But she is technically not a baby anymore.  :( Today she is 5.  Wowza!!  We are thanking God for her life and for the opportunity to be her parents!!  She is funny, lively, witty, beautiful and entirely full of herself (we are working on that character issue!:)). 

What a blessing it is to be a parent!  !!!!! That was always one of my heart's desires, but there was a time in my life when it did not seem cool or acceptable  to want to "just" be a wife and a mom.  I bought into the notion that I could not be all that I "could be" without some high profile, high paying job.  I bought into that notion that God was not enough, nor could family be satisfying.  My life had to be all about   ME and MY DESIRES.  Forget about the fact that as a Christian God was supposed to be the "master and commander" of my life.  Boy, am I thankful that God could see through all of the "icky, sticky, self-deceptive layers that I had sugar-coating my life and my dreams and my desires!"  I am glad that He did not give me the things that I "thought" that I wanted.  I am sooo glad that He saved me and revealed and granted my deepest dreams and desires, even though I had been tricking myself!  I am sooo glad that He didn't give up on this depraved, fickle, arrogant, prideful, selfish, dream/prestige seeking girl/woman.  No, I am not perfect.  No, He is not finished with me yet.  But, boy am I thankful for the  non- money paying, humbling, challenging and HUGELY REWARDING  job that He has blessed me with(being a wife and mother!) !!   I seek to follow Him with ALL OF MY HEART, SOUL, MIND AND STRENGTH!  I seek to HONOR HIM with everything!!  I know that He has "career "plans for me and they may involve more outside of my family... and they may not! :)  I am still working on trusting Him daily.... but what an exciting adventure it is!  And I am sooo grateful (most of the time)  that He still reveals the sin in my life and makes me deal with it, daily!  He is ENOUGH!!  He is my ROCK!!  He is my REFUGE!! 

Psalm 34:8-10 says:

8 Taste and see that the LORD is good;

blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.

9 Fear the LORD, you his saints,

for those who fear him lack nothing.

10 The lions may grow weak and hungry,

but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.

Thanks LORD that we can find you and that you love us soooo much!  Thanks for the opportunity to be a follower of you, a wife, a mother, a daughter, a sister, a friend.......  :):)  And thanks for birthdays of precious children!  Yippee!!!!