Happy #10, MV!!

WOW!!  Our first is now in double digits!  It feels like we have hit a milestone and those early days are just a blur.  I was trying to remember her baby talk the other day?  You know, what cute words did she say, what did she sound like?  It sure makes me want to pull out Flip and make sure I have #5's baby talk on camera! How can she be old enough to want to go shopping instead of the park?  Old enough to put herself to bed and pick out her own clothes?

Each age has something special about it, but this age seems especially important to me for right now, my firstborn is entering into uncharted waters.  Where innocence can begin to slip away if one is not careful.  Where the world can begin to look more inviting than the security of home.  BUT, at this age, she is talking.  Talking to us, her parents, about what she sees and hears and reads.  She has questions; some are hard questions that I think she is not ready for.  But, she's talking.  And I want to capitalize on the moment for I know she may not always want to talk.  She may soon find someone else in whom she prefers to confide.  I pray she always feels safe coming to me and her daddy, whom she adores.  I pray she always adores him and listens to his wisdom and advice as she encounters life.  I pray she learns to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit to guide her and not her "heart' as the world would have her believe.  I pray she guards her heart with a diligence that comes from loving Jesus.  I pray God would give her a heart for loving others as she prepares for the teen years that can be so warped by a love and obsession for self. 

We love you, MV and pray that during these pre-teens years, you will deepen your roots in Jesus Christ so that when the world starts to pull on you, you will not bend to the pressure, but stand firm in Christ!

  And look what Miss 10 Year Old got for her birthday!  Glasses!  Not really, but she did have to get them right before her birthday!