I feel a little bit guilty that the only time I seem to find time to post on this blog is on my kids' birthdays. I used to be so good at blogging. I want to do an adequate job of documenting these special days so that I won't forget them. My days are filled, almost to the brim. My infrequent posts will have to do.
And now for a birthday letter.....
To my Mabel girl on her third birthday-
Mabel girl,
What a precious and sweet gift you are to your dad and me! It is hard for me to believe that you are already three years old!
It has been hard for me to figure out exactly what kind of a little girl you are, what type of person you might be. Much of this is because you trail around behind Milla, following and copying her every move. She bosses you around. Sometimes it is hard to figure out where her personality ends and yours begins. I can see traces of spirit in you, of you claiming your independence from Milla, putting your foot down. I hope to see more of this from you, to see your personality changing from a follower to a leader over time. I plan to make sure you have plenty of time apart from her so that you can learn to make your own decisions and how to be your own person.
You have the sweetest, highest little voice. One of my friends described your voice as sweet and "like a cupcake." You have a sheepish look that makes you look so guiltless and innocent. I can see the sneakiness in you, though. You definitely have a sweet look that causes people to say "Aww.." and allows you to get away with some things, especially with your Dad. You can't quite pronounce all of your words right now. You have trouble with your L's and R's, saying things like "Melly Alice" and "bwotha."
You love to be read to and love to sing. You have the most beautiful voice. This year, you've loved singing 10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord O My Soul), Create In Me A Clean Heart, O God, The Steadfast Love of the Lord Never Ceases, among others. Your voice makes me smile. You can carry a pretty good tune. One of my favorite things is to hear you sing. You surprise me with the things you already know, especially since I don't work with you on many of them. Milla has taught you about your ABC's and numbers. You have been especially adept at learning your memory verses this year. You love to say your memory verses! Each morning at breakfast, you run over and pull them out of the drawer and remind me to say them to you. This year, you've learned around forty verses and the books of the Bible. You especially enjoy reciting anything that has to do with music.
You love to be held. You love to snuggle, especially with your dad in the mornings! You look so much like your Nonnie. They call you her "mini me." The faces you make remind me a lot of your Dad. You look so much like him too. :)
Right now, you love to be left alone with the felt board, "with the light on and the door shut." You go in there and play for hours, telling Bible stories and making up pretend stories with the flannelgraph pieces. You love to play with your dolls. You and Milla have made up the oddest names for your dolls. You have "Johnnen, Lighty, Miss Davonia, Emily, George, Sue, and Tiny Baby" just to name a few. :) I find these dolls lined up all over the house. Several of them look well loved and have pieces of Scotch tape on their bodies (band-aids). I am so glad that you and Milla have each other. When you are feeling like you need some attention, you pick on her. Really, though, you girls are the best of friends.
You love to color. You love Cinderella. You love the new Cinderella costume that your Gran made you for your birthday. Your Daddy is your Prince Charming. You are very content. It doesn't take much to amaze or entertain you. Recently, on a trip to the grocery store, I bought you a cheap little Cinderella coloring book. When I brought it home and presented it to you, you would have thought it was Christmas morning. You were so thankful and excited. Your little eyes lit up. You were so proud that something special had been bought just for you. You love to have your hair curled. You love to have your nails painted. You are my special girly girl. You love to play dress up and are especially enamored with some cheap Cinderella slippers that I bought you at Target. You wear them all of the time. They are usually on backwards. :) You love to help in the kitchen. You love to sit beside the mixer and add in ingredients, to help put away the dishes and take out the trash. You are a buddy. You love to sit beside Milla and listen to her read to you. You love books. You love to sit in my lap in the rocking chair and turn the pages.
You are a little bit on the dramatic side. You cry whenever you are tired. You are tired a lot. I'm not sure what's going on with that. When you skip your nap (which happens more and more frequently these days), we are in for lots of crying at the drop of a hat.
You are a little bit timid and shy and hesitant when it comes to new situations or new things. You don't like surprises or loud people or noises. When something is loud or startling (like a vacuum cleaner), you plug your fingers in your ears.
This year, we moved you to a big girl bed in a room with Milla. You two often get into trouble for talking and staying up instead of going to sleep. Rascals. Sometimes you stamp your foot adamantly and say "NO!" when you don't want to do something. You have a little independent streak in you, which I love. We're working on when and where it is appropriate to be independent...
You love your "Jackie boy" and call him your little "Manners." You try to be motherly with him, but you often succeed in aggravating him or knocking him down with your hugs.
I'm so glad we have you in our family! You are so special and sweet. I cannot imagine our family without our Mabel Emmalee in it! I am so thankful that you are ours. We pray for you often, that God will grow you up to have a heart for Him, that even now He is preparing a godly man for you to marry. It is my prayer that you will be strong and wise, that you will do great things for God's glory. We love you, sweet Mabel and are so proud of you! Happy third birthday!
