Dear Adrian

You are my love.  You are 2 1/2 years old today.  I wish you weren’t growing up so quickly.  I have enjoyed every moment that I have had as your mother.  I can only imagine what the future will bring.

You continue to change every day.  You have always been smaller than Isaac, but you have recently hit a huge growth spurt.  Everyone comments on how tall you are getting.  I think you are about the same height as Isaac and you may be taller than him next week.  

I can’t believe how much you eat.  We call you “Cookie Monster” because you demand cookies on a daily basis.  You would eat as many as we would allow you.  How do you stay so skinny when you eat so much?  Oh, yeah . . .  it is all of that running you do.  You are constantly on the go.  Sometimes you just run around the house just for the sake of running.  

I love your facial expressions.  You have quite a range of expressions from furrowed brow to shock and surprise. You have always been very expressive.  You use your hands when you talk, too.  You get that from me.  

How did you get so smart?  I think I can actually see the wheels spinning sometimes.  You are constantly trying to figure out how things work.  We call you “The Little Engineer”.  I think you have the most beautiful thick, curly brown hair.  You get the curls from Grandpa B.  I love your big hazel brown eyes, too.  All it takes is a look in my direction from your beautiful face and my heart melts.  You love to snuggle up with me after your bath at bedtime.  It makes Papa so jealous, but I love it.

The qualities I admire most in you are the ones you naturally get from Papa.  You have fierce independence and confidence in your decisions.  You are a natural leader.  You usually get Isaac into trouble because you come up with mischievous ideas and he executes them.  You are smart enough not to get caught.  You recently started saying “I do it all myself!”  

Most nights, right before bed, you instigate a chasing/wrestling match with your brother.  You two are so rough with each other, but you have always been so tough.  It takes a lot to get you upset.  You are so even keel.  I love that about you.

Being your mother is the greatest joy of my life.  You (and Isaac) are my greatest accomplishment.  I am already so proud of you on a daily basis.  You give me a sense of purpose and peace that I never knew existed.  I have so many hopes and dreams for your life, but most of all, I want you to be happy.  I will always support you in your quest for happiness.    

Never lose your zest for knowledge.  Never let anyone take your independence and confidence away.  Those are your qualities that I love and admire the most.  I am learning from you how to be more independent and confident every day.  Thank you.  Show gratitude in your life.  Your combination of intelligence, independence and gratitude will make you a very successful person in your personal life and your professional quests.  I am in awe of you.  I am so excited to see who you will become, but, for now, please slow down a little.  You are growing up too fast.  

You are my love.

Dear Isaac

You are my sunshine.  

I simply can’t believe that you are already 2 1/2 years old.  Why can’t I pause time - just for a while?  I love you just the way you are right now.

You make me and Papa laugh on a daily basis.  You recently went through a short phase of describing everything from a toy to your meal as “pretty awesome” and you frequently remind us that you are “the boss”.  You refer to Palmer as your “best friend” and ask about him daily.  I think you might not realize that Adrian is actually your best friend.  When I ask you about this, you correct me to tell me that he is your brother.  You spend a lot of time wondering if Palmer is sick.  Where does that come from?

You exhibit empathy beyond your years.  Frequently, you ask people if they are ok just for the sake of showing that you care about them.  What toddler does that?  You worry about Adrian when he is sick or hurt.  That warms my heart.  Sometimes, out of the blue, you will look at me, Adrian, or Papa and say, “Give me a kiss.  Give me a hug.  Give me a fist bump.”  You know how to make us feel your love.

You like to categorize “guys” and “men”.  Where do you come up with this stuff?  You will talk about the UPS guy and inform me that he is a "bad man".  You told Papa that his friend Mitch is a "bad guy”.  When Papa questioned you about it, you said, “He is definitely not a good guy”.  But, you are sure of one thing - “Papa is a nice man”.  You worship him - as he does you.  

In your eyes, Hot Wheel cars are the best invention of this century.  You wake up with one in your hand every morning and go to bed with one each night.  In fact, bribing you with Hot Wheels is how we have been able to successfully potty train you.  

You really love all of your grandparents - as you should.  They spoil you rotten.  You may not get to see them every week, but you talk about each of them often.  

For some reason, milk is still your favorite food.  I think you would drink a gallon a day if we would let you.

Being your mother (and Adrian’s, too) is the greatest joy of my life.  Nothing compares.  I want to give you a life full of love, adventure and knowledge.  I also want you to understand that it is important to treat all people, especially those different from you, with respect and kindness.  The most important thing in your life will always be your relationship with other people.  Everything else is secondary.  Exhibit gratitude.  That will take you far in every aspect of your life.

I hope you never stop showing such sincere concern for the people you love.  It is what I love most about you.  I will do anything to make you feel my love.  My love for you will always be the most consistent part of your life. It will never waiver.  

You are my sunshine.