Happy Birthday, Grace!

My precious Grace,

Four years ago, God blessed our lives in a mighty way.  You joined our family and life was never the same.   

It’s wild that when you joined the family, it’s like you were always there.  It’s difficult to even remember what life was like without your sweet voice, without your sweet smile.  Like our lives were missing you, and we didn’t even know it.

This has been a wonderful year of growth for you, my dear girl.  Although you talk nonstop at home, you hesitate to be a social thing.  You like to hang with your mom, and I’m totally cool with it since I know in my heart of hearts that this is a stage, and it is passing, quickly passing.  You are growing up, and you don’t need my presence to feel safe as often as you used to. 

This year has been marked with a significant growth spurt.  Your legs have gotten so long.  You’re still a slender little thing, and your feet are still as tiny as they were last year.  They may have grown a half size.  You’re going to be a skinny, long-legged girl with teeny feet.  You cut your bangs a few weeks ago, and I thought I was going to have a stroke!  They’ve finally grown out…{sigh}

You’ll start preschool this coming school year.  You sat in with Hannah and the boys for a good portion of our year last year, but you have your own things for this coming fall.  That excites you in a magnificent way.

 

I love the way you dance around the living room and the way you jump into the pool without a concern in the world. I love that you tried to convince your swimming instructor that you wanted to be a mermaid when you grew up, and you needed to know how to swim with your ankles crossed.

 I love the way you paint and color everything pink because your world is pink and in your eyes, everything ought to be pink.  

I love that you trust so completely and that everything in your little world is impressive and exciting.  You are a joy and you find joy in your life even at four years old.  You seem to celebrate the little things as you explore your world. I hope I can encourage you to continue that attitude since you inspire me to find all the joy that you find.

The Lord has certainly blessed your heart with a sweet, generous spirit that genuinely cares about the people around you.  Last week, as we took care of your little cousins, you awoke in the night worried that one of the boys would wake and be afraid in the night.  So you went to spend the rest of the night sleeping by him.  In the dead of night, you thought of him.  That, my dear, is a moment of complete selflessness. 

You are precious, and I love enjoying childhood with you, my little one.  May the Lord bless this year in a special way. 

I love you,

Mommy