-- Chinese Proverb
Dear Luke Taylor,
1,095. That's the number of days we've known and loved you, and it means that today, you turn three.
Your world exploded this year in many ways, and it's a thrill to watch you navigate it. You moved to a new house in a new city, and started school, and you have embraced all things new.
A year ago, you were marching into Sunday School like a boss. Turns out, it was prophetic of how bravely you'd dive into preschool. Your mom said for months leading up to that day, He's ready. And she was so right. You love "your school," you love trying new things, and you love meeting new people.
It was like that backpack and lunch box gave you mad superpowers.
You wear yourself out some days.
It's hard being three.
But it's also hard being stubborn. You have a tiny bit of a hard head. One morning, you demanded a
It may drive your parents crazy some days, but I'm trusting that one day this will of yours is harnessed and used for good.
Your hard head is rivaled only by your mischievous smile.
I cannot imagine all that you're thinking.
You still love your brother like mad, and you desperately want to pretend like his introvert boundaries just don't exist. You love him so.
Speaking of loving, your mom and dad are tickled at watching you grow up, and here are a few things they will remember about this year:
I'd describe Luke's personality with these few words:
mom: Shy (when not with Carter), loving, sassy, opinionated (the boy knows what he likes and what he doesn't!), lover of books!
dad: Wide open, playful, fearless.
Luke is happiest when he ...
mom: Is with Carter, or when he sees his dad is home from work.
dad: Is with his brother.
Luke is not-so-charming when he ...
mom: Spits his drinks all over the floor on purpose.
dad: Tells you he's not talking to you, but talking to Carter instead.
My proudest moment as Luke's mom/dad this year was ...
mom: How brave he was starting school. He is not afraid to try new things. I admire that.
dad: Watching a confident and proud Luke walk into his first day of preschool with book bag on his back, and lunch box in his hand. Big smile.
Luke's best quality is ...
mom: How much he loves his family. He often tells me he misses his dad and Carter during the day, and he greets them both with a huge hug when they are reunited.
dad: His playfulness.
I laugh out loud when Luke ...
mom: Says, "Carter I not talking to you - I talking to Daddy!" at the dinner table with such sass and attitude. He wants to make sure we hear him!
dad: Decides to put on his bike helmet, foregoes the bike, and just runs around instead.
After his third birthday, I'm most looking forward to ...
mom: Watching him continue to make friends at school and develop his own interests.
dad: Poops on the potty where poop actually goes in the potty.
When I think about you on your third birthday, and about how this childhood of yours is like a piece of paper, I can't help but wonder about all the people leaving their marks.
For now, you're tucked safely inside a family who snuggles with you, wrestles with you, plays with you, FaceTimes with you, disciplines you, teaches you, and models for you the very best they know how. Mercifully, you've been guarded well, harbored from danger and hard things and suffering.
It won't always be this way -- it's just how this world of ours is -- and in the natural order of life, as your own borders stretch and expand, new friends and teachers and coaches and neighbors will begin to leave all sorts of impressions.
It's been said that a person is the average of the five people with whom you spend the most time. Whether or not that's true, I want you to know that I'm asking the Father to surround you with people your whole life who are kind, compassionate, funny, generous, and uplifting.
Trust me, it would be one of the very best gifts you'll ever know.
1,095. That's the number of days we've known and loved you, and it means that today you turn three.
Happy Third, Littlest. We love watching your canvas become a masterpiece.
