ALY!!

May 15, 2012

ALY!!

I cannot believe This sweet girl is 11 today! When she entered the world screaming I knew this little girl was going to leave an impression wherever she was (good or bad). She was the sweetest and easiest baby up to 3, but, OH, Lord, have mercy from 3-6 there were days that the hour long tantrums and OCD issues were going to send me to the looney bin.

I will never forget the day, though, where Aly's desperate little heart broke mine, and she overcame. She was so scared to go to this trusted friends birthday party that she was crying, but as soon as we would say she didn't have to go then she would sob about wanting to go...light bulb...I quickly explained John 10:10 "God so wants you to have fun and enjoy this, but Satan wants to steel that fun and destroy your joy. Choose to beat him!"-seems kinda silly and small, but it was huge, because she went...bucking and crying, but returned and said, "I had victory".

I remember Jason and I thinking she is so insecure and so afraid. Never would we have thought that on her tenth birthday we would be saying 1. Aly is the picture of freedom--she can make us all hard core laugh in any situation (not always a good thing) :), 2. She totally doesn't care what people think (what?--that feels so awesome to be able to describe her that way), but on the other hand is so sensitive to others, 3. She's not all priss--She's a great athlete with a passion for soccer (we used to think--poor Aly is not going to be very coordinated...thankfully, we were so wrong).

Call me biased, but Aly is such a delight. She is a great student, loves to read, self motivated, hard working, funny (she almost regularly runs to the van from her school building in front of all the other parents mind you with her legs locked or her butt sticking way out or something that she knows will make me laugh...and others wonder...), her sisters laugh just as hard as we do, and love this trait. If you've seen any of our pictures you will see that it's really hard to get Aly to take a normal picture without making a funny face. Aly loves to snuggle, and quality family time is primo to her. She plays hard whether soccer or pretend.

Ok so, no, she's not always this way. She fights with her sisters and talks back, and in her strong willed way makes it very clear in her body language how foolish she thinks our parenting is in certain moments, but after given much time (sometimes a really long time=stubborn) she is almost always eager to apologize because broken relationships do break her heart.

Aly has a huge heart for justice. In our beginning stages of this long adoption process Aly's first concern was, "ok we are adopting a child younger than Tay, and I get the whole not wanting to get a child that is older than any of us or one that is the same age, but who will adopt them?"--her thoughtfulness makes me tear up even now. Her questions from that justice driven heart are so hard to find answers for. She was watching the news with us once, and next thing we knew she was sitting there in a full on sob looking at us like "fix that...". She hates to see people hurting.

I know God has a special plan for Alyvia Grace. In her 11 year old way she loves God and people and life. I have a name for each one of my girls that I often call them at bedtime, "I love you because you are lovely." Lovely is what I picked for Aly. It is defined as "Having beauty that appeals to the emotions as well as to the eye. Enjoyable; delightful."---yep, that's perfect--Aly is Lovely personified. And when I see "enjoyable"--yes, she gives joy to others.

God, thank you for my lovable, silly, tender, strong-willed, delightful, beautiful Aly Grace. Draw her to yourself in a way that is special between just you and her. As you go before her guard her purity and her freedom. Do not let the enemies plan interrupt yours. Whisper the truth into her little mind that her heart needs most.

Aly, I love you, I'm so blessed to get to be your mom. You make life rich and lovely. Happy Birthday!!