Happy 7th Birthday Haley!

What a beautiful young lady Haley is turning into. We had the best party to celebrate her today. I can’t believe that she’s 7 and going into 2nd grade already.

A few things about Haley … for a lot of Haley’s life … I wondered what she was thinking … where she came from? Her random and unpredictable moods that would swing from the worst extreme to the best in a matter of minutes. I never knew what I was going to get. Now that she’s maturing, I’m loving her unique personality. She throws out humor … the most incredible ‘one liners’ that I really must start writing down. They are usually those that you have to be there to appreciate because they are witty and so timely.

Another thing that I love about Haley is that she is very determined. As a toddler … this was awful. truly awful. To have a child so determined to get her way and it has taken her a long time to understand that she can be as stubborn as she wants but she won’t ‘win’ a battle with her mom or dad. This determination is what has helped her in moving here though. I look back at this past year and the challenges in her first class here and then being able to adapt into a new class. She has been able to gain confidence this year that is a result of her determination.

This past year has been amazing in changes in Haley. You blink and you miss her growth but here is a picture of her last year as comparison …

I’m not sure how much she grew last year probably several inches, but that is no comparison to the change in her personality. She has become so incredibly compassionate. There was a boy in her class on a special diet and she would always worry about him being included in snack … “We can’t buy that … what about T****?” So thoughtful. She also is very intuitive to others feelings. If I’m having a bad day … she’s the first to notice. She’s also one of the first ones to ask her dad how his day was at work.

I love my girl … everything about her … the good, the bad and the ugly She is precious even when I can’t see it when she’s having a ‘determined’ moment forgetting that she will not ‘win’. She is God’s perfect child that He gave to us … entrusted to us to train up in the ways she should go … the ways of God. There are many days when I have to remember that ultimately He’s in control and loves her even more than we do. Praise God and thank you for the gift of Haley and that we can celebrate her life today.