you have questions, questions, questions and surprise me every day.
you sing worship songs and it's one of the sweetest things i've ever heard.
there are moments when i feel like i've got it all figured out.
there are moments when i doubt everything i'm doing,
and yet, you love me through it all. just the same.
you are meticulous. a perfectionist.
you are determined.
you are competitive.
you love your sisters and they love you.
laney copies every thing you do.
liza smiles and laughs for you more than anyone else.
you are loyal.
you are opinionated.
you are a rule-follower.
you love gymnastics, ballet, and all things princess.
sometimes you are silly and sometimes you are quiet.
coloring and drawing are two of your favorite pastimes.
you constantly ask, "remember when….?"
and sometimes i DO remember and sometimes I don't.
but i never doubt you. because your memory is better than mine.
some days you seem so grown up.
other days i see glimpses of my sweet, chubby-cheeked baby.
you are still my baby. always.
there is so much about you that i wish i could bottle up and save. moments in time that i want to hide in the corners of my heart. little things that you do that i know i'll still smile about even 50 years from now.
i want to remember the way you hold my hand as you fall asleep. the way you smile at me in the car when you catch me glancing your way. how you can't quite pronounce the letter "r" and you tell me that you're worried it sounds like you're saying "poo-poo" when you're really trying to say the color "purple."
i want to remember that the first words you learned to write on your own (besides your name) were "love" and "momma" and how you would leave little notes for me all over the house. how you tell me i look beautiful when i wear dresses. and i know that you really mean it, mainly because you'd also tell me if you thought i wasn't looking up to par. ;-)
i want to remember the ways that you try so hard to be brave even though i know you're nervous. the way you clasp your hands together when you're unsure - a habit that you've had since you were itty bitty. and the way you reach for my hand when we walk into a crowd. you still want to stay close…just in case.
i want to remember your prayers. your beautiful, sweet, innocent prayers. and how you say, "wonderful" in front of every prayer request. the ways that you pray for others and undoubtedly believe that He hears. never forget that He hears.
libbi jane, you are my baby. my joy. my biggest girl. my smiles. my laughs. my memory keeper. my memory maker. my tears. my fears. my blessing. my five-year-old girl.
we love you more than i could ever put into words. i am so thankful that God blessed us with you! happy fifth birthday sweet libbi jane.
"I pray that Christ may live in your hearts by faith. I pray that you will be filled with love. I pray that you will be able to understand how wide and how long and how high and how deep His love is."
Ephesians 3:17-18
