One Short Year

A year ago today, this is what I was doing. Eighteen hours after going into the hospital for a labor that was sure to be "quick and easy," my littlest lady was born. A year ago, I wondered why it was taking her so long to make an appearance. Now I know that she does everything in her own time, not a bit sooner.

She is, without a doubt, one of the greatest joys in my life. My favorite moments of every day are the quiet minutes after she and her sister first wake up. We all pile up in the bed and snuggle together for a few short minutes before the day begins. Kendall lays her little head down on my chest and lets me cuddle with her. Then she demands breakfast.

The years are short, but the days are long. One short year later, and my itty bitty newborn isn't so little anymore. We have some loooooong days. Sometimes I think they're never going to end, but they inevitably do, and here I am after 365 of them, wondering how it all passed so quickly. Crazy, I know.

At any rate, this little girl is one of a kind. Unless it involves eating, she's not in a hurry to do anything. With a big sister and four adults at her beck and call, she has no incentive to crawl, much less walk. She'll get there eventually...just not yet.

She is so, so, sweet, and I'm so grateful that God chose me to be her mommy. My prayer for her today and every day is that she will become a young woman who loves and serves the Lord with all her heart. That He would protect and preserve that tender little heart for the man she will eventually marry. That she would share an unbreakable bond with her sister. And of course, that by some miracle of God, we'll be able to do this parenting thing without totally screwing her up.

That's the goal, isn't it?

We're celebrating my sweet girl's birthday with family and friends this weekend. Expect to be inundated with pictures later.

Until next time, grace and peace.

He Was Always There

Gotta love being a child of the eighties. I have no idea what made me make that face - probably the visor that my mom shoved on my head, but whatever. This was a position that was quite familiar in my childhood. Propped up on my Daddy's knee while he watched the Bulldogs play.

So today, on Father's Day, I wanted to thank my Daddy for the countless things he's done for me over the past 30 years. Our family wasn't perfect by any means, but now that I'm all grown up, I appreciate what we had all the more. He held it all together.

He used to work full days, come home long enough to change clothes, and then take me out to the softball fields, where he would hit hundreds of ground balls for me to practice fielding. He worked and traveled a lot, but he was always there to watch my games. Whether it was a volleyball game or a choir concert at church, he was there. Every time. For that, I'm grateful.

Thanks, Dad, for being my biggest fan and my strongest advocate. I love you and can't imagine who I would be without you.

"It's only when you grow up, and step back from him, or leave him for your own career and your own home—it's only then that you can measure his greatness and fully appreciate it. Pride reinforces love."

—Margaret Truman

Love you, Daddy.

The Simple Things: How a Water Trough Saved the Day

First of all, I wanted to thank all of you who expressed kindness and concern for Micah the other day. I promise, she's not upset all the time, but when she does miss her friends, she's very, very sad. Understandably so, I'd say. Anyway, I thought I'd lighten things up a bit and show you our version of a baby pool.

Who needs a brightly colored molded plastic baby pool when you've got an extra water trough laying around? Don't worry, we cleaned it first. Or, at least, Dennis told me he cleaned it.

Seriously, we have no idea what happened to our baby pool. We're thinking that it may have blown away during a storm last year. Or maybe Dennis hauled it off because it was cracked. I don't know, but it's gone, and when the weather started heating up, we didn't have a pool for the girls to use. I was a little leery when Dennis first suggested the trough, but, obviously, the girls don't mind.

Fun times are being had at the Jones household this summer. We don't do this every day, but we do it a couple of times a week.

It's the simple things, ya know?

Until next time, grace and peace.