I'm writing this a letter early this year because your little brother is going to join us any day now. I didn't want to forget to tell you how special this year has been for me as I watched my 3-year old grow.

You have grown physically. You are much taller, stronger, faster than before. You have mastered the tricycle and almost all the play equipment at the playground. It is fun to watch you rise to new challenges, like scaling steep hills and wading in cold streams. I think you are going to be my explorer and adventurer. I have not been the only one to be impressed by how long you persevere until you master a new skill. This is a wonderful quality that you have.

You have grown in head-knowledge, soaking it up like a sponge. I have loved watching you color, then draw and now how eager you are to write. It has been great fun to work on "school" and be creative together. You often ask really good questions and show a great curiousity about the world around you.

You have also grown as a big brother - learning to share with your sister, protect her and teach her right from wrong. You still have much to learn about this, but I am thankful that God chose you to be the oldest in our family. I see your care for other small children and I am happy to know that our new baby will join a family with a brother who will love him and look out for him.

You have also grown spiritually. It has meant so much to me to celebrate Christmas and Easter this year with you as you grapple with these stories and their meanings, really for the first time. You have asked great questions and I hope and pray that it won't be many years before you are able to grasp the significance of Christ's life and death.

So, now we are drawing to the end of your third year and suddenly, I'm going to be mom to a 4-year-old! I'm sad... sad to say good-bye to my 3-year old, but also excited to see what year 4 will hold for both of us. We have a special relationship, my son. I know that God uses both of us in each other's lives to draw us unto Himself. I pray that year 4 will be a year of drawing even closer to the One who loves us unfathomably, both mother and son.

I love you. Happy Birthday!

Mama