Bailey girl-
You have really grown up this last
year and blossomed, and your love of the outdoors hasn’t wavered! You are
really and truly your happiest when you can be wild & free outdoors. One of
the things that stands out from the last year is your love for plants. This
year we added a backyard garden and you were self-appointed chief gardener. You
made sure everything had water and picked things when they were ripe. You even
had your own garden in the ditch. You loved reading about edible plants and ask
for an Aloe Vera plant for your birthday. You also enjoyed reading The Secret
Garden, which has the theme of transformation. Don’t ever forget that- “Two
things can not be in one place. Where you tend a rose my lad, a thistle cannot
grow.” Along those lines, my hope in your love of plants is that you never
forget us memorizing John 15 last Spring- “I am the true vine, and my Father
is the vinedresser. Every
branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that
does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you
are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in
me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides
in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I
am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he
it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” Don’t
ever forget who the master gardener in your life is and allow Him to pull the
weeds & prune things in your life as He sees fit. It may hurt, but it is for your good. Remember
that you must abide in God to bear fruit and I can’t wait to see that fruit. We
couldn’t love you more!
Love, Mom & Dad
Blake-
What a year you have had! Some
memories we don’t want to forget are you getting your guinea pig, Cinnamon
Toast Crunch. You & dad did the Sky Coaster at Schlitterbahn. You got 3rd
place in the breaststroke at CHAMPS!!! You got your reading glasses! You got to
watch The Dark Knight series and ended up as Batman for Halloween You started
washing with daddy’s soap and sleeping with his pillow because you wanted to
smell like him. You got to play your first season of baseball. Me, you and
Weston WON the Amazing Race!!!!!!!!!!! You got really interested in airplanes/flying
and are currently considering a career in the Air Force. Another thing that has
stood out to me is that it seems like lately you have had one thing on your brain
and that is fishing. You are either wanting to go fishing or you are shopping
for more fishing gear. It reminds me a little bit of toddler Blake who said
“keys, tractor, go ride, keys, gator, Pa, etc.” : ) It has been fun to watch
this new hobby. In the Bible, Jesus was friends with some fishermen. I want to
share with you, the same thing Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Follow after
Jesus with all your heart and share that good news with others. We love you
buddy!
Love, Mom & Dad
Blair Bear-
It wasn’t hard to think back on the
year and decide what ornament to get you- a guinea pig ornament! However, if we
could have found an ornament that represented your kind and sharing heart we would
have. Blair, you are not perfect, but you really are a sweet heart and it is a
gift you like to share. We will never forget on Thanksgiving Day that you held
hands with Beau and tied with him in the Turkey Trot instead of trying to beat
him. You sure love your guinea pigs and
you have had them almost one year! A sweet part of your day is giving them
loving and head scratches. We love your play dates with Alivia and her guinea
pigs, playdates with Abby making Guinea Pig Land and making buildings for the
guinea pigs. And we love that you were Butterscotch for Halloween.
Love,
Mom & Dad
Beau,
Gosh you have grown up so much this
year. You are no longer our baby boy, but you are also not quite one of the big
kids. We know it is hard that Bailey, Blake and Blair can always do things
better than you, but you sure try to keep up pace with them! One of the things we
say A LOT lately to you is that you can do hard things. You hiked a
couple of miles to see the Window at Big bend and you joined your siblings at
ACS where you learned to count to 20. My favorite hard thing you did this year
was learn to swim! And swim you did! You were so excited to finally have your
turn on the Blue Wave and for you that also meant biking to practices. You were
one of the few 4 year olds on the Blue Wave swim team that swam all the way
across the pool, plus you did it in 52 seconds! It was really fun to watch you and
we were so proud! I know at times it may seem like you can’t do something or
that something is too frustrating, but always remember that YOU CAN DO HARD
THINGS! We love you Beau!!!
Love,
Mom & Dad
