Nine.

Jesse Micah.
My "Gift from God."
My Wild Child Boy Joy.

This year, you are Nine....inching ever closer to those double digits.

 Growing ever bigger, ever stronger....always in the 95% in size for boys an entire year older than yourself.  God made you big.  And He made you strong.  He made you bold, and He made you brave.  And we pray that you always use these gifts for good.  God made your heart to match your size, as well....and that's always been the coolest thing to witness, Jesse Bear.

You love big, and you love freely.
You would give the shirt off your back to anyone who needed it, and you are the first to notice when someone is hurting.  I love this about you.  It's probably one of my favorite things.

You are one of my deepest joys, sweet boy.  One of my proudest moments.
And you were my favorite birth.

You came fast, and you came loudly.  Hollering bloody murder as soon as you entered the world.
Eight minutes after we walked through the hospital doors, you made your presence clearly known, and that's pretty much how it's been ever since.

You caught a crow....because.....why not?

You keep me on my toes.
And you keep me humble.
You perpetually keep us in stitches.
And you ask the deep questions.  The hard questions.  The ones that always surprise us.
This mix of crazy and of depth in you is the coolest thing.  I love this about you!

You......being You.

 My prayer for you this year, my Jesse, is that your love for Jesus will be deep, and wild, and true.  I pray that you will lead with integrity, and that you - in humility - will allow yourself to be led, as well.  I pray that God "will make you dangerous for His purposes so that you can make a difference in your generation." ~ (Mark Batterson, Praying Circles Around Your Children)  I pray that you will be a difference maker!  I pray that you will fall in love with Jesus and allow Him to write every chapter of the story of your life....that you will lean in...and you will trust Him and His purposes for your life with 100% confidence and assurance.  I pray for godly friendships who will speak into your life and challenge you to be better...to follow hard after Jesus.  And I pray for your heart.  That it will always stay tender.  And that it will always love Big.

I love your tenderness toward the underdog, and I love how you notice if someone is sad.  I absolutely love the adoration that you have for your baby sister....and your patience and sweetness toward her kind of slays me.  When she gets into trouble, you are the first to come running and want to soothe her.  That equal parts delights and frazzles me.  haha!  I love how you take to kids who are smaller than you and how you love holding babies.  I love how brave you are.  And I love watching you play football.  I love seeing you live in your gifts.

You and me on the SkyDiver....and you screaming:  "This is Wicked!!!"

Want to know what else I love?  I love watching you push through and practice your piano or read your chapter books when it's hard...and when you don't want to do it.  I love seeing your determination and perseverance....and I love to see your sense of accomplishment when you've finally mastered something that you thought you could never do.  That's life, sweet boy.  It will be full of challenges that you might never think you'll be able to accomplish.  But, you will.  And you'll have us right beside you rooting for you all the way.

Thank you for the hugs you still give so freely.  I treasure those...and I hope they are always up for grabs. Thank you for working so hard to be patient with your little brother.  You guys have come a long way. Thank you for working on your friendship and for including him for sleepovers in your room and for inviting him into your imaginary play.  He looks up to you.....SO much.  He loves being "one of the guys."

Thank you for your honesty with your mom and  your dad.  Thank you for telling the truth, even when you wonder if it will get you into trouble.  I respect that about you.  I'm proud of you when you choose honesty and integrity....and when you choose kindness and tenderness.  I'm proud to call you my Son.

I love that you are a lot like me....it kind of delights me when I see aspects of myself in you. When we both can't stop laughing at something....especially if we're supposed to be serious.  Or when we find ourselves hilarious.....even if nobody else does.  Mad skills, I'd say.

It's been a great year, sweet boy!  I can't believe you are almost in the double digits.  You are growing up, my Jesse.  And I'm so proud of the young man you are becoming.  There is nothing you could do to make me love you any less....and there's not a thing you could do to make me love you any more.

Happy birthday, Love!
Almost two months late...but still in the books for our memories...
I can hear you in my ear:  "I love you more, Mama."
And so I whisper back....."I love you most...."