Sweet Little Girls

Avery wrote her name for the first time today....all by herself!! And, it was legible!!! I was so proud, I dated the paper and saved it to put in her baby book. I can't believe she's getting so big so fast. Andie isn't far behind her. She's potty training and talking and TESTING and even blaming her big sister for making messes! How on earth did we get here? Time goes by so quickly. I remember my mom telling me when I was a little girl that when I was all grown up, I would wish I had those days back. I so wanted to be grown up! I wanted to be married and have babies and wear pretty dresses and high heels and make up!! Now here I am, the pretty dresses and high heels don't come often (but I take advantage when they do)! Life has been wonderful thus far, I do look back and sometimes I wish I had those days again. But, even more than that, I wish I had known how precious and priceless my innocence was. As a mom of little girls I see them do exactly what I did all those years ago. They put on my shoes and jewelry and clothes and make up and want to be just like me. It's so heartwarming to watch them grow and have these feminine desires and longings that I remember having. But, I also feel such a strong realization of what my responsibility is as their mom. They want to be just like me.......wow!! And here's the crazy part, even though one day they will probably wish they weren't like me, the will be!! It's scary! What a job I have before me. What do I want my precious, innocent, beautiful girls to learn from me that will in turn teach them what it means to be a woman, wife, mother, friend?? What a responsibility I have to protect their innocence and shield them from the wickedness that's in our world today.....that is so well disguised!! When I take the time to think about all of this I'm overwhelmed by the simple fact that God would give me these babies and let ME be their mom!! It makes me want to be closer to Him. It shows me that the deeper I go with God, the softer I become and the better mom I become. I'm more aware of the fact that they are watching and hearing everything that I'm doing. It reminds me that even though I like to have devotional time alone, they need to see it. And even though most of my praying is done alone, they need to hear it. It's my job to sow the seeds of love and nurture and kindness and servant hood and purity and virtue into their tiny hearts. And, in order to sow these seeds, I have to lead by example, not by words! How blessed we are to be God's children. He loves us enough to give us this life and these wonderful lessons that make me just want to seek Him more!! Thank you Lord for the gentle reminder of one of my greatest tasks!!