Letter to My Birthday Baby Boy: 11 Years Old

11 years ago today I had this little boy. I was adamant that I wasn't going to have a St. Patrick's Day baby, but my contractions wouldn't stop and it was inevitable...I had the luck of the Irish. He's looked like his daddy since the moment he was born...and he acts just like him too. My friend, the surgical assistant that day, walked into the waiting room and told my parents , "He looks just like Jeb." 

He didn't cry after he was born, and it took him a really long time to actually breathe. Then I hemorrhaged that night and lost a lot of blood. I was so weak and so pale, and I was so very scared. But that extra time in the hospital and all of the fear was worth every moment, because Rushton Jeb, YOU ARE MY JOY. 

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You are the kindest, most easy-going, friendliest, most intelligent, inquisitive, Jesus loving, athletic, toughest kid that I've ever known. Everyone loves you. And I'm so thankful I get to be your mom. You don't believe me, but I dreamed about you before I even knew I was having a boy, and in my dream you looked exactly like you do now. I knew you before I had you!

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Rush loves:

-all sports; especially basketball & football

-playing XBOX (particularly 2K)

-playing outside with friends 

-crepes 

-Chick-Fil-A

-root beer

-watching YouTube 

-learning new facts 

-basketball cards 

-reading the Bible

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You're reading through the entire Bible this year with The Bible Recap plan and I'm SO proud of you! You have stayed the course and been dedicated to being in the Word daily and growing your knowledge of the Lord, and this is the most beneficial and important thing you'll ever do in life! 

This is the verse I'm praying over you as you enter into your 11th year...

The most important one, answered Jesus, is this: “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”

Mark 12:29-31

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Happy Birthday sweet boy! I hope you have the absolute best day ever!! 💚

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Letter to My Birthday Baby Boy: 6 Years Old

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Rushton Jeb,

I am super later writing this letter...almost a year...but I couldn’t let 2020 go by without talking about how precious you were at SIX YEARS OLD! You have the sweetest personality, and you truly are loved by all. You are such a JOY. You make friends with everyone you meet, and your smile is contagious. 

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You’re all boy and you love all things related to sports, nature, being outdoors, and getting dirty. You love to ride your bike, fish, hike, explore, and swim. You’re such a little free spirit with your long hair and your carefree soul...you hike with bare feet and you seem so at home in nature. I love watching your soul come alive when you’re outside. I always say that you’re like Mowgli from The Jungle Book because you love animals and you’re always finding critters, whether it be bullfrogs, lizards, snakes, or crawdads. 

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You’re so smart, and you’ve started reading really well. You love numbers, and are great at math. You always want us to and you math problems so you can work them in your head. You love school, and of course you’ve mastered every academic task this year. Your best friends are Fisher Standlee and Cece Wilson, and you play flag football, soccer, basketball, and t-ball...you say basketball is your favorite and you want to be in the NBA when you grow up!

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Rush loves:

-Chick-fil-A 

-chips

-Dr. Pepper

-animals...especially frogs, bugs, and lizards

-riding his bike 

-listening to music

-wearing his Birkenstocks

-being outside 

-playing basketball 

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Life verse for year SIX.

Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.

‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3:12‬

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My precious Rush, I love you so so much. You always tell me that you will be my baby forever, and I so hope that is true. I’ve been telling you lately that you’re my favorite, but to not tell the other kids...then we both smile really big. Today you said to me, “But mom, God says you’re supposed to love everyone the same.” And that is your heart. You always cling to the Word and what is right. That is what I love most about you...how much you love the Lord. You treasure his words and keep them in your heart. And that, my sweet boy, is the most important thing you could ever do. It is the words and the the truth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ that will always guide you through this world. You are a light and you are a warrior for Christ...and he has big plans for your life. And it’s such an honor for me to get to watch how you use the amazing gifts God has blessed you with. 

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I love you always and forever, 

Mom 

Letter to My Birthday Baby Boy: 5 Years Old

My sweet, precious Rushton Jeb Walter Rollins, 

How are you already FIVE?! I feel like you should still be my little squishy baby with the wrinkly forehead and chubby cheeks. I still remember the way your soft, fuzzy hair felt and how you would look up at me as you nursed. I remember how you smelled and the way you would snuggle up close under my chin. I have enjoyed, savored, cherished, and loved every single thing about the past five years of having you as my baby. You are everything that I {literally} dreamed of, and I'm so thankful that God knew that I needed you. 

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You're extremely social and you light up a room! Just like your daddy, you're very friendly and likable...and you make an impression with everyone you meet! Your brother and sister ADORE you, and we all treat you like the true baby of the family. You still sleep in mommy and daddy's bed...right in the middle of us...and I'm not going to lie, I have absolutely loved having you next to me every night as my snuggle buddy. You sleep right under my arm, just like when you were a tiny baby. And even though your daddy thinks it's super weird, you still hold my "booby" to go to sleep every night. You nursed until you were three, so you're used to snuggling up close to me and falling asleep. You told me a couple of days ago that you were going to still be my baby until you were "twenty." And that's just fine with me! 

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You started a two day a week preschool program this year called "Under the Son," and you absolutely love it! You're so smart, and can already: count to 100, count backwards, read over ten sight words, write your name, add and subtract...and your vocabulary is AMAZING for your age. We all can't believe some of the words you know and use in context. You show a special interest in numbers, counting, and adding - which is a trait that you come by naturally from your Papa Kelbo! And, you're left-handed like your mama...which, of course, I LOVE!

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You're all boy...just like all of the Rollins boys. You're rough and tough, and LOVE to tackle and wrestle. We tried wrestling this year, but there wasn't really anyone your same size, so daddy says that we're going to try again next year. You're super tough, and rarely cry when you get hurt. You love playing outside, getting dirty, exploring, fishing, and riding your bike. You've been riding your bike without training wheels since a couple of days before you turned three, and it amazes all of us at how well you can ride it! Papa Kelbo bought you a little Cannondale this year, and you love riding it around the neighborhood. You say that it has "off road tires" and that you can ride it anywhere. Daddy wants to make you some bike trails through the woods behind our house, so you can ride back there. You also got a new Yamaha dirt bike (and all the gear!) a few months ago and you love riding that at Nana and Papa's house. You immediately knew how to ride it, and took off like a pro! 

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You're definitely the life of the party at our house and you are always entertaining us all! You're gotten a little "too big for your britches" attitude the past couple of months, but hopefully that's just a little phase that you're going through. We love hearing your songs, dances, and listening to your band, "No Diggity." Your laugh is so funny and contagious, and we all love our "baby Rushy Poo!"

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Music is probably your very favorite thing, and you love to sing...especially rap! You make up your own rap songs and they are actually pretty good! You know the words to most songs that come on the radio, and you love all genres of music from Christian, to country, to R & B. I definitely think that music is going to be your thing. You asked for a drug set and an electric "bitar" for Christmas, and you recently asked me to start teaching you to play the piano. I'm going to officially start you in lessons next year like your brother and sister. 

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And although you don't seem to be as intense or competitive as your older brother, you're definitely athletic and love sports like he does. You rocked at snow skiing this year, and came down the big mountain like a champ! You kept making YouTube videos and wanted to tell your "subscribers" to "smash that like button" if they liked your skiing skills! It was so cute and so funny!

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You love Jesus with all of your heart, and show a special interest for learning Bible stories and remembering all about the characters of the Bible. I love when you come home from school and tell me about the Bible story you learned about that day. You can remember so many details about the story, and you really soak up the lesson like a sponge. One time during our family Bible study you asked why you couldn't get baptized yet. You truly have a heart for the Lord, and I pray that you continue to seek Him and grow deeper in his Word. You pray after every single one of our family Bible studies without fail, and it's been very special to see how you have grown and matured in your prayer life at such a young age. When we took this picture at The Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis, you said, "Take a picture of me here. But you know, that's not the real Jesus." 

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You played your first season of basketball this year, and you are quite the baller! Daddy was so proud of how well you could dribble for your age. You're about to start t-ball for the first time next month, and you're super excited! I can't wait to see what my little south paw can do on the baseball field! 

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Rush loves:

-watching YouTube (especially Ryan's Toy Review - "Ryan's Toys from you")

-late night snacking with mommy

-any kind of music

-playing instruments

-going to your "church class"

-singing

-super heroes; specifically Black Panther

-pickles from McAlisters

-cheeseburgers

-riding your dirt bike at Papa Kelbo's 

-doing our family Bible study and praying

-"cool clothes"

-"Bron" James

-orange sherbert 

-playing with your animals in the playroom

-"Scratcher" the real alligator head we got in Louisiana

-"Niner" the mountain lion stuffed animal from the Grand Canyon

-playing with Russell

-riding your bike

-Chick-Fil-A

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This is the verse I picked to pray over you for this year:

In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Matthew 5:16

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I've always heard people say, "There's just something about the baby," and man, I know just how true this statement really is. I love you so much, and you have definitely completed by world. You are the cherry on top of our family, and the missing piece to my heart. I love how we do "snuggy wuggy" and have a secret handshake. I love how you like to work out with me, and how you always with to sit by me. I love that you grab my face with your little hands when you're telling me something, and I love how you are constantly telling me that you love me. Just tonight while we were watching American Idol, you looked at me and said, "You're the best." But you know what Rushton Jeb? I think you're the best. And I thank God every day that I get to be your mommy. 

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You're so precious to me, sweet as can be, baby of mine.

Mommy