Happy 4th Birthday, Reuben!

Today we celebrate Labor Day in a different way. Today we celebrate that 4 years ago, I labored and delivered our third child, our precious Reuben Yates. It's so hard to believe that 4 years have already passed since welcoming Reuben into our family. He is such a blessing to us and our family because he is so different. Reuben is very quiet and mild mannered. But he is opinionated. It makes me laugh how much like Jim he is. He loves being around people, having fun and laughing, but he will not insert himself just because. He is content to be alone and enjoys sitting by himself quietly.

Reuben is so funny, but is very subtle about it. He loves to dance and can keep up with the best of them when we play the dance game. He loves the TV way too much! He will watch anything and play any video game. He enjoys acting out what he watches and plays with his siblings. He is such a bundle of energy and is so fun to watch.

It is a blessing to see Reuben learning to get along with his siblings. He can be very sweet and is generally agreeable. Most of the time he will give them anything, especially Lillian. I pray he will be a great protector of his big sister. They enjoy doing many things together, especially dancing and acting out movies. He also enjoys building with magnets and Legos. I hope he will grow in his love of building.

This past year, Reuben has begun to like reading more, which is a huge blessing. Tomorrow he will be starting pre-school in his first official year of homeschool. He seems to be excited and has grown in a love of learning recently.

Some of Reuben's favorite things are dinosaurs, robots and super heroes. He loves to eat fruits and vegetables, especially carrots. He has also developed a great love of coffee and enjoys sharing a cup with Daddy in the mornings. He also likes his siblings. Occasionally he will ask to hold Nehemiah, which is very sweet.

As our family grows together, Reuben has grown in praying. He likes to pray at meals and at night when we pray together. He is also diligent to pray for his siblings as well and makes sure to tell us who he is praying for.

I am so thankful for Reuben. He has grown and challenged me. I love his sweet smile and love of life. He is such a blessing!

Father, thank You for giving Reuben to us to raise for You. Thank You for Your mercy and grace in parenting. Please save him by Your grace and grow him into a mighty man after Your own heart.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY REUBEN!!!!! May God bless you with many more years.