Dear Jacob,
Today is your 2nd birthday. I can't believe you have been a part of our lives for 24 whole wonderful months. You truly are one of the best things that has ever happened to me. I remember the first time I held you in my arms. It was love at first sight. Everyday I fall in love with you all over again.
When you were born, you were so tiny. Now you look like such a big boy. I am amazed by how much you are learning and growing. There's so much I want to share with you about your life right now, but there's no way I can tell you everything. Here are some of my favorite Jacob traits:
-You are affectionate. You love to give hugs, kisses, eskimo kisses, tackle us on the floor, and pat our backs.
-You show compassion to others in small ways like saying "bless you" when someone sneezes or sharing toys with your friends.
-You are joyful. Always happy, a smile on your face, laughing all the time. I am so thankful for this.
-You are energetic. There is never a dull moment with you. From the time you get up to the time you go to bed it is nonstop action.
-You are strong-willed. Your daddy and I are both praying that this will be used for good as you get older.
-You are creative/artistic. Right now nothing pleases you more than to sit and color or paint or play with play-do. You are getting so good at using both hands to color at the same time. I think you would sit and color all day long if we let you.
-You are smart. You already know your colors. You can say your ABC's up to P ...... "abcdefghijkELMOp". You can count to 10. You can spell the last 3 letters of your name. You are learning your shapes. You also have a really good memory.
-You are observant. I love that you can identify cars by their make, not model. You notice things that your daddy and I don't even notice.
-You are a story-teller. Even now you love to recount your days to us. You always tell us who was there, what you did, where you were. I hope you will always have a love for stories.
-You love your family.
-You are outdoorsy. You got this from your dad. You LOVE to go outside and play, throw rocks in the creek, go to the playground, ride in your wagon, look for bugs, go for family hikes, dig in the dirt or sand, play in water. Your daddy really, really can't wait for you to get big enough to go camping and fishing with him.
-You love animals. Samson is one of your best friends. You love to go to the zoo. You also like identifying animals and making noises. You can make over 20 animal sounds. Your favorites are monkey, dog, elephant, and alligator.
-You are a creature of habit. Everything, and I mean everything has to be the same way every time. For example, right now you will only go to sleep with a certain pillow, you have to have music playing for night-night time, you do not like wearing socks to bed, you always want your milk FIRST things when you wake up, and you always have to read a Bible story at night (this one we don't mind).
-You are a good friend. You have some wonderful little friends right now... Emma, Taylor, Chase, Addy, Elias, Wyatt, Emily, Chad, Ava, Luke, and Logan. You are learning how to play with them, share your toys, and treat them nicely.
-You are a southern gentleman in the making. Just last Sunday your teacher told me you were one of the most well-mannered children she has ever worked with. That made me so proud. You are getting SO good at saying "please", "thank you", "yes mam", and "no sir". It is so cute to hear you talk like this.
When you were born, you were so tiny. Now you look like such a big boy. I am amazed by how much you are learning and growing. There's so much I want to share with you about your life right now, but there's no way I can tell you everything. Here are some of my favorite Jacob traits:
-You are affectionate. You love to give hugs, kisses, eskimo kisses, tackle us on the floor, and pat our backs.
-You show compassion to others in small ways like saying "bless you" when someone sneezes or sharing toys with your friends.
-You are joyful. Always happy, a smile on your face, laughing all the time. I am so thankful for this.
-You are energetic. There is never a dull moment with you. From the time you get up to the time you go to bed it is nonstop action.
-You are strong-willed. Your daddy and I are both praying that this will be used for good as you get older.
-You are creative/artistic. Right now nothing pleases you more than to sit and color or paint or play with play-do. You are getting so good at using both hands to color at the same time. I think you would sit and color all day long if we let you.
-You are smart. You already know your colors. You can say your ABC's up to P ...... "abcdefghijkELMOp". You can count to 10. You can spell the last 3 letters of your name. You are learning your shapes. You also have a really good memory.
-You are observant. I love that you can identify cars by their make, not model. You notice things that your daddy and I don't even notice.
-You are a story-teller. Even now you love to recount your days to us. You always tell us who was there, what you did, where you were. I hope you will always have a love for stories.
-You love your family.
-You are outdoorsy. You got this from your dad. You LOVE to go outside and play, throw rocks in the creek, go to the playground, ride in your wagon, look for bugs, go for family hikes, dig in the dirt or sand, play in water. Your daddy really, really can't wait for you to get big enough to go camping and fishing with him.
-You love animals. Samson is one of your best friends. You love to go to the zoo. You also like identifying animals and making noises. You can make over 20 animal sounds. Your favorites are monkey, dog, elephant, and alligator.
-You are a creature of habit. Everything, and I mean everything has to be the same way every time. For example, right now you will only go to sleep with a certain pillow, you have to have music playing for night-night time, you do not like wearing socks to bed, you always want your milk FIRST things when you wake up, and you always have to read a Bible story at night (this one we don't mind).
-You are a good friend. You have some wonderful little friends right now... Emma, Taylor, Chase, Addy, Elias, Wyatt, Emily, Chad, Ava, Luke, and Logan. You are learning how to play with them, share your toys, and treat them nicely.
-You are a southern gentleman in the making. Just last Sunday your teacher told me you were one of the most well-mannered children she has ever worked with. That made me so proud. You are getting SO good at saying "please", "thank you", "yes mam", and "no sir". It is so cute to hear you talk like this.
-You are all boy. You love to run, jump, climb, play, get dirty, get into things, laugh at bodily noises, and still make a mess with your food. Oh, how I love being the mommy of a boy :).
-You are tender-hearted. I love to listen to you pray for family and friends with your daddy at night before you go to sleep.
-You are outgoing. You have such a fun, crazy, silly, feisty, sociable, attracting personality. I know I'm your mom, but I think people really enjoy being around you. Your daddy has a way of making anyone feel comfortable around him whether he's known them 10 minutes or 10 years. I hope this is one of the traits you got from him.
-You are wise. You still have a looonnnggg way to go. I pray God would make you wise everyday. I feel like I see glimpses of this at times even now. You are learning to make good choices in how you act or how you treat someone. This makes me so proud.
-You are learning to choose to have a happy heart.
-You are inspiring. Everyday I look at you, I am inspired to be better. A better mom for you. A better wife for you (so you can see what a good marriage looks like). A better daughter for you (so you see good relationships between a parent and child). A better sister for you (I want you to have good relationships with your siblings). A better friend for you (so you can learn how to be a good friend to others). A better servant for you (so you can learn to serve others). A better Christian for you (so you can see first hand what a relationship with Jesus Christ looks like). Thanks for inspiring me. I hope I can inspire you too.
-You are brave. Not a lot scares you. And, if something does you conquer your fear quickly. You always like to try new things. I pray God will always give you a spirit of hope and not fear.
-You are laid-back. Most of the time you go with the flow and do whatever we ask of you. You hardly ever complain about anything. Thank you!
-You are our treasure. Renna taught you to say this and it's so sweet coming from your mouth. We hope you will always remember just how special you are to this family.
-You love to read your Bible. I love to hear you talk about Noah's Ark or baby Jesus. I pray God will continue to give you a desire for His Word. I pray you will find great delight in knowing His Word to the very depths of your sweet little soul.
-You love food. Just like your mommy. You are willing to try new foods, and there is not much you do not like. You often choose the healthier option when given a choice. I hope you will continue to be a good eater.
-You are fearfully and wonderfully made. I pray often that you will not struggle with poor self-image. I pray that the sin I struggle with will stop and not be passed on to you. I pray you will always be confident in who you are. I pray you will always love yourself. I pray you will always see yourself through God's eyes, and not the world's. I pray you will realize just how amazing and wonderful, and unique, and perfect you are JUST as you are. I pray you will always know that being Jacob Thomas Vaughn is a great thing. (just know that I am working really hard to beat this in my own life because I want to be a better example for you).
-You are loved. Beyond words. Beyond understanding. You are loved by your mommy and daddy. You are loved by your grandparents. You are loved by your great-grandparents. You are loved by your aunts. You are loved by your friends. You are loved by your teachers. And, if you put all of our love together it couldn't ever compare to how much God loves you.
I pray with all my heart that you will grow in wisdom and stature to become the man God wants you to be. I pray in expectation for your salvation. I pray you will always choose Jesus over everything else. He is life!!
Jacob, I am so proud of the choices you are making and the young man you are becoming. I knew being your mommy was going to be a huge responsibility, but I had no idea how much joy and meaning it would bring to my life. You mean the world to me. I should stop writing before I fall onto the floor in a weeping mess....
God is so good. God is so faithful. God is so wise. God is so giving. God chose ME out of all the women in the world to be your mommy. I am thankful every single day for you. You fill my life with more joy, more laughter, more sillyness, more love than I could have ever imagined. These past two years have been awesome and I look forward to watching you continue to grow.
All my love,
Mommy
-You are tender-hearted. I love to listen to you pray for family and friends with your daddy at night before you go to sleep.
-You are outgoing. You have such a fun, crazy, silly, feisty, sociable, attracting personality. I know I'm your mom, but I think people really enjoy being around you. Your daddy has a way of making anyone feel comfortable around him whether he's known them 10 minutes or 10 years. I hope this is one of the traits you got from him.
-You are wise. You still have a looonnnggg way to go. I pray God would make you wise everyday. I feel like I see glimpses of this at times even now. You are learning to make good choices in how you act or how you treat someone. This makes me so proud.
-You are learning to choose to have a happy heart.
-You are inspiring. Everyday I look at you, I am inspired to be better. A better mom for you. A better wife for you (so you can see what a good marriage looks like). A better daughter for you (so you see good relationships between a parent and child). A better sister for you (I want you to have good relationships with your siblings). A better friend for you (so you can learn how to be a good friend to others). A better servant for you (so you can learn to serve others). A better Christian for you (so you can see first hand what a relationship with Jesus Christ looks like). Thanks for inspiring me. I hope I can inspire you too.
-You are brave. Not a lot scares you. And, if something does you conquer your fear quickly. You always like to try new things. I pray God will always give you a spirit of hope and not fear.
-You are laid-back. Most of the time you go with the flow and do whatever we ask of you. You hardly ever complain about anything. Thank you!
-You are our treasure. Renna taught you to say this and it's so sweet coming from your mouth. We hope you will always remember just how special you are to this family.
-You love to read your Bible. I love to hear you talk about Noah's Ark or baby Jesus. I pray God will continue to give you a desire for His Word. I pray you will find great delight in knowing His Word to the very depths of your sweet little soul.
-You love food. Just like your mommy. You are willing to try new foods, and there is not much you do not like. You often choose the healthier option when given a choice. I hope you will continue to be a good eater.
-You are fearfully and wonderfully made. I pray often that you will not struggle with poor self-image. I pray that the sin I struggle with will stop and not be passed on to you. I pray you will always be confident in who you are. I pray you will always love yourself. I pray you will always see yourself through God's eyes, and not the world's. I pray you will realize just how amazing and wonderful, and unique, and perfect you are JUST as you are. I pray you will always know that being Jacob Thomas Vaughn is a great thing. (just know that I am working really hard to beat this in my own life because I want to be a better example for you).
-You are loved. Beyond words. Beyond understanding. You are loved by your mommy and daddy. You are loved by your grandparents. You are loved by your great-grandparents. You are loved by your aunts. You are loved by your friends. You are loved by your teachers. And, if you put all of our love together it couldn't ever compare to how much God loves you.
I pray with all my heart that you will grow in wisdom and stature to become the man God wants you to be. I pray in expectation for your salvation. I pray you will always choose Jesus over everything else. He is life!!
Jacob, I am so proud of the choices you are making and the young man you are becoming. I knew being your mommy was going to be a huge responsibility, but I had no idea how much joy and meaning it would bring to my life. You mean the world to me. I should stop writing before I fall onto the floor in a weeping mess....
God is so good. God is so faithful. God is so wise. God is so giving. God chose ME out of all the women in the world to be your mommy. I am thankful every single day for you. You fill my life with more joy, more laughter, more sillyness, more love than I could have ever imagined. These past two years have been awesome and I look forward to watching you continue to grow.
All my love,
Mommy
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