almost.

To our beautiful and sweet almost 3 year old,

    Where has the time gone? Just yesterday we were holding you for the first time in the hospital admiring your gorgeous red hair and perfectly chubby cheeks.... and now you are learning the ABC's and talking about complex subjects such as Jesus dying on the cross and being raised on the 3rd day!?

    You are so precious to your Daddy and I that it is hard to put our feelings for you into words. You hit the ground running each morning and exude joy from the moment I first lay eyes on you. I love the way I find you each morning, standing in your big-girl room greeting me for the new day. Your Daddy and I love so many attributes God gave you. I want to note that these traits are God-given because we cannot claim credit for your precious spirit. God made you so very special. You are incredibly thoughtful. You think of others in a way that amazes us, especially for a little girl your age. Naturally we are very proud of you. When we pick you up from Bible school on Sunday mornings, your teachers make a point to tell us how nicely you share with other children. That warms our hearts to no end.

    While your sweet spirit is very apparent, you are quite spunky as well. You have no problem telling us what is going on, in your world that is. Your voice will be heard, even if it is simply because it is the loudest one in our house! Your favorite thing to say right now is, "I am the baby boss!" I may have told you I was the boss once or twice and then you just took it and ran! Most of the time you say you are the baby boss with a smile, so we can let that one slide :)  When you get a "bee in your bonnet" look out! But we love that about you. There is something to be said about a girl who knows how to get things done. So, you go girl! You can do anything you set your mind to. And your Daddy and I will always be the first to cheer you on.

You seek to understand things. I love that you always want to know what I am talking about if I'm on the phone with Nonni or even just talking to a friend. You like to understand the happenings around you and are very observant. I appreciate your curiosity and your people watching skills ;) 

You are just a treat. Every. single. day. Now, we have our moments of "hello strong willed child!" but 23.5 hours out of the day you are purely pleasant. You and I do not part ways often, but if we do you are like the happiest girl ever when we are reunited. It's something I could get addicted to :) 

You are so funny. I think your Daddy and I appreciate your sense of humor so much because it's simliar to ours. That's understandable. Like you laughed and laughed the other day when we were reading a book about Winnie the Pooh (aka Honey the Pooh) and he asked gofer for a "small smackerel" of honey... you laughed about that for close to 5 minutes. It was so cute. 

You are very nurturing. To other children and especially to Callie. You are always tending to Callie...giving her treats, putting her leash on and walking her around the house. I think Callie's quality of life improved by leaps and bounds when you came into her life. She loves you. 

You love to sing! Many nights at dinner you will pray and ask God to give someone in our family (mostly DeDe because you are crazy about him)  a "happy heart." I think you ask God for this for others because He naturally gave one to you! You are always singing to your baby dolls and just recently we started to sing some songs with motions and you went gaga for that!  

You are active with a capital "A." Girl, you can outrun your mommy AND your daddy any day of the week. We love to watch you GO in a wide open space. Your long legs can cover lots of ground, fast.

There is something that your Daddy and I have prayed for from the time you were just a tiny baby in my tummy. We asked God to give you a heart for Him. To make you a lover of Jesus. We can already see that unfolding. You love to talk about Jesus. Many times if we are just sitting quietly and I ask you what you are thinking about you tell me, "I am thinking about Jesus and how he loves me." The other day in the car I turned the radio on real quick and there was a sermon on. For the split second that we listened, we heard the woman speaking say very sternly to her audience, "Over and over and over the Bible tells you of how Jesus loves you...do you know why? Because you don't believe He loves you." Your eyes got wide and you said, "Mommy, they don't believe Jesus loves them?" I loved how you were so concerned that there would be someone out there that truly does not think Jesus loves them.  I hope you always react that way to those who do not know about Jesus' indescribable love for them. May you shine like a star in a crooked and perverse generation, Scarlett Jean! 

You are lovely in every way and we adore the young lady you are becoming. You will, however, always be our baby girl. I love you with every ounce of myself. It is my joy to be your mommy. I cherish every memory we have together over the last 3 years. Our days together have been so sweet and I know they will continue to be sweeter and sweeter. I cannot wait to see you become a big sister. I look forward to watching you grow from being a toddler into a little girl. You are the living-end in my eyes, girl.  I love you. I love you. I love you.   ~ Mommy