Today, Elijah is 3.

He is smart and silly and defiant and sensitive and helpful.

We have battles over meals and naps and fussing and clothes.

He struggled when Ava made her entrance into the family.

He loves to sit close and request (demand?) an “arm” (around him) and sing Jesus Loves Me.

When he gets hurt, or when he doesn’t feel good, he asks “pray it?”…and when someone else is hurt, he offers to pray for them.

He wants to be a big kid, but wants to still be the baby, too…I guess it’s the internal battle every 3 year old faces.

He loves his baby sister, telling me all the time how beautiful and adorable and precious she is, and how much he loves her.

He likes to randomly go visit his Daddy at work (aka, his office in the attic), and Daddy has a particular soft spot for this little boy.

When the big kids are at Friday school, we mostly snuggle and watch Scooby-Doo.

During our family devotions, his eager response to any question that is asked is always “Jesus came down and died on the cross”.  I’m glad he’s getting the basics figured out ;).

He often says “I love you, too, Mommy” out of the blue.

He is adored by his siblings.

He makes me laugh a lot.

There is so much tenderness and affection and zeal for life in Elijah.  And though he has occasionally corrected us lately, saying “I’m not buddy, I’m ‘wijah”, I’m not in any hurry to abandon his simple nickname that so aptly describes our favorite littlest boy.  And today we celebrated him and the joy he has been to our hearts and the life he has before him.  Happy Birthday, Buddy…we love you so, so much!