Reese Taryn, you are THREE today!

I sit here in complete disbelief that as of 9:47pm tonight, I have a THREE year old.

It really feels like just yesterday…

*Clay and I were married.

*We moved into our first house.

*We both had full time jobs.

*We went to bed when we wanted and slept all the way through the night. On the weekends, we got up when we wanted.

*We prayed for a baby.

*We cried, we laughed and we prayed some more.

*We were FINALLY pregnant.

*We found out we were having a girl – Reese Taryn.

*You were born and BEAUTIFUL and OURS!

*You turned ONE, TWO, and now THREE!

That was just yesterday, right?

At THREE years old, Reese, you:

*absolutely *love* life.

*weigh around 27 lbs. Potty Trained. Size 8 shoe. Size 2T/3T clothes.

*still need to be put to sleep. Your daddy is in charge of nighttime around here. And you wake up 1-2 times per night (usually!) and just want to be snuggled back to sleep.

*love being at home and playing at home. We are thankful for the warmer weather because you spend most of your days outside.

*love to sing. It warms Mommy’s heart to hear you singing about Jesus. You love to sing to your babies and a lot of times you make up “one-of-a-kind” songs with a tune from a familiar song.

*are a great “mommy” to your babies. You bathe them, change their diaper, make sure they’re in the proper clothes, stroll them, sing to them, cook for them and love them like they were real. In your mind, they are real and that makes me smile really big. It touches my heart because I know this is practice for the baby brother or sister you will one day have, prayerfully.

*have a memory that amazes me everyday. The things you remember and notice is SO cool! I’m excited to see your memory and imagination flourish when you start Preschool in the fall, which by the way, you are VERY excited about.

*love to help. Whether it be cooking, dishes, cleaning, getting dress, ANYTHING that you could possibly help with, you will! Until it comes time to actually picking up your own toys, that’s a different story. But we are currently working on that.

*are VERY independent. Doing EVERYTHING. You think you can do everything by yourself and that is a daily challenge. We are working on that, too .

*favorite shows right now are Olivia, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Max and Ruby, Dora, Yo Gabba Gabba and Barney – in no particular order. We have these all set up on DVR so they are available at anytime.

*still aren’t a big eater at actual mealtimes. You LOVE sweets and are a big snacker. Your current favorites are mayonnaise sandwiches, hotdogs and chicken nuggets. I can count on you asking for at least one of these per day! Ranch and ketchup are your favorite condiments and Chocolate milk (with lots of Ovaltine!)and Diet Coke are your favorite drinks!

Dear Reese,

It is hard to believe that today you are three. I thank Jesus everyday that He chose me to be your mommy. What a gift! Your daddy and I are head over heels in love with you. You make everyday better! To us, you are perfect! We could never kiss and hug you enough.

I can’t wait to watch you over the next days, months and years grow and change! I hope one day you will read this and know just how much I love you. You probably won't understand it until the day that you have a little girl or boy of your own. And then you will realize how incredibly loved your were.

Happy 3rd birthday, precious Reese. Daddy and Moma love you so much!

Love, Mommy (and Daddy!)