Mothering Daughters and a WINNER of the vertical family rules sign!!

After having two boys, I wondered how in the world I'd parent a daughter.

Seriously.

I grew up with boys on both sides of my family, and I was far from a girlie girl.

Wouldn't you imagine that I would have been absolutely spoiled rotten by my aunts and uncles?

Guess again.  

They were all busy raising rough and rowdy boys, and they just threw me right into the mix.

My grandmother often said about me that I was tougher than nails. :)

It made perfect sense to me that God would give me those two boys.

It's what I knew.

Truthfully, I never, not once, felt that I was missing out because I didn't have a daughter.

My husband and I had always wanted to adopt, so when we started the process,

we asked our boys if they wanted a brother or a sister, and they answered without any hesitation, 

"We want a sister!" 

As soon as they gave us their answer, it was as if our hearts had permission to long for a daughter.

From that moment on, we ached for her, and our family didn't feel complete
until the day they placed her in our arms, almost two and half years after we started the journey to her.

She turned five in January, and she continues to invade all of our hearts with JOY.
She's growing up so fast.
This girl can hang with her older brothers like nobody's business.
She builds legos and has nerf gun wars and builds bamboo forts in our back yard.
But, she can also dress up in her plethora of play dresses and have a tea party two times a day.
God is developing some sweet friendships for her here in Georgia.
I'm so grateful for Mabry, Evy and Madeline.
They are all learning how to do friendship together in these young years, and it's beautiful to watch.

My prayer for Lydia is that she would love God and love others.

...that she would walk humbly and give God glory for her gifts and talents.

...that she would love mercy and show compassion to those around her.

...that she would trust God for her friendships and be the kind of friend that she wants in others.

...that she would be slow to anger and quick to forgive.

...that she would accept fully that this world does not revolve around her.

...that she would seek God with her whole heart for always.

...that she would have a heart overflowing with gratitude.

...that she would put all of her expectations and hopes and desires in God alone.  

..and that she would understand that it is only because of the finished work on the Cross that Christ did
 on her behalf that she will be able to accomplish any of these things.

I'd like to think that I have some sort of control over how she is going to turn out, but I don't.

The best that I can offer her is to live my life out before Christ 

and accept the free grace that He offers to me in parenting her and my boys.


I'm reading a book right now called Give Them Grace, and I have to say..
it's the best book I've EVER read on parenting children.
I can't wait to finish it and give you a review on it, but if I were you, I'd order it here now. :)


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In other news....
the winner of our vertical family rules sign is comment # 97 from Michele Stone!!!!


{thankful for}
269. dinner in the crockpot.
270. sunshine after a rainy week.
271. plans with my parents this weekend.
272. coffee with a friend this week at jittery joes.