Faker!

Dear Jordan,

Sorry it's been so long since I've written!  Life is a little crazy around here (you may have a little to do with that).  Seriously, if I could bottle your energy, I could sell it and Dad could stay home with us all day!  You are so funny.  You make huge messes with toys everywhere, but you also have a little OCD streak in you.  We have a bunch of pumpkins on our porch that you insist on putting in a straight line instead of in more artistic formations like I prefer to put them.  You also can sit forever and line up your trucks in a straight line, usually from big to little.  Not sure if you will embrace one side of your personality more than the other, so it will be interesting to see!

The past two months have been a challenge.  Staying home with you two boys is a joy, but it is hard sometimes.  There are days that I just want to crawl in bed and sleep for a solid day, but between the two of you, I am way to busy for anything like that!  But God gives me the grace to live each day to His glory. It's just a matter if I choose to allow Him to work instead of my trying to do things on my own.  It's harder than it sounds!  I think I have control issues!

You are a big talker now.  You say funny things all of the time like "Wait a minute" and "Good grief!"  You are a sponge, so I really have to be thoughtful about what I say.  You'll pick it right up!  Watching my tongue is not easy!

For the most part you do well with your little brother.  You kind of ignore him.  Sometimes you will get a little rough and kick him or hit him by accident.  The way that you are currently coping with jealousy is faking injuries and then crying and asking to "sa-nuggle Mama".  Usually I'm trying to help Marcus when these "injuries" occur.  It's pretty funny...and maybe a little tiring sometimes too!

Tomorrow is Gotcha Day!  We're going to Pumpkinville with friends and family and then to eat at Chileno's.  I was trying to decide where you would most like to eat in Bricktown.  There is no decision...you LOVE chips and queso!  Mexican it is!

It's hard to believe it's been two years since we finalized your adoption.  What an incredible blessing you are to our family.  I cannot imagine life without you...and I don't want to imagine.  God was good in giving you as a gift to us.  I only hope that we can honor God with how we raise you.  You are precious.

I love you,

Mom

Heart Change

Dear Jordan,

The days are flying by and you are just growing bigger and bigger.  Your vocabulary is huge, you learned how to ride a bike (thanks to Pappa!), and you are a great big brother.  You are sweet and passionate and so much fun.  You are also extremely volatile!  We've been having a little trouble with your temper and with your aggressive behavior.  You hit your friends at church.  It's rarely out of anger...you just play hard!

There was a Sunday evening a few weeks ago that you lost it.  You got in trouble at church and then the whole evening at home was so hard.  I told your Dad that I was at a loss on how to help you learn to control yourself.  What I did not factor in was that God is working in your heart and mine to help us to grow more like Him.  The next morning, you were sitting in time out and I asked if we could pray about things.  We prayed that you would be able to be in control and that I would be patience.  The rest of the day was pretty good.

That evening, I felt like I need to spend some special time with you to tell you how proud I am of you.  I want to reward you for obeying and having a sweet spirit.  So, I laid in bed with you and just told you how much I loved you.  You were listening to all of the words I had to say and then with the most sincerity and sorrow I have ever seen, you looked at me and said "Mama, I hit my friends".  My heart just melted because I could see that God had softened your heart, just like we had asked.  I was able to tell you that forgiveness means we forget and move on.  That the next day you could start fresh and show your friends love through hugging instead of hitting.  You still have rough patches, but I can see that God is powerful and I pray that he will reach you and transform you into a passionate warrior for Him.

Your Grammy and Pappa have been staying with us.  You are loving having so many people to play with.  You are a special little boy and make everyone so joyful to have you in our family.  Pappa taught you how to ride a bike.  It is the cutest thing...you right around with your oversized helmet, knee pads, elbow pads, and gloves.  You can barely see past your helmet but somehow you manage to go.  And you don't just go short distances.  You can go around the block...with a little help from someone to get up the inclines.

I hope I can do this more regularly now that Marcus is a little bigger.  I'm starting to feel like I can hand being a mom of two boys.

I love you so much, little man and I look forward to seeing you come to know Jesus as your Savior. 

Love, Mom