Thursday, May 15, 2014

Your Third Year of Life

Our sweet Evelyn.  I can not believe you are already 3 years old!  In so many ways, I feel like our lives started the day you were born.  Every day you make us smile, laugh, and thank God for entrusting you to us (and, there's usually a spanking or two mixed in there).  Your third year of life was hard in some ways, but watching you grow and develop took the edge off the uncertainty.  Shortly after your second birthday, the GI specialist we were seeing for your slowed growth referred us to an endocrinologist.  After your first appointment there, we found out that your body was not producing human growth hormone like it is designed to.  You had several, not fun, tests - including a Growth Hormone Stimulation Test and an MRI where you had to be put under anesthesia - but we are thankful that they provided answers for us.  In January you started Growth Hormone Therapy (GHT) and your body has responded really well to it.  You are still one of the smallest in your age group at school, but you are starting to catch up.  What you lack in height, you make up for in sass!  You are often the ring leader in your class, or in groups of kids.  You like to be a little bit bossy (I don't know where that came from!), but I can see the Lord developing a passion for leadership in you that I pray He will grow into something amazing for His Kingdom.  You don't watch a lot of TV, but your favorite TV shows are Sofia the First, Jake & the Neverland Pirates, and Doc McStuffins.  Your favorite movies are Toy Story and Frozen, with Beauty & the Beast and Tangled coming closely after those two.  You love to sing and dance.  You sing all the time - everything from worship songs ("day and night" - You are Worthy of it All) to Christmas songs (Away in a Manger), to Disney songs (all of them), or songs from Story Time or school.  You are a very smart girl - and I don't just say that because you are our kid and we're supposed to! - your teachers have commented that you are the only kid in your class who knows all of your friend's names, all of your letters, numbers, colors, and shapes.  They tell us that you often make up games for everyone else to play with you, and they all follow along.  You do this at home, too.  You love to play "the baseball game" (soccer) in the culdesac with Daddy, and "basketball" (a game you made up that entails throwing a ball and chasing it - Daddy says you are developing the skills of a great point guard).  You also love to run.  Every day that Mommy take you in the stroller on her runs, you want to get out to run along with her.  I usually let you for the last few blocks.  You would play outside all day if we would let you - with your sand table, in your pool, on your new playset, swinging - anything.  I'm very thankful that we have a great backyard for playing!  You also LOVE to climb...on chairs, on tables, up playsets, in Lillian's crib - whatever you can!  I think the highlight of your third year was the birth of your sister, Lillian.  You love her so much and you are such a good big sister.  You are learning to share with her, but most of the time you are so compassionate and tender towards her.  If she is crying, you are concerned and will tell her it's ok and try to figure out how to help her.  When you meet someone (or see someone you haven't seen for a while), you always tell them, "This is my LillyBelle," it is the sweetest thing.  Every night at bath time, you jump out of the bath and run into Lillian's room to tell her goodnight and give her a kiss.  It's one of my favorite times of day.  I also love watching the two of you interact and start to build a relationship.  I love seeing you both laugh with each other - fairly often you get each other cackling and I wish I could bottle it up!  You are my favorite three year old, you bring us more joy than we ever could have imagined.  I wonder who you will be as you continue to grow up, my greatest prayer is that you will be a mighty warrior princess fighting for your Beloved.  He has created you to do amazing things, things you can not even imagine.  I pray you will walk every step in confidence before Him, knowing and trusting His plan for your life.  We love you, more than you will ever know!

1 comment:

  1. Happy Birthday from Tyler, Shay and Ava Evelyn!!! I too cannot believe your baby is 3 Stace...I loved all of your updates. Your girls are adorable and Evelyn's personality comes through in all of her pictures. Love her.

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