all about Jonah and Noah

I cannot believe that today my twins are seventeen years old.  I used to refer to them as the babies, and then later on, the littles.  They'll always be that to me.

I thought I'd share seventeen things I love about them both, and though I'll stop at seventeen, there are a million more small and little things.

Jonah:

I love how hard he works; he is JUST like his dad.
I love that he enjoys life to the fullest.
I love that he is dependable.
I love that he loves to talk to us.
I love that he still grabs my hand when he talks to me.
I love that he will sometimes dance with me in the kitchen.
I love to hear him sing, he has a beautiful voice and listens to songs while he showers.
I love how much he loves shoes.
I love that he is a neat freak.
I love that he is so smart with all things tech.
I love that he knows how to communicate.
I love how much he loves to drive.
I love that he loves to work, and that he has had his own business for two years now.
I love that he loves our animals so much.
I love that he knows how to make decisions and will, when no one else does.
I love that though he can be stubborn, he's humble enough to own up to when he makes a mistake.
I love that he loves Jesus and that he will always stand up for what is right.

Noah:

I love that he is so dependable.
I love that he could be described as faithful.
I love that he thanks me for and compliments dinner every single night, even if it was bad.
I love that he is loyal.
I love how great of a friend he is.
I love that he always initiates a hug.
I love that he is so thoughtful.
I love that he laughs easily.
I love that he understands all of Drew's inside jokes.  (He is Drew's favorite.)
I love that he is always thinking ahead.
I love that he communicates so well.
I love that he will come downstairs and talk to us.
I love that he feels deeply and won't sit back and take someone being mean to one of his brothers.
I love how much he still loves animals.
I love that he is very quick to forgive.
I love that he enjoys life to the fullest.
I love that he loves Jesus and will always do what is right.

These young men make me proud every single day.  They love others well and are full of integrity.  They tell us everything, and I do mean that, because some of the things they say to us are not necessarily the things we want to hear.  They're honest and hard-working and are smart and kind beyond their years. 

They may not be the ones who in the spotlight at church, they are not in what I would consider part of the "popular" crowd, and they've had their hearts hurt over the last year and a half to two years, but through it all, they stood strong together and just changed up a lot of the relationships in their lives.  One thing is sure-they sure do stand out and look different than a lot of the people around them.  I wouldn't want things any other way.

My greatest prayer for them is that they would always love the Lord their God with all their hearts, with all their souls, with all their minds, and with all their strength and that they would love others as they love themselves.  I also pray that as God has been faithful to them, that they would be faithful to Him, and that they would always do what is right, especially when nobody is watching.  It's been one of the biggest blessings in my life to raise all these boys God gave to us, and they're not mine-they're His.  I know He has big plans for all of them, and it's been a joy to watch it all play out.  I trust Him with the next years in their life as they live this last year of their "childhood" (though in my mind, eighteen years of age is not an adult).  Happy birthday to you both, Jonah and Noah.  I love you so much.

(If you're still around, thanks for reading.  Love to all.)