King of the Castle! : Love You to The Moon and Back

I haven't written one of these posts for awhile now and as the days of you being our only child grow smaller, I am feeling a bit emotional. Everything is going to change a little here in the next 9 days, so I want to put in writing now how all I can think about is how incredibly much I love you. And, I want to thank you for making my life so wonderful and filling my heart with more love than I ever thought was possible. You, my dear, have shown me love and happiness in a whole new light.

I have always been a very blessed person - my family is quite possibly the strongest, most loving family around. I found a man who takes amazing care of me and loves me unconditionally, who I fall more in love with each day. And, his family is amazing on top of it. I have a good job, friends, etc. So, happiness and love has never been something I have lacked. But, the day you came into this world, I learned that there is a different kind of love and happiness when you hold your child for the first time. It is an overwhelming feeling that could never be explained with words. Amazing does not really even start to cover it. Your innocence and joy for the simple things remind me daily how important it is to cherish everything. Breath in everything and find joy in the simplest of things. You also teach me the importance of patience :). Being a parent doesn't come with a manual, so the good, the bad and the ugly are all a free-for-all some days. I am constantly reminding myself that we cannot function as a happy, healthy family without patience. We all work on our patience daily because we have to learn that things don't always go as planned - we have to exhibit patience in order to see results that we want, even if the results are not immediate. Some pretty important life lessons can be learned from a two year old - that's pretty incredible!

I am not sure that I will ever fully be able to tell or show you just how much I love you. But, I sure try. I am pretty sure I tell you that I love you about 100 times a day. I am also pretty sure that you get about a thousand hugs and kisses on any given day. And, this is just from me. Add your Dad, your grandparents and Hoyt to that list too and you are one loved little man! You have definitely picked up on the love because you will randomly come give me a hug and tell me you love me. I can't even begin to describe how incredible those moments make me feel. It makes every difficult moment that we have seem like nothing. You are such an amazing little boy and it's hard to believe that you are only 2. You understand so much of how things work, including how to love someone. I am happy that we have been successful in teaching you that and I just hope you never ever forget how much you are loved. You have a whole lifetime of love coming your way - this is just the beginning!

I love you, Bean. To the moon and back. With every ounce of my being and then some. Please don't ever forget that!

http://youtu.be/RH3jbBE_jQM: Video of Ray telling you how much he loves you and you saying it back...he says he loves you to the moon and back at the end and you tell him, "that's what Mommy says". That is what Mommy says to you - every single night!