My oldest daughter turns 8 today.
Just like all moms say…
Time sure has flown by!
Last night before falling asleep, I spent some time reflecting.
Reflecting on the time I have had with my little girl.
Remembering the day she was born.
Sweet flashbacks to the days when I cradled her in my arms.
Of course, those memories are all so bittersweet.
Having a daughter is probably one of life’s biggest blessings.
And one of life’s biggest challenges.
And it’s even more so, when this little girl has become something so different than what I imagined her to be.
In a good way.
Let me explain.
I remember rocking her to sleep, closing my eyes, and looking down the road of the future.
Imagining what she would be as she grew older.
I saw all things pink, high heels & frilly dresses, and dolls, dolls, dolls.
How could I not think that life with a daughter would be like this?
My entire childhood was wrapped in those things, and had a pretty pink bow stuck right on top.
A sparkly pink bow.
So that’s what I did.
She wore pink.
And only pink.
My mom bought her her first Barbie when she was one week old.
Hundreds more followed.
We learned every word to all of the Disney princess songs.
And I loved that her favorite was Ariel.
She owned Cabbage Patch Dolls.
And I kept their adoption papers in a special place.
I put my grandmother’s dolls on a shelf her room to inspire her.
I just KNEW that one day, I’d have a doll-loving girl to go shopping with.
I bought her dress-up shoes & dresses.
And then it started to happen.
She was about 4 years old.
Her dress-up clothes began to collect dust.
She started using my cute scarves as dog leashes…on her brothers!
She played dress-up…but on her brothers!
I guess in a way, she had a doll obsession…
Her brothers just happened to become the dolls.
She started to blindside me in subtle ways over the next few years.
I thought I had taught her what every good mommy ought to…
How to pick out the fanciest Barbie on the shelf.
But I cringed when she began walking PAST the Barbie aisle and choosing things like…
farting slime.
Really?
I also swore I’d never call her Mac because it just wasn’t classy.
Hmmm…
I love how God thinks differently than us.
And I love how He blesses us with exactly what we need.
Like my neon colored, crazy fashioned, arm pit farting daughter.
This little girl has challenged me to think outside the box.
I like to stay inside my perfectly square…square.
It’s safe in there.
She has caused me to raise an eyebrow more times than I should.
She has opened my eyes to a world full of color and creativity that I never knew I possessed.
I am absolutely in LOVE with her passion for all things music, writing, drawing, & reading.
She gets that from me…YES!
Well, except for the drawing.
You should see my stick figures!
She is a true lover of the arts.
And her hobbies include ONLY those things.
Heaven forbid she picks up a ball or wears athletic shoes.
She probably gets that from me too!
She amazes me every time she picks up a pencil and paper.
Thoughts are always better on paper.
We have hundreds of post-it notes written to each other back and forth.
Reminds me of the notes my mom used to write.
We have dance parties.
Reminds me of days with my mom and sis.
I’m just not brave enough…yet…to videotape it!
We google lyrics to songs.
And then sing at the top of our lungs on the way home from school every day.
Just like I used to do with my dad.
I am still frilly & pink.
Always will be, I’m afraid.
But God is teaching me, one crazy outfit at a time, that life is better when we are who God made us to be.
She rarely lets me braid her beautiful blonde hair…
I just want it straight mom!
Okay…Mac…straight & scraggly…but it’s your hair.
But she will never miss a chance to cuddle up on my lap and let me stroke that same scraggly hair until she falls asleep.
She flat-out refuses to wear cute jeans and insists on wearing the same pair of ratty leggings over and over again…
But in a heartbeat, she’ll haul off some of her nicest clothes because she knows another little girl may need them more.
She laughs obnoxiously loud.
But will also sit in silence with me some nights and marvel at the wonderful works of God.
And then she’ll ask a million questions about it.
She’ll spend hours trying to draw a horse from a YouTube tutorial and then get so frustrated because it’s not perfect.
She’ll crumble it up and toss it in the trash.
But then, she’ll spend the same amount of time writing a thank you note to a friend.
Complete with cute little flowers & glittery ink.
She’ll stomp so hard when she doesn’t get her way.
So hard, I worry the upstairs floor might cave in.
But then, every once in a while…
She will so graciously give up her desires to please her brothers.
She’ll ask me the same questions over & over about who God is and what He’s doing, almost as if she doesn’t believe.
But then, her prayers at night, reflecting her heart so honestly…
Tell me otherwise.
God has a plan…
A plan for my sweet & spunky daughter.
And a plan for her mother.
Oh, the ways in which he carries out His plan!
“Whatever you do, Mackenzy, do it well.”
Ecclesiastes 9:10
Happy Birthday Mac!
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