three.

My Precious Zack,

Happy 3rd Birthday!!! What an amazing year it has been. Every single day is a gift and every single day you my heart happy. You bring immeasurable joy into our lives. Your laughter and your smile light up any room and brighten every single day. Simply stated, I am amazed by you. You are a miracle, a gift, and a wonderful blessing to us and I am so thankful that I get the honor to be your mom.

This year brought on gigantic changes for you. You moved into your awesome 'big boy room', and soon after that you welcomed your little sister Hallie and I must say, you are the best big brother EVER! Since the first day you met her, in the hospital, you have been her hero and she is definitely your biggest fan. Etched in my memory forever is that precious day - when you sat with Hal in the hospital bed with your arm around her. When I asked you if you wanted me to take her, you said, "No, I just need to snuggle her." I am thankful every day for your sweet spirit.

I love spending time with you. I love playing with you. I love tickling you and listening to you laugh. I love it when you MUST put your shinguards and soccer clothes on to go to my soccer games. I love that you like to wear your 'riding gloves' wherever we go. I love that you get so much happiness out of your running shoes and love to show people how fast they can run. I love watching you play the guitar and sing into your microphone. And I love when you make me raise my hands in the air in worship. I love taking you on adventures and love your excitement for life. Seeing life through your eyes makes everything new and beautiful. Seeing Jesus through your eyes renews and excites my heart. I love when I say, "You are super awesome!" and you say, "Yeah, I am..." I just love you.


So Zack, again on your 3rd birthday, and everyday, I pray this prayer over your life...

Lord, thank you for the precious gift and miracle you have blessed us with in giving us Zack. I pray that you would raise Zack up to be a Mighty Man of God and a warrior for your kingdom. That he would love and serve you and love and serve your people and honor and obey us as his parents. And Lord, that you would give us great wisdom to be parents worthy of his love, honor, obedience, and respect! God I pray that Zack would be a man of integrity and great character. That he would be strong and courageous. That he would tenaciously seek you and your will, but that his heart would be tender in the pursuit of your people. Lord, I pray that your grace and mercy would pour out over his life and that he would accept your amazing gift of forgiveness. And please work in our hearts to never take this weight of parenting lightly. Lord, we are raising your precious child. He is not ours, he is a child of the Most High God. You have created every speck of sand on the shore, every star in the sky, and know every hair on his head...he is yours. But thank you so much for giving us the amazing opportunity to be his parents and love him every day of his life. Lord I pray that you would protect him from injury, disease, and illness. Protect his heart from heartache. And Lord, please help me to be his greatest fan and encourager. Before I know it, he will be running down the pathway to elementary school...and then Jr. High...and High School! All too soon I will hear Zachariah David Pentz announced as he walks across the platform and is handed his diploma. Lord, I pray even now for Zack's future spouse. I pray that Zack would lay his life down for her as you did for your church. And on that day, on that alter, you would join them together forever in a union that only you could create. Man, it makes my heart happy to think about the day that Zack will hold his baby and gaze into its face just the way that I did two years ago today. God, shape him and form him into the Man of God that you have called him to be. AMEN!

You are a precious gift and a miracle. I am thankful for each and every day that I get to spend with you and thank Jesus that he has blessed us with you. Again, I say goodbye to another year with tears (because it flew by so quickly) but welcome the future with so much excitement! Jesus has big and amazing plans for your life and I cannot wait to watch those unfold. I love you my sweet Zachariah!

Love, 

Mom