Happy Birthday, Jada

Dear Jada,

What a year this has been for you! As I look back over the past 12 months, I’m very proud of the way you have overcome what life has thrown your way. You started the year as the baby of the family and ended it as a middle child. I wish I could say this transition was seamless, but it wasn’t. We had our ups and downs, and you proved to me that "middle child problems" aren't just something the middle children make up, they are real and they are tough… but in the end you have proven to be an even stronger little girl than you were before! You’ve mastered the role of big sister – that can be proven by the big smiles you get from Kate every time you enter a room. You get more hugs and kisses from her than anyone else does in this family! And an even bigger challenge for you in the past year was sending your big sister off to Kindergarten. For the first time in your life, you have had to face your days without Eden by your side. That was so hard for you, and it has taken several weeks for you to adjust to your “new” daytime. But you are loving it now. You still miss Eden when she is gone, but you are also having a great time with Kate while she is at school. The coolest part about this change is that you and Eden miss each other so much during the day that it makes the time you get to spend with each other in the evenings so much more meaningful… and that shows in the way you play with each other and talk with each other.

If I were asked to describe you using just one word, I would choose PASSIONATE. Your passion shows in your strong-willed, independent nature. Passion drives you to do things right and to do them yourself, the way YOU want to do them…. not how someone else tells you to do them. Passion also shows in the way you care for other people. You care deeply for others and you want the best for them. You make your feelings and opinions known (well known!), but in the end, if you are given ample opportunity to process everyone’s feelings and opinions, you will put others’ above your own.

Your love for music has been taken to a new level. In fact,when you grow up, you want to be a rockstar! It is fun to see you dance to music and to recognize and sing along with songs you know or have heard before.

Your favorite person outside of our family is Olivia. Nearly everything you do can be related back to Olivia: “I’m crazy just like Olivia.” “My hair looks like Olivia.” “I can run faster than Olivia.” “I miss Olivia.” “Is Olivia going to be there?” “Eden let’s play. My name is Olivia. Who are you going to be?”  (I don’t blame you, Olivia is pretty fun!)

You love to play pretend. You will pretend ANYTHING! And I love your imagination…it takes you places I have never even dreamed of going!

You are a big helper and often offer to help me do chores around the house. You always refer to yourself as Cinderella when you are doing these things. It kind of makes me feel bad, until I realize you are the one that offered to help and YOU are then one calling yourself Cinderella and you are loving what you are doing. So, keep it up, Cinderella!

Jada, I can’t believe you are 4. You are an awesome little girl and I love to watch you grow and change and learn. I miss you being my baby, but you are an amazing girl and I can’t wait to see the new changes life will bring your way in the next year. Take it on with the same determination you have shown up to this point. Your strength and attitude passion will serve you well as you grow. But don’t forget to sprinkle it all with grace, patience, and compassion!

Love you, sweet Jada! Happy Birthday!!

Love,

Mommy

She's a big kid now...

Dear Eden,
It's finally here... the day you've been counting down to for so long. You are 5!! You left the baby-days long ago. You served your years as a toddler. You did a short stint as a little girl. But now that is all over. There is no doubt about it... you are a BIG KID now!
You have been planning for this for months.You were so excited, in fact, that a few months ago you started 'practicing' being 5 so that there wouldn't be any set-backs or pauses on the day you actually turned 5. You asked to do all kinds of "5 year old things".  You wanted to sweep the floors, make your bed, do the dishes. Even clean the toilets!!  You better believe, I was more than willing to train you up in these tasks.
I am amazed at how much you have grown and changed in the last year. The most obvious of these changes is your speech. It's like one night someone just flipped a switch in you and the next morning you woke up talking 'right'.  You can say 'S' and 'F' and 'TH'... the list goes on, but the fact is when I talk to you now, there is no question about what you are saying!
You LOVE school. There has not been one day that you haven't enjoyed school. And there has been a few days you had to stay home because you were sick or school was cancelled, and you were bummed every single one of those days. And as much as you love preschool, you can not wait for Kindergarten... just slow down and enjoy the ride, little girl!
I have also been amazed by how you have evolved socially over the past year. You are still very cautious about who you open up around, and even when you are around someone you are comfortable with it takes you awhile to open up. But you do open up now. And it's so fun to see you interact with other people the way you do with your family at home.
You have enjoyed the snow this winter. You have loved playing in the snow and, believe it or not, you have helped me enjoy winter. (something I haven't done in years!!)
You are even growing up when it comes to picking out your clothes. I have always allowed you to pick your own outfits in an effort to foster your independence. I try to guide you, but you love to do it yourself. There have been a lot of times that has been a real struggle for me because, well, you just weren't very good at it! But you are reaching the point now that you are actually somewhat concerned about if your top matches your bottom. It still doesn't all the time, but we are making progress. :) 
You welcomed another little sister under your wings when Kate was born in December. I love to see you love on her.  You make sure to hold her at least once everyday. You want to be involved with bath time and diaper changes and anything else 'mother-y'. You love to make her smile and she loves to give you smiles. Keep up the good work, big sister... you're doing great!
You still love playing with baby dolls. You also love barbies and Littlest Pet Shop. You still enjoy playing dress up. Your favorite movies are Barbie and Toy Story and anything to do with princesses.
This past fall, you got to experience your first theater performance when we went to watch Cinderella at Westview. You sat on the edge of your seat the whole time. Of course you loved the fact that it was Cinderella, but I think you also fell in love with theater. You have been to 2 other performances since then and I see many, many more in your future!  (I've said this before, and I'll say it again.... I love to see you enjoy things on stage, but I can't wait for the day that I get to watch you on stage. Because I'm certain that day will come and you will be great! --you certainly get a lot of DRAMA practice at home)
I can't wait to tackle the next year with you.... I feel like I'm growing with you, and so far I am loving this journey!!
Happy Birthday, EE! I love you,
Mommy

Sweet Jada

Today you turn 3. I have mixed emotions about that.

On one hand, you never seemed ‘2’…. If it’s possible for a 2 year old to be wise beyond her years, you were! There are so many things about you – your speech, your play, your sense of humor, so many of your actions, your love and compassion – that put you up on your sister’s level. And she’s 4.

On the other hand, you are still our little baby in my eyes. Is it possible you've been in our lives for 3 years already?!

At three years old, you are still such a little cuddle-bug… there is nothing better than having you climb into my lap and lean your head on my shoulder just to sit for a moment. We learned early on that your love language is physical touch and I am more than happy to fill that love tank. I can never get enough hugs and kisses and snuggles from you!

A few weeks ago, you told me that 3-year-olds don’t suck their thumbs so you were planning to ‘kick the habit’ when you turned three.  I didn't hold my breath on that one… and it’s a good thing, because over the past week or so, it kind of became more of a joke for you. A laughing point whenever anyone brought it up. And when I mentioned it again this morning (hey… you can’t blame me for trying!) you promptly told me you were still 2. So for now, you will still suck your thumb. And along with that, it doesn't look like you will be giving up the belly button anytime soon either. That’s ok with me… because, really, there is nothing cuter than a little girl sucking her thumb and digging at her belly button while she looks at you with her deep brown eyes that say, “really, mom, I’m just that cute.” We still have 10 years before I need to worry about the orthodontist bills, so I’ll just enjoy that look for now.

Jada, you are my strong-willed child. There is no way we can pretend our way out of that truth. You are so independent. You want to have control. You don’t want to be told what to do. I would be lying if I told you this didn't present any challenges in parenting you. You and I have come head-to-head on several issues that we both want control over. Sometimes I want to let you have that control and other times I want you to realize that you are the toddler and I am the Mommy and you need to listen to me. It has been hard to find balance and compromise, but it is also sometimes humbling to see the way you can grow when I let go and let you be Jada.

If I had to pick one thing life to call your ‘favorite’ right now, it would have to be Eden. You love your sister more than I ever knew was physically possible! Where ever she is, that is where you want to be. Whatever she is doing, that is what you want to do. You also care so much about her. You don’t like to see her hurt or sad and you will often go out of your way to make her feel better… even if that means making sacrifices for yourself.

In a few weeks, you are going to switch roles. You are going to move from ‘little sister’ to ‘big sister’. There is no doubt in my mind that you will take the responsibility of big sister very seriously. You already take every opportunity you can to talk to your baby sister and love on Mommy’s belly. You tell her you love her every chance you get and you have prayed for her every night for the last seven months. This little baby is so very blessed to have you in her life!!

Jada, I am so grateful for the joy you have brought to our family! For the laughs, the loves, and the challenges. You are such a blessing and I am so grateful for the opportunity we have been given to be your earthly parents…. I can’t wait to see what the next year brings us. There is no doubt in my mind, whatever it is, you will make it interesting!! J

Love you forever,

Mommy

4??!?

Eden Elaine...
You are 4!  Is that possible?? Another year has buzzed by, and you are turning into such wonderful little lady. You are starting to come out of your shell, and it has been so fun to watch you blossom. As you mother, I love the fact that other people are finally able to get a glimpse into the wonderful personality you have been hiding from everyone besides myself, daddy, and Jada.
You still love to read.. as long as you have a book, you really don't need anything else. At bedtime, most kids just want a blankie, or a baby, or a teddy. Not you. You just need a book lots of books.  Sometimes I wonder how you can even find room in your bed for yourself amongst all those books!!!
You still love to dance. It is such a joy to watch all your 'ballerina dances.'
And you sing! Oh, do you sing!! I can't wait to see how the Lord uses this gift in you and through you. And you don't just sing songs you have heard... you  make up songs. Beautiful songs. Yes, some of them are silly and don't make much sense (I like these songs, too!) but the songs you sing about Jesus are so full of heart and worship! You are typically too shy to allow me to record your oh-so-beautiful self on video, but I did manage to catch and record your very first song: July, 2011 - "in my heart, God, in my heart. In my heart, God, in my heart...." The melody was perfect, your pitch was perfect. You have a true talent, little girl.  Your current favorite 'radio' songs are 'Glory to God' by Fee, 'Slow Fade' by Casting Crowns, and 'Where I Belong' by Building 429.  Oh! and let's not forget 'Loddy, Doddy, we likes to Party!" :)
It is also so neat to see your love for Jesus. I know you are only 4, and you don't necessarily understand the fullness of who Jesus is, but you still love Him, and you know that He loves you. You ask God to heal you, you pray for people that are hurting or need help and you are so good at being thankful for what God has provided for you and our family. This truly blesses my heart!
You are a fantastic big sister to Jada. You are so good at caring for her and about her. And she looks up to you so much and loves having you as a big sister. I love to watch this relationship grow and change!
This letter would not be complete without giving a nod to your sensational fashion-sense. You have a way with clothes, girly. You put together outfits the rest of us only wish we could pull off! It will be interesting to see how this passion grows with you.
These are a few of your favorite things: Princesses, rainbows, dresses, chicken nuggets, Grammie, books, singing, dancing, playing dress up, cheerleaders, babies.
I wanted to list a few of your least favorite things, but after much thought, Daddy and I just decided that you are overall a pretty happy, content little girl!!
Thank you for all the joy you bring to our lives every single day. I absolutely adore your independent spirit and I love the way you are just full of love.
Here's to another year of living life with you and watching you grow up way to fast!!
Love you,
Mommy