Our Life

Dear Nicole,
Happy 4th birthday! Before you went to bed you said, "Mommy, in the morning, I want you and daddy to come wake me up and say ' 1, 2, 3 Surprise!". The problem with that idea is that, I'm pretty sure you will be the one to come wake us up in the morning....like you do every morning! However, you did tell me that you were going to sleep in until 8.....here's hoping!

Nicole, I look at you and have a hard time believing you are my daughter! I can't believe it's already been 4 years! 4 years since I first held you, since I first kissed your little kissable lips.

4 years since I looked at your tiny hands and feet, in awe of this tiny baby I was just entrusted with! Now, you are not a tiny baby. You are growing up so fast....I wish I could slow time down.

You are extremely smart. You pick up on things quickly. You only have to hear or see something one time to remember it. I'm quite sure every book we own is memorized by you! I have a hard time practicing reading with you, because I can't tell if you are sounding out a word or if you just know the sentence because it's been read to you once before.

You are independent. You like to do things on your own, and often in your own way. You have a lot of ideas and you take pride when your ideas are used. You love to help me, and I think you get hurt when I say no or not right now. I don't ever want to hurt you, but I know that sometimes I do. I think that we are a lot a like in many ways, and I think that makes us clash sometimes. Neither one of us likes to be touched, and no one understands that. I'm starting to see that you have very strong emotional reactions to situations, and I can relate. Often times, I can look at you and guess what you thinking about a situation or how you are feeling. I think that this gives me a chance to relate to you on a different level than others can, but it also gives me an opportunity to hurt you deeply too, which I never want to do. I love you so much!

You are a sweet and loving "mommy" to your doggies. You think about them often throughout the day. You love on them and take care of them. You miss them when we ask you to keep them home or in the car. I like to see you practice nurturing with them.

You like to have fun and laugh, as long as no one is chasing you. You like to harass Hannah, unless she decides to harass you back, then you get mad. You love to play in water and you especially love to mix things. You will play for an hour outside just mixing water, bubbles, and dirt. You daddy and I have yet to determine if you make really dirty soap, or really clean mud! We bought you a chemistry set for your birthday. I am super excited to try it out with you.

I am still forcing you to take naps, but I'm confessing right now that you are grown out of them. Starting tomorrow, you still have to rest for an hour or so, but after that you can get up and we can spend some time together....hopefully playing with that chemistry set!

You have learned a lot of Bible verses. I'm so proud of the way you remember them and relate them back to life. You love your friends and pray for them throughout the week. Mommy and daddy pray every single day....Every Single Day....that you would be saved. That the words we read to you from God's word would take root in your life, that you would be convicted of your sin and repent of them and accept God's free gift of life everlasting because of Jesus' death on the cross. We pray that you would understand the greatness of that gift and that it would weigh heavily upon on you. We look with eager expectation of your salvation, when we can not only call you daughter, but sister in the Lord! Maybe this coming year God's kindness will lead you toward repentance. Until then (and after), we will continue to read the Bible to you. We will continue to help you memorize scripture and hide it in your heart so that when you are older, the words may come to your mind quickly and help you through your life. More than anything else, our greatest desire is your salvation. We love you so much!

This next year is a big year. You will be learning so much. Maybe you will learn to read. Maybe you will learn to ride a bike without training wheels, or learn to roller skate. Maybe you will learn to swim!

Nicole, you are a great big sister to Hannah and Nathan. You are a good listener and you work very hard on obeying mommy and daddy. We ask and expect a lot from you. Maybe more than we are suppose to, but we want you to work hard, to not give up, and to always do your best. We don't want you to always look for and take the easy way. We try to make every decision with your best interest in mind. Sometimes we make the wrong decisions, but we are trying to hard to always do what is right.

In the past year, you have learned to be kind to others. Wherever we are, you often go up to people, say hello and introduce yourself. More than once, I have seen you bring a smile to a face that I fear hasn't smiled in a while. You bring joy to everyone you are around.

Nicole, your daddy and I love you so very much! We are so happy to be called your parents and we are greatful God chose us to care for you and teach you. We are excited to see what the coming years bring. We love you our sweet Nicole! You, are my most favorite Nicole in the whole wide world!!!!