.halle turns six.

Birthdays come fast and furious in our family at this time of year. With her little sister turning four just 17 days ago, Halle has been counting down the days until she turned six. And it finally arrived!!! Starting with breakfast and bed (the big girl's request) to sharing cupcakes with her class, the day was full of so many hilights for her. I wish I could have recorded the whole thing.
But I have these. A few days ago, on sunny Easter Monday, we took our biggest girl and her sisters to one of my new favourite spots to shoot her six year old portraits. She was armed with outfit opinions and her best "fake" smile, but we were able pull some real giggles out of her  (thanks Daddy) and capture a few moments of our baby at this age.
Writing these posts always makes me emotional as I reflect on the years I have spent with my children; years that are now gone and part of our past. And my heart hurts and is full at the same time. As parents I think we have this fierce desire to provide our children with everything...and I'm not talking material...I'm talking emotional, relational, educational, social and spiritual. As Steve and I prayed for Halle the night before her birthday, we agreed that God has given us a tremendous gift in her...our miracle baby after several years of infertility. Halle has a tender, mushy heart that makes us want to protect her. She is brilliant...so bright, smart and talented. She is kind, honest, thoughtful and loving. She looooves school, her family, making crafts and helping. She will be an amazing mom one day. Our prayer for our birthday girl is that her confidence will come from the knowledge that she is a child of God...that she has tremendous gifts, purpose, beauty and worth....just as she is....not because of what she does. And...because of that...she would have joy. Happy Birthday to our precious Halle Ruth.