this girl

Age 4

Question:  How many times can one mama gush about her babies?

Answer:  again and again and again and again!

Last November I wrote about my first born daughter on the occasion of her 9th birthday.  I guess it's the first of these milestones that just feel so huge.

Well, this week, it just got HUGER (that doesn't look right, but my spell check isn't chastising me, so I suppose it is).  DOUBLE DIGITS.

She turned 10.

did you hear me?

TEN!

Watching my daughter grow and mature is like watching the Lord work a miracle before my very eyes.  I remember so clearly the first time I watched her play with a shape sorter.  As she worked to put each piece in the correctly shaped hole, I stood off to the side amazed because I had never taught her how to do it.  She  tried and learned to do it all on her own.  I was at the same time proud and saddened by the fact that she was becoming her own person.

And now, ten years later, she is indeed her own person.  She has her own thoughts and dreams and ideas.   I stand to the side watching in wonder as the Lord works in and through her, calling and drawing her to Himself.  She's not perfect, but she's learning a little bit more each day.

On the eve of her birthday, she stood in a group of 60 children and sang her first choir performance with our school division's Grade 5 choir.   My heart hurt with pride and my eyes stung with tears at how far she's come....and the realization of how much further she's yet to go.



If you had come to my house this week, I probably would have made you sit down and look at page after page of photos of my daughter...instead here are a few:

daily activity at 1 yr old - still loves to read!

5 months - sitting up

loving on her baby brother

even though everyone wasn't thrilled to meet #3 -she was!

kindergarten in NC - the year she spoke with the most
adorable southern accent.  here singing a tribute to
Martin Luther King Jr.

she loves her daddy!

in niagara falls, on -our family favorite!

so glad she has a sister

holding her favorite new baby - cousin Gracie

And now that the candles are all blown out and the celebration week is coming to an end, I thank God for her - this bright, sensitive child that He has given me for this little while.

(sniff, sniff)