Love

Briggs-5 months old!

Believe it or not, this little boy is an identical to his big brother Knox.  We pulled out home videos and old pictures a few weeks ago and were completely blown away by how much they resemble each other.  Briggs is weighing in at 18 pounds!  Amazing that with all those pounds he still wants to eat at night, sometimes two or three times.  We are fighting through some tough sleep training right now and Jerrold has deemed himself the coach.  There has already been improvement and I am so thankful for his support in this tough season.

   Briggs is so laidback and we often note how little noise he makes, during the day :).  He is perfectly content to watch Eli & Knox as they play.  He loves to watch tv, just like Eli did as a baby.  We just pulled out our praise baby dvds and the baby einsteins too.  It's been surreal to hear those songs and videos playing again, it's amazing how much I have forgotten since my first two babies were babies together. 

Fishing

This was by far one of the best days I have ever spent with Eli & Knox.  Unfortunately, sweet Briggs missed the fun and stayed at GiGi's house...there will be other fishing adventures for him!

We went fishing with my Dad for almost 3 hours.  He had his hands full with driving the boat, continually baiting 4 rods, and helping the boys.  It was so much fun.  The boys both caught fish!  Knox was very much the fisherman, while Eli scoped the water for turtles.  Eli reeled in the second fish of the day and took a break on the next 12 we caught.  I was fortunate enough to catch the two largest fish, something the boys quickly told their Daddy about at dinner.  We caught 17 in all and we ate every last one! 

Happy Birthday Knox!

 I guess Uncle Evan thought every little boy and every little boy's Mommy & Daddy need a harmonica. 

We can't wait to buy presents for his children!

Dear Knox,

It is hard for me to believe that you are three years old.  You have spoiled me beyond explanation with our sweet relationship.  You truly are a special child.  You are much more sensitive than Eli, but also much more determined.  You are very passionate about specific pursuits.  You LOVE pretending to be a Revolutionary War soldier, fitting since Nathanael Knox is your name.  You enjoyed every minute of the reenactment Daddy was a part of this year.  You tell me nearly every day that next year you can be a soldier too because you have, "everything you need."  You also enjoy baseball.  We gave you a ball and glove for your birthday and you quickly referred to the Grasshoppers and mentioned they would probably want you to play.  You still refer to Eli as "YiYi" or "my brother".  You touch my heart with how much you love him.  Sometimes he can be a little hard on you but you are the first to look out for him.  You have a very forgiving spirit and the sweetest, tender heart.  You did not utter a prayer at any meal or bedtime until the day after you turned three.  You then announced that you would begin saying our breakfast prayer.  It is very simple and very fitting.

Knox, we love you so very much and feel incredibly blessed to be your parents.  We pray for you and hope that God is going to call you to do great things!  You were such a surprise for our new family three years ago, but we would be absolutely lost without you.  I hope we will always be best friends.

I love you,
Mommy