My favorite thing about you....

Hudson, my favorite thing about you at 7 years old is:  after I tell you goodnight and start walking towards the door you hold your arms out wide and say "hug".  You do this every-single-night.  I love it because I just got finished kissing you and hugging you, but you need that one last hug.  So do I.  Another favorite thing about you is your love for reading.  You would say when asked that you don't love 1st grade and that you don't love your teacher.  Well---I do.  Your teacher has developed this love of reading inside of you.  I am amazed at how well you can read.  I love how you love chapter books with no pictures.  How at the library you check out books like The Diary of Anne Frank, Helen Keller, and biographies on different presidents.  You love history and love learning.  I think God has big plans for you.  Another favorite thing about you is that you still sleep with your bay (blanket).  When you were 1 somehow your word for blanket came out bay and it has stuck.  Harper and Holton both call their blankets their bays.  I love that.  I love that you still sleep with the same blanket you did as a baby.  It still comforts you and helps you fall asleep.  While I can notice now that maybe you are getting a little embarrassed that you sleep with your bay, you haven't handed it over to me yet.  I told you I would take it and put it in a safe place when you were ready to give it up....I don't know when that will be, but I am ok with the fact you still love it.  My very favorite thing right now is all of your questions.  You got really into the series of The Bible that came on TV this Spring.  You watched and re-watched it asking so many questions.  Questions that have never crossed my 32 year old mind---lots of hows and whys.  Your 7 year old questions are TOUGH!!  But I love your searching heart.  I pray all of the time that you never quit asking questions and never feel like you ever have all of the answers.  Always keep searching and dig deeper.  That is a good thing.  I pray that the Lord is doing a mighty thing inside of you even now as you are a little boy with these big questions.  I love that you are "Bubba" to Harper, Holton and Hayes.  I don't even notice it when they call you that because you are Bubba---the first big brother.  You are my wonderful first child...the leader of our pack.  I love love love you as a 7 year old.

Harper, my favorite thing about the 5 year old you is your tender heart.  Oh my goodness, are you sensitive, sweet, and oh so tender.  Just the other day you were outside playing with friends when your daddy was about to leave for a run (as he often does over the weekend).  You quickly run from where you were playing to give him a HUGE hug and kiss.  He tells you he will be right back and off he goes with his ear-buds in on his jog.  You burst into tears watching him run down the street.  You yell, "daddy, daddy" but he is too far down the street that he doesn't hear you.  I see this entire scene unfold and finally come to you as you are sitting on the curb in tears.  You tell me that you "just love your Daddy so much that you don't like it when he runs."  Goodbyes are so difficult for you.  You hate it when Daddy and Bubba leave each morning.  Whenever grandparents come visit you tear up days before they are leaving just over the mere anticipation of the goodbye.  Bless your sweet heart...I love that about you.  Another favorite thing about you is your ability to draw.  You are the most amazing artist.  You can sit and draw every detail of an animal---any animal, and are SO good at it.  I love that about you and cannot wait to see it develop over the years.  And then there is your love for animals---big or small, alive or extinct, reptile or puppy, you love them all.  You have since you were a baby.  It just makes you, you.  We never-ever leave the house without a stuffed animal in hand.  You sleep with a million animals in your bed.  I have tried over and over and OVER again to get you to narrow it down to 2 animals at bed time because the mess can drive me crazy, but you can never pick and you feel bad for the ones left behind, so they all end up in bed with you.  I'm secretly worried what living creatures will be at your house someday when I come and visit you.  You tell us all the time you will be on a farm married to a farmer just like The Pioneer Woman.  I believe you.  Another favorite thing about you is how you are with your brothers.  God made you to be a big sister.  You are so sweet with them and so loving and gentle.  You call them 'sweetie' and 'cutie'.  You are so quick to help them and are 5 steps ahead when you see danger in their path.  You are my sidekick, my other set of hands.  I cannot imagine my days without you in it when you go to Kindergarten in August.  There is no doubt in my mind you are going to steal the teachers heart the moment she meets you.  There is such a twinkle about you that I adore.  You are a treasure to my heart.  You will soar in whatever you put your mind to.  You are my girl, and I love love love you.

Holton, my favorite thing about the 2 year old you is the 2 year old you.  You are the cutest 2 year old everrrrrr.  You are so funny, so clever, such a mess.  I absolutely adore everything about you.  You wake up with smile and skip in your step.  You tell everyone 'ga-morning'.  Your 2 year old talk is THE CUTEST little voice I've ever heard.  Painfully cute.  You look people dead in the eye and talk their ears off expecting they are understanding your every word.  People want to understand you because of your confidence in what you are saying, and if they don't it's almost like you think it's them and not you....you'll cut your eyes at me like "why aren't they getting this?"  You have the funniest expressions and quirks that make you you.  I love how much you love Hudson and Harper.  You are always so happy to see them and ask them to come and 'pay wih me'....oh how you love playing with them.  You and Harper have become very glued at the hip this year.  Y'all play so well together and she just enhances your little imagination.  You make one good puppy dog.  You are so sweet and gentle with Hayes.  You speak to him in such a high pitched voice.  It's pretty funny.  I love that you have a little brother, and I love watching the two of you interact.  I pray the bond you share will be a force to be reckoned with.  I really, really love how much you love me.  You love everyone, and that is one thing I am so crazy about, but you really love your mama.  You want me to rock you every night.  I wish I could freeze you at the end of the day.  You are so cuddly and sweet.  I love our little conversations.  You talk my ear off.  I love singing songs with you and your little 2 year old voice mumbling every-single-word.  I love during the song 'bringing home a baby bumblebee' that once the bee stings me you have to kiss both of my palms to make it all better---then we squish up that baby bumblebee together.  :)  In twinkle twinkle you sing it way too high, but in your mind that is how it goes and should sound.  It is so cute.  Our night time routine is a treasure to me.  You wad up in my lap with your bay and we rock and rock.  It doesn't matter how tired I am because-you-have-flat-worn-me-out-with-your-2-year-old-self....I love that time with you.  I know I am going to blink and you will be bigger, talking clearly, and sleeping in a big boy bed....but you are still my baby, and  you know it.  I love love love you so much.

Hayes, my favorite thing about you right now is your FIERCE spirit.  God made you Mighty...with a capital M.  We joke around here that God doesn't joke around with a vasectomy baby---you were created mighty from day 1.  :)  I have never seen a baby with such fierce determination.  You crawled, pulled up, and now are cruising at 7 months OLD.  You make me a nervous wreck with how tough you are.  Nothing gets you down.  You are hands down one of the sweetest babies I have ever known.  I am pretty sure I said the same thing with your big brothers and sister, but in all honesty, I could not have dreamed of a sweeter baby to join our family.  You have the happiest, sweetest disposition.  You are so easy going and just happy to be apart of this crazy clan.  You can be so quite and chill when we are all gathered, and then you can let your presence be known.  Hudson and Harper cannot walk past you without giving you a pat or a kiss.  (yes, your biggest brother might kiss you the most of all).  You are so cuddly and so kissable.  Those sweet cheeks and belly and thighs....you are so lovable.  The first thing 90% of people say when they meet you is how beautiful your big blue eyes are...and they are so so big and so beautiful.  I am so thankful everyday that God gave us our mighty boy, tough guy Hayes.  You can melt me to a puddle in an instant.  I love holding you and I love cuddling you.  I love our time with you at the end of each day when the bigger 3 have gone on to bed.  You are the star of the show and show us all of your tricks.  You are so much fun and I love watching you grow and change and learn new things everyday.  You are my dream baby, and I love love love you!