Dear Eli,

You are three now. How can that be possible? It seems like it wasn’t that long ago that we were hoping and praying you would come to be, but that began five years ago now. You were definitely worth the wait!

You manage to bring a smile to my face every day with your rapidly developing sense of humor, dramatic antics, ever growing imagination, love of cooking (both real and pretend food), precious love for your brother, sweet thank yous, unexpected bursts of song, adventurous spirit, gregarious nature and general zest for life.

You are a classic boy through and through. You love playing in the dirt, climbing, finding snails and other critters, wrestling, and playing with cars and trains. You’re growing me daily into a better boy mom.

I pray for you my son. I pray that you continue to embrace being a big brother and learn to set a strong example for your little brother. He looks up to you so much already. I pray that you embrace all that our current, Mexican lifestyle has to offer you and that you grow stronger in character because of it. I pray that you will follow in your father’s footsteps and continue to have a general zest for life and ability to see the best in others. I pray for your future friendships and relationships – that you will be confident in what you believe, that you will set a good example for others and seek out people who will set a Godly example for you. And I pray that you will have a strong personal relationship with Jesus Christ throughout your life, knowing that He loves you more than I ever could. I pray that I will be a good example of his unconditional love.

I love you so much my precious boy. As my first born, you have changed my life in so many beautiful ways. You’re growing me into a better person all the time. Thank you for all of the sweet joys you bring into my life.

Happy birthday again,
Mommy