Crawford is TWO

Dear Crawford, 

My sweet boy. I can't believe you are two years old today. These have been the busiest, happiest, most challenging years of my life as your mommy. It's pretty cool and mind-blowing that everything you ever do will be the "first" for us as your parents. No pressure, pal ;). 

There are so many things I want to remember about your two-year-old self. I want to remember the little spaces between all your teeth and the dimple on your left cheek and the freckle on your hiney. And how you say "thank you" when you hand us stuff and "wuffin" instead of muffin and "Mommy do it" when you can't get a puzzle piece to fit. How you act like a tiny hoarder when you hold arm fulls of things that you won't put down for hours and how ridiculously athletic you already seem to be. 

I want to remember that you love to read "Llama Jama" and how you can finish the words on every page. And how you love to watch sports on tv and that you call numbers 11-19 all "fifteen". And how you drag your basketball goal all around the playroom to shoot at it from on top of different things and from different angles. And that you love going to Mocs basketball games with Daddy, especially  because you get ice cream, so now you say "Go Mocs! Basketball! Ice cream!" as if they always all go together. And the way your little tongue twists to the side to make your little lisp that is slowly fading away as you pronounce your "r's" with clarity. 

I want to remember these early days of having two very little boys and how even though you ignore Lawson about 80% of the time, when you do pay attention to him it's all love. You will bring a ball to him while you're shooting baskets or laugh when I'm actually trying to get him to laugh. And how Lawson is already mesmerized by you. He tracks you all around the room, and he hardly blinks. I pray you will cherish having a little brother who looks up to you.

I especially want to remember your innocence and how you melt my heart with your prayers. You fold your hands and say "Dear God, thank you for Lawson and Jesus. Amen." all on your own. Sometimes it's "and Lawson and Jesus and Daddy and Lawson and Jesus." You regularly talk about "Happy Jesus" (leaving out the "birthday" part), and you know God loves you. We pray these are just seeds being planted in your little heart that will one day bear fruit of a relationship with the Lord. 

Year two has been a challenging one. About the time you learned to walk you also learned to assert yourself and challenge us, and you haven't looked back. You are a strong willed, determined and focused little boy, and we are praying that those are characteristics of your personality that you can use mightily to serve the Lord. I know they are! The past few weeks have given me (what I think is) a glimpse into your third year, and things are looking up! We've made a few outings (to the mall, the dentist, a haircut) that were SO pleasant because you didn't run away and you obeyed me the whole time. With your increased ability to communicate entire thoughts is coming a much easier way to parent you. I am thankful.

There are a million more tiny details about your little self that I could fill a million blog posts with (like your newfound obsession with "Bob and Warry" or how you love Miss EEmie and Miss Megan at gymnastics and how you're still very attached to your paci and your recent conversion to being affectionate…), but I'll stop there. 

Your mommy and daddy love you, Crawford. 

I'll love you forever, 

I'll like you for always

As long as I'm living, 

My baby you'll be.

Love, 

Mommy

stats:

27.8 pounds

inches