Day 2,843

The Sixth Year of BearBear

Oh my Bub. 

What a joy you are!!!

This is the second birthday we’ve shared with you and it goes without saying that each one is better than the last. Celebrating your life is something special. Something I never want to take for granted. And something I cherish in and awe at. 

I love the dynamic you bring to our family. And truly, I don’t even remember what it was like before you. Through you, the Lord has taught me so many things I never would’ve learned without you. He’s exponentially increased my capacity to love. To forgive. To understand. To show grace. To repent. To teach. To listen. To relax. He’s taught me better how to trust. How to obey. How to laugh and know freedom. Through you, my son, He’s give me a greater glimpse of Himself. What a gift. What a joy. And Bearett, what a treasure you are. 

Our Big Brother is someone we depend on. For laughs. For jokes. For protection and help. He is someone we play with and learn with and explore with and fight with. He’s our trailblazer and our leader. He’s our best friend. 

This year, you’ve grown so much. Already 50 pounds at 6 years old, you’re big and strong and really really tall. You can easily complete 10 perfect pushups (if not more), you can jump dive, hit baseballs without a tee, skip, do headstands, catch lizards barehanded, ride your bike without training wheels, and bear crawl five minutes straight. 

You love building LEGOs, finding treasure, exploring new places, hunting, fishing, cooking, reading, and playing baseball. For now, besides wanting to be a faithful man when you grow up, you constantly talk about wanting to be an archaeologist. Or a catcher on TV. You also - after attending a week of VBS - talk nonstop about being a missionary. Which actually, wouldn’t surprise me at this point. You love learning about Jesus. You love being able to actually read your Bible. For yourself. On your own. It’s the one thing I cherish most about your schooling - that it enables you to read Truth for yourself. It’s my goal in raising you as a mother and your teacher not that you’d achieve scholastic honors - that’s a definite added bonus - but that ultimately your schooling would point you to Christ. Becuase if not salvation for your soul, your work here on this earth - no matter the success or even the failure - will be in vain. And that’s what I pray over you every day. That you’d come to know Christ as Lord at a young age. 

Bearett, my son. 

I love that you’re my only one. That I can love you in a way that I can’t love anyone else. I am humbled by the Lord’s grace to lavish upon our family the delight of your life. You’ve completed that which I didn’t recognize as incomplete before. And filled me with such joy. I love you more than you’ll ever know. 

Happy birthday, Bear. BearBear. Bubba. Bub. Bubby!

Also, just ANOTHER shoutout to our INCREDIBLY thoughtful, talented, and extra-creative Auntie Kim!!! Once again, she’s made my children squeal with delight. Her birthday boxes come with great anticipation and are met with the biggest smiles of shock and surprise. They’re easily the kid’s favorite thing about their birthdays, as the gifts and wonder of it all captivates them for a solid month. I mean, in a child’s life, that’s a feat!! 

Bear’s made it probably through half of actually enjoying what it is that Auntie packed into this Explorer/Archaeologist/Treasure box! It even opened as an actual treasure, with loose plastic bugs and coins and jewels and bills found at every unearthing of a new gift. 



You’re AMAZING, Auntie Kim. 

One day, we’ll find a more appropriate way to thank you, but for now, I hope you know just how truly grateful I am for your thoughtfulness, generosity, and great love for my babies!!!!!! 

And last but not least:

I LOVE YOU DADDY!

Happy off day AND date day!
What a treat.

(Thank you to our friends and church family for watching the babes!)

You’re my best. 

And Molly obviously agrees. 

Also, I think this is maybe my favorite picture of all time. Molly’s even got the leg kick going. My heart!