Baby You're A Firework

Today this brilliant boy turns three years old. 

I try to write my grands a letter here every year on their birthday, which means today is his day. 

Dear Max, 

Today you are three. And you really are brilliant. You talk like a full grown adult which is one of everyone's favorite things about you. I spent all my working life with children your age and I've never met another who can carry on a conversation the way you can. You use all the pronouns, prepositions, conjunctions and adverbs and you use them correctly. It's both amazing and hilarious to hear a 2-year old say 'please brush my teeth very very gently' and 'I'll be up there shortly'. 

You notice every big and little thing from the planets in the sky ('I see Jupiter!!') to the tiniest butterfly in the field behind your house. I look at you and see the wheels turning as you try to understand all the hows and whys of this world. You ask a lot of questions and you forget nothing. 

You are appropriately nicknamed here on Nana's blog because a wild rumpus is definitely your jam. You are a climber and a bouncer and a jumper and you throw yourself at both the sofa and at life. You ride your scooter like a pro, can tell a Chinook from an Apache, love books, cars-trucks-trains, chicken nuggets, and most of all the color RED. Red is your favorite everything. Just give you all the red. 

Besides being appropriately nicknamed in the blog world, you are also appropriately named in real life. You are a Will with a WILL!!! and personally Nana thinks this is true of many second borns. Just ask me about your Auntie M when she was two turning three-ha! 

Your strong spirit, steely determination, and never-ending curiosity will serve you well as you grow into adulthood. In the meantime we love to see life unfold before you and and around you and to watch you take it all in. 

It's been a very exciting week in your house because this is the week you finally became a big brother. 

I know little miss will love and adore you the same way you love and adore your big brother. 

She will likely follow you around, want to do whatever it is you're doing, and she will laugh at all your jokes because you are funny. 

Happy birthday dear sweet 'Baby Wheel'. You are not so much a baby anymore, but you still make our world spin as big and bright as your favorite red planet in the night sky. 

"Stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Let all that you do be done in love." 
1 Corinthians 16:13-14 

Many Big And Little Bits of Life

I feel like I'm overdue for a post filled with all the little bits of life that have been happening here. Some actually not so little, but maybe not big enough to warrant their own post. Or maybe they do, but time won't allow it just now and I want to catch up so here we are. 

Strap in for some quick and random topic changes and pictures that don't want to center on the page. 

Fall. My favorite season and this has been one of the prettiest we've had in a long, long, time. The color has been spectacular and as it happens we've been putting miles on the car traveling here, there, and back again through tunnels of gold and along southern back roads painted red-yellow-orange. Autumn reminds me the world is full of wonder and it is God who orders change in the seasons and in our lives. 

I read a really really good book. It's labeled YA but if you read the reviews you'll see adults are the readers who truly get it. I recommend-

Everything Sad Is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri

I'd given hubs tickets to see Jim Messina in the nearby small big city for his birthday back in September, and last week was the concert date. A bit inconvenient timing wise as I had to see the orthopedist at 1 PM and the concert wasn't until 7:30. Then hubs looked at his calendar and realized he had a haircut booked for 9:45 so what all this nonsense meant was two trips to town in the same day. 

Bother. Town is an hour away which meant there and back and there and back and we'd also just come home from driving the coast of California and knew we had another road trip that next weekend so whew!

Anyway, we loved the show. For any kids reading here today, Jim Messina was once upon a time part of the duo Loggins and Messina (yes, Kenny of Top Gun music fame). You older 'kids' probably know he was also part of Buffalo Springfield and a founding member of Poco. He kicked off the show with House at Pooh Corner and what adult doesn't feel a twinge of nostalgia when they hear that tune? 

The next weekend we trekked through a lot of autumn splendor to spend a couple of days with our daughter2, her hubs, her in-laws, and sweet baby J who still needs a blog name. The weather was perfect and we spent a lot of time relaxing on their back porch, wandering around a local Octoberfest celebration, and then on Sunday celebrating with their church family at little man's dedication. 

It was such a nice service and he wore his daddy's baptismal gown and loved almost every minute. The pastor invited all the kids in the service to come up front and watch and then the congregation sang Jesus Loves Me while baby boy checked out his new friends. 

He is an absolute sweetheart. 

College football. Our team is back and we are loving it. The Tennessee Vols are undefeated and it's feeling a bit like 1998. Little guy was sporting his checkerboard overalls because they're raising him right. 

We watched the Bama game at daughter2's house and when the Vols won in the last two seconds everyone forgot there was a baby sleeping upstairs. What a game! Our hometown team (who we also love and root for) is also undefeated and suddenly college football is fun again. 

We drove home on Monday and then were supposed to go to our own college homecoming that next weekend. You may recall Daughter1 was due with her baby #3 the first week of November, except God had other plans and here she is, two weeks early and perfectly perfect-

My heart can hardly take it. 

Truly. My heart is so full, and while life right now feels a wee bit crazy I am so grateful for every sweet, loud, anxious, joyful, big and small moment and mile traveled that has brought us to the now.