it's a little different than it was last year. We have some familiarity to our routine and that makes this transition back to school a little easier. I love that you get to have another year with Mrs. Paige and Mrs. Jody. They love you so much and take such wonderful care of you! You are going to make so many new friends and have lots of fun experiences. I know tomorrow is going to be a great day for you, and I'm already anticipating picking you up from school so I can hear all about your first day. I am so excited about everything you are going to learn this year and how much you are going to grow. Just like always I want you to know more than anything else that your Daddy and I love you. We love you and we are so proud of you! You are such a smart and sweet little boy. You make everyone around you happy and smile! You are full of joy and you bring so much joy to others!

Eli, more than anything else in this world, I want you to be happy. I want you to discover God's purpose for your life and to live for Him every day. Tomorrow when you go to school, your Daddy and I won't be there, but you'll be in our thoughts and prayers until we pick you up again. I'm going to make sure to give you an extra hug and a kiss in the morning and tell you how much I love you. I know you won't forget because I seem to tell you every chance I get :) You are going to have a wonderful day and a wonderful year. I look forward to all the great things you're going to do and accomplish this year. Always remember just how special you are and how much you are loved. You are my heart and I thank God every day for blessing my life with you. I am so proud, grateful, blessed, and thankful that God gave you to us to raise. You are an incredible blessing! I love you my sweet little man and I can't wait to see your sweet smiling face tomorrow afternoon :) You are going to have a wonderful day!

I love you with all of my heart!
Mommy :)

A Note to My Son-1st Day of School

Dear Eli,

Tomorrow your Daddy and I will walk you down a new long hallway into a room full of new friends, a new teacher, and new experiences just waiting for you. I can't believe that your school career is already starting. You're still so young, but in so many ways, you are so big! I can't wait to get you up in the morning and put your new school uniform on you. I can't wait to drive down to the new house and take a picture of you on our front steps. I can't wait to see you walking down that hallway wearing your brand new blue backpack holding your Daddy's hand. Most of all though, I can't wait to pick you up tomorrow and hear all about the fun you had at school. I can't wait to hear about the toys you played with and the new friends you made. I can't wait to look in your folder to see what special creation you made to remember your first day of big boy school.

I thought that this would be an easy transition for me, but I seem to be having a hard time letting you go. If I'm like this when you're starting 3 year old Pre-K, there's no hope for me for the rest of your school years. I can already tell I'll be a basket case when you graduate high school :) But, I'm your Mommy, and you are my special someone and I can be emotional...it's allowed...if you don't believe me, check the Mommy's Handbook one day. You'll find an entry that says mommies are allowed to cry at any and all memorable occasions if they so desire :) Eli, you are who I prayed for years to have in my life. You make my life and your Daddy's life so full!

We know that God has great things in store for you...too great for us to even imagine right now. It is my prayer that you follow His plan all your days. I know there are going to be times during school when you get your feelings hurt, when someone says or does something to make you cry. I know you're going to have days when you just want to stay home. Just know that I'm here. I am always with you in your heart, and I am thinking about you and praying for you all day long. There are going to be bad days, but there are also going to be LOTS and LOTS of good days. You are going to have so much fun! We tell you this all the time, but I want you to remember it so I'm going to say it again. I want you to be a sweet boy. Remember to take turns, say please and thank you, smile, laugh, listen to your teacher, and follow directions. You are going to have so much fun at school, my sweet boy! I love you so much! I can't wait to see all the wonderful things you are going to learn this year and how much you are going to grow.

I'm so thankful for you. You are my most precious gift in this entire world. Your Daddy and I love you so much! Don't ever forget that. Don't ever forget how much I love you. Sweet dreams, my precious boy. Tomorrow is the start of a brand new adventure for you. I can't wait to tag along :)

I love you,
Mommy

"Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is youer than you." ~Dr. Seuss