12 MONTHS OLD!!!

JACK, YOU ARE 1 YEAR OLD TODAY!!!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

my sweet little love,

exactly 1 year ago today at 8:31 a.m. you entered this world & completely changed our lives. we instantly fell in love with you & everyday we love you even more. this 1st year has been incredible. we have loved watching you grow, learn, change & develop. we have been on vacations, enjoyed your first holidays, fought off a few little illnesses, lost a lot of sleep, changed a lot of diapers, learned you were going to be a big brother, learned you're going to have a little sister, picked pumpkins, and made wonderful life long memories together. it has truly been the best year of mine & daddy's lives. you have made all of our dreams come true & far surpassed our expectations. being your parents is an absolute joy. you are a treasure, we never grow tired of loving you, taking care of you & playing with you.

you have taught us so much in 1 short year. we have learned even more about what it means to to be responsible, to be selfless, to be patient, to be giving, to be wise, to be prayer warriors, to seek the Lord concerning all things, to laugh, to enjoy every moment, to cry, to be excited, have priorities, to trust the Lord, to praise Jesus for everything He has given us, to play, to save money, to be a parent & to truly unconditionally love. its amazing how much God has used you in our lives. you have no idea about any of these things yet, you are just a happy little boy who enjoys life but the Lord has used your sweet personality to teach us so many lessons. there have been tears & a few hard times, but more joy & laughter.

i always wanted to be a mommy & you have made this experience for me such an easy transition. i will never ever forget our first year together!! you are such a well behaved laid back little boy & we just enjoy every single day with you. we can't wait to see how much you grow & change during your 2nd year, but we are most excited about watching you become a big brother in 3 months!! we know you will just love Jovie & we are excited about watching you two become best friends.

at the age of 1 you have such a sweet, gentle & loving personality. you are always happy, smiling & looking for something to get into! you love to explore and try new things. you are going through a little bit of a clingy phase, you don't want either one of us out of your sight but we are enjoying all the extra cuddles & hugs. you are pulling up on everything & using whatever you can to help you take some steps. we know you'll be walking any day now. you can crawl so fast to get to what you want! you have recently discovered doors & cabinets and you love them! you love to shut doors & swing them, when their open, back & forth. you love to open & shut cabinet doors over & over & over. you haven't quite discovered that they hold things inside them! we're just counting down until you figure that out! you still really enjoy your bouncy seat, you love the TV remotes & our computers but your favorite is our iphones, go figure! you drink predominately from your sippie cup. you LOVE chocolate milk & apple carrot juice. you still get formula twice a day but you will be solely on milk before long. you are a little bit of a picky eater, but you are willing to try new things occasionally! you love vanilla wafers, mashed potatoes, corn, peanut butter, toast, muffins, biscuits, apple slices, banana, french fries & honey nut cheerios. you are always very curious about whatever we are eating & we can usually get you to try some of it. you are a great sleeper at night & for naps. you go down without a fight & entertain yourself until you fall asleep. you wake up around 5 or 6 in the morning but after some formula, you will go right back to sleep. you go to bed around 7 or 7:30 each night & you're in a size 3 diaper. you can wear 9-12 month clothes & a size 3 (its still a little big) shoe. you absolutely LOVE bath time & play time but you hate to get your diaper changed! you are becoming more & more aware of your surroundings & you've become unsure about new people or someone you don't see often. you love to go to lolli & poppas and mamie & granddad's. you just think all 4 of them are soo funny!! lola is your best friend, you love to chase her around the house!! you are just so much fun to us!!!

WE LOVE YOU JACK! your 1st year has been such a blessing. we know that you are a gift from God & we pray that we raise you in a way that honors Him. we just can't get enough of you & we hope you realize how much we love you! you have changed our lives & worn us out, but we wouldn't ever go back to our time before you came along. Happy Birthday baby, you are our joy!!