Babies don't keep. We hear it. We know it. I'm seeing it lived out right before my eyes every single day.

As I watch my little boys grow into big boys, I find myself longing for their toddler years. You see, they are just 18 months apart and for every beautiful moment we have been able to share with our boys, it has been doubly fantastic. 

I guess you could say my husband and I have fostered a friendship between our sons. We wanted two boys close in age and when we realized that is what God was going to give us, we knew we wanted them to be best friends. Some days they are and some, not so much. This used to upset me, but I realized very early on that this is boyhood. This is brotherhood. This is friendship. More often than not, in a house with many rooms, you'll find them in the same room. They will never know how much this means to their mama. 

Gosh, do I ever miss these years something awful. I can hear their little voices in my mind to this day. They are 8 and almost 10 now and while I miss who they used to be, I absolutely am in love with who they have become. 

This Christmas, they continued their self-made tradition of making one another Christmas cards. It's one of my favorite traditions and sometimes amidst all of the chaos, their exchange can get a bit lost. This year, they exchanged their cards on Christmas Eve. We can't make a huge deal out of it, because we are well into the age of self-awareness and embarrassment. That being said, I secretly gush inside as I watch my boys read one another's homemade cards with personal messages inside. 

My dear sons, 

May you never lose your luster. May you never lose your devotion to one another. May you always, without fail, be the ONE person that your brother can run to when he wants to run away from the rest of the world. May you knock him off of his pedestal and lift him up out of his valley. May you laugh at him but mostly, laugh with him. May you be his best man at his wedding but more importantly, in life. May you call him for advice. May you trust one another and if you build emotional walls, give each other a key. 

If you can be that for one another, you will be ok. 

Love, 

Your Mama