Three and a Half - Happy Half-Birthday, Summer!

Today Summer is three-and-a-half.  Wow, how she has grown and changed over the last 6 months!  Most importantly, she has really owned her faith.  In October she decided all on her own that she wanted to ask Jesus to take away all her sins, and I believe by watching her that she truly seeks to please Him with her actions.  Her whole heart attitude changed when she misbehaved from caring about the punishment, to caring that she did something wrong.  I absolutely love her desire to learn more about the Bible and to pray all on her own, when I am not around.  I am so grateful!

In these last 6 months, Summer has truly grown from a challenging, spirited, little kid into an amazingly mature little preschooler.  Her empathy and compassion for others has really developed and is so sweet to see when it is directed toward me!  She speaks so much more kindly to her brother and very often goes above and beyond to help him and others out.   She loves to learn and read as much as ever and has really developed a love of playing pretend, especially with her doll house dolls where she will create various scenarios every day during hour 90 minute afternoon quiet time.  She is a natural leader--she creates games and fun and directs the play (often to the point of being bossy--which we are in the process of working on--yet she has grown so much already in this area!) and she loves to teach (stuffed animals, dolls, but especially her brother!).  She can make friends with anyone and make literally ANYONE feel at ease talking to her.  While she is the complete opposite of shy, she still tends to need quiet time each day to recharge before being social again.  She talks almost constantly and thinks even more.  She has grown so much more self-controlled in these past 6 months, especially in the areas of mood, anger, frustration, and disappointment, and is much more able to consistently use words in a calm tone to reflect her feelings.  She is extremely trustworthy, conscientious, and honest, and will confess any minor infraction that might possibly have been something she did wrong!

This is by far my favorite age so far with Summer!  It keeps getting more fun!  She is still my little spark-plug, but so much more in a positive light lately, which is so much fun to see her energy directed in such a positive way.   I could not be ANY MORE proud of the little girl she is and is growing into, and I thank the Lord for thus far completely blowing me away in how he has and is answering my daily prayers for her and for her character growth.  To me, she is already more than a daughter, she is truly growing into a friend.  I love being with her--she makes life so much more interesting--and I am SO thankful God chose her to be my daughter.  I am SO blessed.

Lord, as Summer grows in this second half of her third year, I pray that you would continue the good work you have started in her life and that she would continue to love you, grow in your Word and in prayer, and seek you first.  I pray that you would keep her little heart conscious of your ways and desiring to follow you.  Thank you for instilling in her an obedient heart and I pray that it would always stay tender to you.  I pray that you would develop and use her gifts of leadership and friendliness to share your Good News of salvation with those she meets.  I pray for godly friends, teachers, and someday spouse to be in her life to continue her in your ways.  I pray for spiritual and physical protection over my little girl and I ask that you give us wisdom as we parent her and guide her.  Thank you for our little girl.  Amen.