To my dear, sweet Blythe Kathleen:
You are now six! SIX! This year as you transitioned from five to six we all had to take a lot of transitions with you. When you turned five it still felt like you were still this little kid. You had some toddler chubbiness clinging to you, and if I looked at you just right, I could still see my little baby Blythe. But over the year you've grown taller, you've slimmed down, and you are looking very much like a big girl to all of us now.
You learned how to swim this year, and by day three you said, "I can dive in, you know?" And then you just DID IT. You DOVE in the deep end! And that is what this year, this transition to the big number six, has felt like all along-- it has felt like you getting your feet underneath you at new things and gaining confidence with every step.
You started T-ball this summer, and you really enjoyed it. You were a good teammate, cheering on your friends, and your dad and I saw more and more just how coachable you are. We would work on an adjustment to your swing, or how you were standing in the batter's box, and at your next at bat you would march up to the tee and take your time getting everything set exactly as we had shown you. That coachability will go a long way, girl!
You started Kindergarten...and never looked back. You adore you teacher, you love to read, PE has been a favorite, and you've made so many new friends. You weren't so sure about recess in the beginning, because it was SO hot outside and you sweat SO much. But it grew on you. You've been named citizen of the month, you were voted "class president" by your classmates, and you won second place in an art poster contest. You've really started figuring out how to write you thoughts as well which is so much fun. I think the only thing you haven't mastered is focusing long enough at lunchtime to actually eat your lunch! Your first Saturday home from school I asked how you were and you replied, "Good, cause I've been busying around with all that school stuff!" You also informed your sister, "Becks, you're going to learn A LOT when you go to Kindergarten, like not to scream...and...whatever." You also think it's pretty awesome that Stacy is at school too. You told me, "Everyone at school calls Stacy Mrs. Blythe, and they don't know she's my best friend." I miss you a lot during the day-- we had spent all our days together since you were born!-- but I am grateful that you are excited to go to school every day. You are just starting school, but you have years and years of it ahead of you. May you learn and grow in big ways, but more importantly may you show kindness and grace and by joy to others. May you make friends, but more importantly may you be a friend when someone needs it most. May your little light shine brightly in the halls of your school not just this year, but always, and may God use that place for His glory and may you get to be a part of that story.
I've felt more and more this year the truth that I have so little control over your life... and you know what? I am grateful for that. I am so grateful that as you take these steps into the world further and further away from me that I don't have to feel out of control, because God is right there with you. I know He will lead you and guide you, and I pray daily that you look to Him and pursue Him with each step your feet so confidently take.
Blythe, you continually impress us with your kindness and generosity toward your little sisters. Even today, on your birthday, when you opened your gift that was a set to paint horses, you counted and saw that there were three and immediately divvied them up among the three of you. This year I have watched you grow in your relationship with Becks. You two will play for hours and hours and rarely or barely need any intervention. Obviously, things sometimes get stirred up, like the time you came to me and said, "MOM! I'm having a big fuss with Becks!" But one time I overheard you two playing and you said, "Becks, can you please get two pieces of tape for me?" Becks said she could and retrieved the tape, to which you responded, "Wow. I can't believe how polite we are being to each other!" But usually, even when your younger sisters aren't the most polite to you, you have a lot of patience and try hard to be kind to them. I also taught you this year how to get Nan out of her crib and change her diaper, and you love to do that some mornings for me. And I love it too!
This year you also had to face a few hard things, and you handled them with grace and thoughtfulness. First, you had to say goodbye to your cousins as they moved overseas to follow their calling. We had been able to spend a couple of weeks with them, and you have always had a special bond, especially with Ellie. But you said goodbye and you prayed for them and you continue to ask questions about them and show an interest in them. It was a big and tough goodbye for someone your age. And shortly after they left, you had another tough goodbye: your baby brother or sister went to heaven. You had been so excited for this little life, already looking forward to welcoming him or her into our home. And yet, when your dad and I told you, you asked a couple of questions, and accepted it. You bring baby Jordan back up from time to time, and your so kind in how you speak of your sibling. I was very proud of the way you handled this situation as well.
You still love to draw. You are constantly drawing or creating something. You're imagination blows me away. And another huge love for you this year was HORSES! Horse everything for you! You think we should actually get a horse, but so far I've been able to talk you out of that. You are playing horses all the time with your sisters, and I find lead ropes and apple cores around the house and I know it's been a good day of horse play. Another thing you still love is your friend, Torri, as well. At Christmas you got a set of friendship necklaces from Nana, and you chose to give one of them her. For your birthday when I asked what you wanted to do, at first you said you wanted to go to Silver Dollar City, but when that wouldn't work you decided you wanted Torri to come to our house and have a game night with you. You said that would "be EVEN BETTER than Silver Dollar City." And of course, Torri agreed.
Your little mind is always turning, and you never miss a beat even if you don't know something exactly. [Example: you asked me for the "fly swopper"]. One of my favorite examples of this this year was at Thanksgiving when I overheard you with your cousin George [almost 5]. The topic of Indians came up and George insisted they weren't real. But you said, "Yes! Indians invented Thanksgiving!" George, also not missing a beat, quickly said, "No! Jesus did." And in true Blythe fashion you responded, "Yes, The Indians, the pilgrims, AND Jesus." You also got a diary this year, and your first entry was, "I stortid as a baby in the hospitol and Mommey had me on March 23 and I grow up from a baby to a kid and I trnd 1 2 3 4 5 and 6."
Blythe, your dad sings each of you girls a little diddy that he made up specifically for you, and as you know yours says, "Blythe Kathleen, she's my beautiful, wonderful, silliest girl. Anyone can see that this girl is so sweet, cute from head to feet. She's my beautiful, wonderful, silliest girl." And you really are all of those things to us. We absolutely love how silly you can be. You've always had a great sense of humor, and it only continues to grow as you get older.
Since you were being knit together in my womb we have prayed four traits over you: joyfulness, compassion, modesty, and hospitality. We continue to see these grow more and more in you. Just tonight I was reading you the book, "The Oak in the Acorn." In that book the "Mom" oak tree tells the little acorn, who is scared and timid to fall away from the branch of his mother, "Inside of you is a great oak. Just be the tree God made you to be." And with each birthday I know we are getting closer and closer to that break from the branch. You are six now, and I already see traits that God is developing in you that He will use to do great things with you are 16, and 26, and 36. Lean into Him, Blythe. Be the girl that He made you to be.
We love you so deeply and so abundantly, and just know that our love pales in comparison to our great Father's love for you. May you know your worth and identity in Him always. We will fail you as parents because we are broken and sinful, too, but He is always trustworthy, always True, and always faithful. And He is pursuing you, sweet Blythe. Like I have said in all my letters to you: we hope you understand the why behind our no-s. We hope you feel safe in the boundaries we set. We hope you feel freedom in the wide open places we leave for you. We hope you see God in our actions and in our words. We hope when you leave our little home for good and go out on your own that you'll look back on this simple little life we had together-- chaos and mistakes and messes and all-- and see that it was Grace that held us together; that you see that it was God's daily bread that provided it all.
Blythe, you are a rare one in this world in all the best and most beautiful ways.
Happy birthday, Blythe Kathleen! There is nothing you can ever do that will make us stop loving you.
You learned how to swim this year, and by day three you said, "I can dive in, you know?" And then you just DID IT. You DOVE in the deep end! And that is what this year, this transition to the big number six, has felt like all along-- it has felt like you getting your feet underneath you at new things and gaining confidence with every step.
You started T-ball this summer, and you really enjoyed it. You were a good teammate, cheering on your friends, and your dad and I saw more and more just how coachable you are. We would work on an adjustment to your swing, or how you were standing in the batter's box, and at your next at bat you would march up to the tee and take your time getting everything set exactly as we had shown you. That coachability will go a long way, girl!
You started Kindergarten...and never looked back. You adore you teacher, you love to read, PE has been a favorite, and you've made so many new friends. You weren't so sure about recess in the beginning, because it was SO hot outside and you sweat SO much. But it grew on you. You've been named citizen of the month, you were voted "class president" by your classmates, and you won second place in an art poster contest. You've really started figuring out how to write you thoughts as well which is so much fun. I think the only thing you haven't mastered is focusing long enough at lunchtime to actually eat your lunch! Your first Saturday home from school I asked how you were and you replied, "Good, cause I've been busying around with all that school stuff!" You also informed your sister, "Becks, you're going to learn A LOT when you go to Kindergarten, like not to scream...and...whatever." You also think it's pretty awesome that Stacy is at school too. You told me, "Everyone at school calls Stacy Mrs. Blythe, and they don't know she's my best friend." I miss you a lot during the day-- we had spent all our days together since you were born!-- but I am grateful that you are excited to go to school every day. You are just starting school, but you have years and years of it ahead of you. May you learn and grow in big ways, but more importantly may you show kindness and grace and by joy to others. May you make friends, but more importantly may you be a friend when someone needs it most. May your little light shine brightly in the halls of your school not just this year, but always, and may God use that place for His glory and may you get to be a part of that story.
I've felt more and more this year the truth that I have so little control over your life... and you know what? I am grateful for that. I am so grateful that as you take these steps into the world further and further away from me that I don't have to feel out of control, because God is right there with you. I know He will lead you and guide you, and I pray daily that you look to Him and pursue Him with each step your feet so confidently take.
Blythe, you continually impress us with your kindness and generosity toward your little sisters. Even today, on your birthday, when you opened your gift that was a set to paint horses, you counted and saw that there were three and immediately divvied them up among the three of you. This year I have watched you grow in your relationship with Becks. You two will play for hours and hours and rarely or barely need any intervention. Obviously, things sometimes get stirred up, like the time you came to me and said, "MOM! I'm having a big fuss with Becks!" But one time I overheard you two playing and you said, "Becks, can you please get two pieces of tape for me?" Becks said she could and retrieved the tape, to which you responded, "Wow. I can't believe how polite we are being to each other!" But usually, even when your younger sisters aren't the most polite to you, you have a lot of patience and try hard to be kind to them. I also taught you this year how to get Nan out of her crib and change her diaper, and you love to do that some mornings for me. And I love it too!
This year you also had to face a few hard things, and you handled them with grace and thoughtfulness. First, you had to say goodbye to your cousins as they moved overseas to follow their calling. We had been able to spend a couple of weeks with them, and you have always had a special bond, especially with Ellie. But you said goodbye and you prayed for them and you continue to ask questions about them and show an interest in them. It was a big and tough goodbye for someone your age. And shortly after they left, you had another tough goodbye: your baby brother or sister went to heaven. You had been so excited for this little life, already looking forward to welcoming him or her into our home. And yet, when your dad and I told you, you asked a couple of questions, and accepted it. You bring baby Jordan back up from time to time, and your so kind in how you speak of your sibling. I was very proud of the way you handled this situation as well.
You still love to draw. You are constantly drawing or creating something. You're imagination blows me away. And another huge love for you this year was HORSES! Horse everything for you! You think we should actually get a horse, but so far I've been able to talk you out of that. You are playing horses all the time with your sisters, and I find lead ropes and apple cores around the house and I know it's been a good day of horse play. Another thing you still love is your friend, Torri, as well. At Christmas you got a set of friendship necklaces from Nana, and you chose to give one of them her. For your birthday when I asked what you wanted to do, at first you said you wanted to go to Silver Dollar City, but when that wouldn't work you decided you wanted Torri to come to our house and have a game night with you. You said that would "be EVEN BETTER than Silver Dollar City." And of course, Torri agreed.
Your little mind is always turning, and you never miss a beat even if you don't know something exactly. [Example: you asked me for the "fly swopper"]. One of my favorite examples of this this year was at Thanksgiving when I overheard you with your cousin George [almost 5]. The topic of Indians came up and George insisted they weren't real. But you said, "Yes! Indians invented Thanksgiving!" George, also not missing a beat, quickly said, "No! Jesus did." And in true Blythe fashion you responded, "Yes, The Indians, the pilgrims, AND Jesus." You also got a diary this year, and your first entry was, "I stortid as a baby in the hospitol and Mommey had me on March 23 and I grow up from a baby to a kid and I trnd 1 2 3 4 5 and 6."
Blythe, your dad sings each of you girls a little diddy that he made up specifically for you, and as you know yours says, "Blythe Kathleen, she's my beautiful, wonderful, silliest girl. Anyone can see that this girl is so sweet, cute from head to feet. She's my beautiful, wonderful, silliest girl." And you really are all of those things to us. We absolutely love how silly you can be. You've always had a great sense of humor, and it only continues to grow as you get older.
Since you were being knit together in my womb we have prayed four traits over you: joyfulness, compassion, modesty, and hospitality. We continue to see these grow more and more in you. Just tonight I was reading you the book, "The Oak in the Acorn." In that book the "Mom" oak tree tells the little acorn, who is scared and timid to fall away from the branch of his mother, "Inside of you is a great oak. Just be the tree God made you to be." And with each birthday I know we are getting closer and closer to that break from the branch. You are six now, and I already see traits that God is developing in you that He will use to do great things with you are 16, and 26, and 36. Lean into Him, Blythe. Be the girl that He made you to be.
We love you so deeply and so abundantly, and just know that our love pales in comparison to our great Father's love for you. May you know your worth and identity in Him always. We will fail you as parents because we are broken and sinful, too, but He is always trustworthy, always True, and always faithful. And He is pursuing you, sweet Blythe. Like I have said in all my letters to you: we hope you understand the why behind our no-s. We hope you feel safe in the boundaries we set. We hope you feel freedom in the wide open places we leave for you. We hope you see God in our actions and in our words. We hope when you leave our little home for good and go out on your own that you'll look back on this simple little life we had together-- chaos and mistakes and messes and all-- and see that it was Grace that held us together; that you see that it was God's daily bread that provided it all.
Blythe, you are a rare one in this world in all the best and most beautiful ways.
Happy birthday, Blythe Kathleen! There is nothing you can ever do that will make us stop loving you.
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