Island of perfect joy

There were very big expectations for this little girl. Her name literally means "island of perfect joy." But no worries...she has delivered.

Our Isla Bliss turns five this week. She is a beautiful, joyful girl. She loves her family and she really loves her puppy, whom she calls "Buddy". She likes to draw, she likes story time, she likes to make us laugh. She is a constant reminder of how precious this time in life is.

In honor of her fifth birthday, here's five lovely things about our baby.

1. She plans to be a rockstar, and she is indeed quite entertaining. But I often think she'd be an awesome nurse. Maybe it the way she can assess a situation and take it upon herself to get it done. I've never known a more independent preschooler, though to be honest, I've only REALLY spent time with three preschoolers, so I may be an undereducated judge. All I know is she's been dressing herself for what seems like years, and for that I'm thankful.

2. Despite this independence, she still happily calls herself my "Big Baby." I'm planning on this continuing for several decades at least.

3. She asks a lot of questions about God and heaven. Even better she has all the important answers, like, "If we hurt someone's feelings and say we're sorry, God still loves us."

4. She thinks her brother and sister are great, and she's the first to give them complements after concerts or other performances. I find this incredibly thoughtful.

5. She's enjoyed a charmed life, with four of us to shower her with attention. But she's returned this grace 100 fold. We all laugh more often and smile a little bigger when she's around. Is she spoiled? Yes. But I haven't figured out how to stop yet. Hopefully, I will before I ruin her.

Five is a magical age. The world is still a place of wonder. Childlike behavior still rules. Yet, as a parent, I can start to see the type of person she will grow into. That is what makes five so exciting. I'm certainly in no hurry for her to grow up, but it is bound to happen, and I just know I'm going to love who she becomes.

I could go on and on

I always feel sentimental this time of year. My oldest child recently celebrated his birthday, and this occasion always leads me to remember how magical our first weeks together were. I was one of those lucky moms who was blessed with a baby who was content from the moment he entered the world. I felt like I was playing house...the best house ever.

He's twelve now, and I am running a high risk of embarrassing him just by writing this. But this blog is about reflecting on the lovely things in my life, and my children are among the absolute loveliest, so how can I resist? 

A few months ago, on one of my favorite TV shows, The Middle, mom Frankie was telling her husband how she just wanted everyone to know how wonderful their daughter was. (This was to explain why she created a fake Facebook persona to increase her daughter's social status. It was funny, I swear.) When actress Patricia Heaton delivered those words, I instantly thought, "I know! I know exactly how you feel, Frankie!" And . . . the next day at work, it was pointed out to me that I have, in fact, said those very words about my son in years past.

Oh, how I used to worry about him. I'd worry that people didn't understand him or his unique way of looking at the world. I just wanted everyone to know how wonderful he is. But then I realized, that he knew how wonderful he is. He understood himself. He knew what made him happy, and he pursued those things. He knew what made him special, and he celebrated those things. And you know what? People appreciate that sort of confidence. I could go on and on, but I'll just say that he's a happy, proud twelve-year-old with interesting, kind friends.

He'll face the challenging middle school years soon, and I just pray he can stay true to himself and really shine as he's exposed to more classes and activities. And while I miss those early days of infancy, I'm mostly just excited for him. He is going to love his future. I just know it!

A lovely moment from my day: Goodness, my day was busy! I'm having a hard time feeling really lovely about something from the day. I suppose that is a sign that I need a nice cocktail and some Game of Thrones to finish off my day. :-)