{Six}

My Dearest Lily Mei,


Today you are six. Six years old. How did that happen? Where did the time go? Seems like just yesterday we were on our way to China…to finally meet you..after waiting for what seemed a lifetime. Sometimes I wish I could just reverse time and go back to that day…the day I first held you in my arms..the day the missing piece of my heart was filled…the day we saw your first smile..the day we brought you home. I long for the days when I held you for hours just to watch you sleep…the days all we did was play and sing and dance. I wish I could go back to the first time you saw the moon and could see the look of amazement on your precious little face just once more…I honestly cannot remember a time when you weren’t here…when your laughter didn’t fill this house…when your smile didn’t light up the room.

But then again, I love who you are right now. I love the little person you are becoming. You are so full of life. Full of endless energy. Somedays you literally wear me out. Your laughter still fills this house…your smile lights up every room you enter. You never meet a stranger...people are constantly stopping us to say how beautiful you are…how well behaved you are…how you have such wonderful manners. And daddy and I are so proud of you…we think you are perfect in every way. We are still amazed that God chose us to be your family…often we hear what a great thing we did by bringing you home and we always say, “oh no…we are the lucky ones…we are the ones that have been blessed by this child.” And we are…you are our gift from God…our precious Lily Mei.

~You love gymnastics. Your teacher wrote a sweet letter about how good you are and how your beam routine is the best in the class.
~You also love ballet. You are constantly twirling and dancing across the living room and you simply adore your tutus.
 ~You are very excited to begin violin lessons next week. You have asked for some time now to learn to play, so finally here’s your chance.
~You love music..you love to sing and you love the stage.
 ~You have a wicked sense of humor. Oh how you make us laugh…we honestly never know what you are going to say next.
~You love books…you love for me to read to you. Right now we are reading about Laura Ingalls and every night you beg for just one more chapter.
~We are homeschooling kindergarten and you are doing wonderfully. You are learning to sound out words and are very proud of yourself when you are able to read a whole sentence without help. I am SO proud of you, too. I would not trade this time we spend together for anything. How blessed I am to be the one that sees your little face light up when you read or tell the correct time or count to 100. I can’t imagine how lost and lonely my days would be without you here…I hope we can homeschool forever.
 ~You love Sunday School…you love to learn Bible verses and hear the story of baby Jesus. You were an angel in the Christmas program and sang Joy to the World with all your heart.
 ~You love your brothers and they adore you…you count the days on your little calendar until David comes back home and you love for Landon to play Go Fish or Hi Ho Cheerio after he comes in from work.
~You love Christmas. Everything about Christmas..the lights, the music, buying gifts for others, eating sweets. You love to buy things for others. Your favorite place to shop is Dollar General. :)
~You love your daddy…even though you tease him and say you love mama best. You are excited when he comes in from work…you always want to talk to him when he calls…you miss him terribly when he has to travel and is away from home at night. You love to play ball with him in the front yard and fly helicopters and walk to the pond.
 ~You love your Granny and your Auntie and Joy…you miss your Nunkle and always ask to send him balloons to heaven.
 ~You are very artistic and are constantly creating some new masterpiece for the refrigerator.
 ~You are an old soul in a little body…we sometimes question whether you are really sixteen instead of six.

And, yes…you are a mama’s girl. I am so glad. Because Lily Mei..you are my heart. And I love you bigger than the moon and stars. Forever and ever.

Happy Birthday, sweet Princess.

Love,

Mama