double digits

i can not believe that my baby boy just turned 10 years old!
i know that people always say how time flies with your kids, but seriously..
how is he 10?

i can remember so so clearly the very first night i was home from the hospital.

i literally stayed up the whole entire night.

i remember aj crying and crying, and i was just singing 'tis so sweet to trust in Jesus
over and over and over.

then when he finally fell asleep, i just didn't want to put him down!
i don't think i did put him down again for about a year! ha!

oh..and i don't regret if for one single second.
somedays, when my baby is looking almost directly into my eyes, i admit that i think -
i wish i could just rock him to sleep!

this last picture pretty much describes the first year (at least) of my life.
i rocked him to sleep every nap and every night.

it's so hard to imagine life without aj in it.

he is so amazing in so many ways.
as i think about these last 10 years, i am just absolutely beyond proud of him.

i have watched him grow from a strong-willed toddler to a self-controlled boy.
(contrary to people's opinions that i am just so "lucky" to have had children that were born without a strong will!)

i have watched him go from playing soccer with his pacifier in his mouth, to playing for an elite soccer team

i have watched him go from being shy about meeting someone new, to welcoming new teens at the porch and offering to play a game of pool with them.

i could write all day long about the qualities that i admire about my son.

he is obedient, he is quiet around people he doesn't know well, he takes life seriously, he is a crazy dancer, he is a natural born athlete, he is great at playing the piano, he is very sensitive, he falls asleep really fast at night, he is hard on himself, he loves fruits and vegetables, he loves his family, he is a great role model to his younger brother, he prays for kids from town, he loves to laugh, he knows more about sports than most adults, he is a lot like his daddy, he loves swimming, he doesn't love to run, he is not a morning person, he has hundreds of Bible verses memorized, he still likes me to tuck him in at night.

this little boy, who changed my world entirely...

has grown into a young man that makes me proud every day.

this morning, i watched him get his Bible and notebook, go outside and read a chapter in proverbs.

i didn't tell him to, he just did it.

this is what makes me proud.

the fact that he is growing in his relationship with God on his own.

it's not mine, it's not adam's...it's his.

because the fact of the matter is -

teaching your kids a bunch of rules is fine and dandy,
but when you aren't around...are they still going to obey them?

teaching your kids that there is a real God...

that loves them more than i ever could.

HE knows what's best for them, and HE is always watching them.

when they get that unconditional love...

that unconditional acceptance...

then, they want to obey when you're around and when you're not.

because ultimately they are doing it for God, not for ME!

and then it makes my job a whole lot easier!


so happy happy birthday to my little boy.

i can not wait to see all the plans that God has in store for your life!
i love you more than words could ever say,

and i am proud to take on the title of "aj's mom"