My angel

Today I am thankful for my sweet little angel. She totally changed my life 4 years and 4 months ago (tomorrow). She is our first and so precious to us. When she was born, I must admit that it was not what I expected it to be. Let me just tell you what I thought of motherhood. Have you ever seen Father of the Bride, Part II? Remember the part after the mother goes to the doctor and finds out that she is pregnant. They are leaving the doctor and (mind you, they are around 45 years old) the mother looks out the window and sees a young mother strolling along with her baby in a stroller peacefully, and then the father looks out his window and sees a dad chasing his wild child down the street, screaming and yelling. Well, I pictured it as heavenly days, strolling along, pink everywhere, you know.

Well, it was so much harder, but at the same time, so much more rewarding that I ever thought it would be, too. I had a daughter now...what was I going to do? I still ask myself that sometimes. I have this beautiful little girl...what am I going to do? How am I going to teach her that her body is a temple of the Lord? To desire modesty? To guard her heart? To love others and encourage others? To look for the man who loves her for who she is?

I've been praying a lot about these things lately and I can just hear my Father whisper, "She is mine!" And she is...she does not belong to me. She belongs to her Heavenly Father. He is my Shepherd and will show me and teach me the way to go and how to teach the girl and discipline her. And just as He has guided me as I have grown and matured into the woman that I am today, He will be right by the girl's side to guide her. Just as my Father has protected and shielded me from SO many worldly things, my prayer is that He will do the same for her. I am also praying that God will give me the strength to be a mother and not a friend. That is what my job is first and foremost - to be her mother. And it's a scary thought to know that she is watching my every move and listening to my every word. I am her closest example of what a godly woman should be and how a godly woman should act. I am her example of modesty. I am her example of a wife and mother. So I pray that I would be the kind of woman, wife, and mother that the Lord has called me to be. This is my job. This is my calling. I pray for protection over her.

Now for a funny little story. We were driving to Lowe's last night after eating dinner at Rosa's (my favorite Mexican food place!). Josh Turner's "My little darlin' is a firecracker" song was playing. I guess she was listening to the song because all of a sudden, she says, "I have a Parker in my Sunday School class, but not a fireparker!" Ha-ha-ha! Jim and I about busted a gut we were laughing so hard, it was hilarious! She says some of the funniest things.

I love her!