and then there were SIX candles....

(WARNING: THIS IS AN EXTRA LONG POST!)

mary peyton~

it's finally here. the day you look forward to the other 364 days of the year. a day that is such a bittersweet one for me and daddy!

may 19, 2005 is a day that completely changed my world and everything in it. it is a day that in 2004 was just another day, but in 2005 was a major deal! we found out on the 18th that you were a big baby! of course we still didn't know if you were a girl or a boy - we wanted a surprise - but when dr nichols said "the baby is estimated to be 10 1/2 pounds, give or take a pound. but jan (the lady who did the sonogram) has been estimating low lately, so this baby may be close to 11 pounds.", I ABOUT DIED! your daddy instantly saw footballs, jerseys, cleats, and the like. i warned him that it could be a chunky girl!

the next morning, we showed up at woman's hospital at 5:30. i was prepped for a c-section (yep - you were too big to deliver!) and everyone started getting to the hospital around 7:00. my surgery started around 7:25-7:30 and you were born at 7:35 weighing 9 lbs 5 oz and 20 inches long.

i have loved every stage of your life. the snuggling when you were a newborn. just watching you sleep and wondering what was going through your little head. wondering if you could or would ever possibly imagine how much you are loved.

as you grew, we loved watching you learn so many new things! i will never forget when your daddy and i said something about the 'fridge and you went straight to it - then we got you to do it over and over! hearing your little voice!

your first birthday came SO quickly!!! i felt like i blinked my eyes and a year passed by! your first birthday party was at our house - full of family and friends! you did not hesitate to dig right into your cake and make a complete mess! it was perfect!!!

then the two's and three's came along. everyone had said that the two's would be terrible. ours weren't! but the three's.....now THAT year was a test! even through it, though, there were those times when you would fall asleep (finally) and i would just stare at you in utter amazement that God had seen me fit to be your mother.

in august after you turned 3, you started k-3 at your daddy's alma mater. he was so proud! a good friend of ours, mrs katrice, was your teacher and we could not have asked for better! her assistant, mrs holly, was unbelievable, too!

i was not a fan of you turning four. now i completely understand that it's the next step, but there was just something about four. you no longer seemed like a baby or even a toddler. a-b-c & 1-2-3, but 4 doesn't fit in that, you know? nobody says a-b-c-d & 1-2-3-4. anyway, you see what i'm saying. but four was - in hindsight - one of my favorites (just like all of the others!). you were able to carry on conversations more fluently and understand things better!

you finished k-3, had a great summer and went on to start pre-primer (k-4 at JA)! dr nichols' mom, mrs pope, ended up being your teacher! she is an only child like you, me, and daddy. you formed a sweet relationship with her and miss harpole (her assistant) and had a great year!

you had started asking big questions about God when you were 3, but when you were 4, you looked at me and said, "mama, i want to ask Jesus in my heart." we met with mrs dianne and over a few weeks, you came to understand what that decision meant.

on sunday night, october 4, 2009, you prayed with mrs dianne and asked Jesus into your heart. here again, in 2008, october 4th was just another date. but not so in 2009!

on november 1st, you were baptized by your "papa g" - our good friend geno lucas - at colonial heights baptist church. it was such a special day!!!

then FIVE came along. a whole hand! remind me again where time is going?!?!?!? you've grown into a little friend of mine (although i'm always your mother first!). we have coffee together, have lunch together, pray together, talk about things going on in our lives. you are more of a blessing than i could have ever imagined!!!

you are about to finish up your primer year (kindergarten). it's been a wonderful year! you had mrs england and mrs zimmerman. and you have already asked me what you are going to do next year without them! we have been so fortunate to have 6 amazing teachers throughout your kindergarten years! and this isn't including all of the other teachers at the school who have helped you to grow!

and now today....SIX.....this may be harder on me than 4 was! you're not just out of a-b-c's and 1-2-3's, you're off of ONE HAND!

but my sweet angel, i'm so proud of the person God has made you to be. you have such a tender heart - towards people, animals, situations.... you love to pray and believe what you are praying! you make my heart smile over and over and over. i hope that when you look back on these years, you don't remember the times i had to get on to and discipline you as much as you remember the fun that we had!

i pray that you always remember how much you are loved not only by me, your daddy, and our family/friends, but more-so how much you are loved by God. He has made you perfect and in His image. daddy and i pray that you will always stay in the middle of God's will because that is the safest place for you to be!

i love you so, mare! you are my love!

mama

p.s. i hope that the first grade is ready for you because you are ready for it! and i still love watching you sleep. although it's often with tears in my eyes as i come to grasp just how fast time does fly. you are my heart!