five.

My Precious Boy,

I am in awe as I sit here writing to you that we just celebrated your fifth birthday party! What an amazing five years it has been. I sit back with wonder and amazement at the person that you are and who God is transforming you into. Every single day I am blown away at your kind and loving spirit. Your words and actions absolutely melt my heart and always make me smile from ear to ear. Your hugs and kisses brighten all of my days. Your 'Mom, you're beautiful' comments make me feel like I'm the luckiest mom in the entire world. And when I tell you that you have to stop growing because you are growing up too fast, and you respond with 'Mom, don't worry, I'll always be your kid,' I smile and just get so excited for the future. I delight in watching you grow. And I am so honored that God chose me to be your mom and gave me the opportunity to raise a child that I truly think is going to change the world. Everything about you was perfectly sculpted by the Master Creator - from your tender and loving heart, to your crazy and amazing memory, to your love for creating and engineering objects out of everyday things + a hot glue gun or tape - you are truly an amazing little boy!

Zack, there have been so many times this year that you have absolutely blown me out of the water with your learning, comprehension, and understanding. You have learned how to write all of you letters and you even know most of the sounds. You have also learned how to spell words (MOM was your first one other then Zack) which certainly made me happy. You can draw pretty much anything better than either Dad or I can, you 'artzooka' pretty amazing things out of everyday objects (including jet planes out of plastic knives, a catapult out of a plastic cup and a spoon, a rocket pack out of ribbon and plastic cups, and multiple other amazing creations) and you are constantly drawing very intricate systems of tracks, jet planes, rocket ships, and bombs. I also had your parent-teacher conference a few months ago in which Miss Mikki told me that you had surpassed every single objective that they had set for pre-K. Your ability to focus on a task and create something out of nothing leaves me wondering and dreaming about how you can use these gifts in the future. You are simply a joy to be around.

In this last year, you have learned how to ride your bike without training wheels (right after your 4th birthday), went to Disneyland for the very first time and absolutely LOVED it, played on your first indoor soccer team, mastered pre-K, started drum lessons, learned to beat box multiple beats, and today you even learned to ride your brand new, gas powered, 'real' 4-wheeler all by yourself! You love adventures, play dates, starbucks sausage sandwiches and whipped cream, riding bikes, jumping on your trampoline, swinging on your swingset, riding your 4-wheeler, going to track meets with Dad, and running absolutely anywhere that I will let you! You love snuggling and hugs, playing with your toys and using your amazing imagination, and movie nights with popcorn (Frozen and Despicable Me are your current favorites). I absolutely adore you!

So Zack, on this special day, I pray this prayer once again.

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 five years ago today. God, shape him and form him into the Man of God that you have called him to be. 

AMEN!

                     

Zack, just as we celebrated all day today - birthday breakfast, huge party, Toys R Us, Starbucks, Chuck E Cheese, and pizza night - I cannot wait to celebrate with you every single day as you grow. In just a few short months, I will send you to your first day of kindergarten. Inevitably, I will cry just because I love you so much, but really this is just the beginning of developing all of the gifts that Jesus has placed in you. You are incredible. I promise you that I will do my best every single day to love you and show you the heart of Jesus. You are precious. You are a treasure. Your life has demonstrated the goodness of God and the immense love of our savior. I love you, son!

Happy 5th Birthday!!!

Love,

Mom