This Gift.

I’m not sure where to start this post… My emotions are all over the place. How has a whole year passed.

It went so fast, yet so slow. Is that even possible. To feel like it was only yesterday that my water broke & this 6 pound baby entered my life..but also feel like it’s been years & years since that day.

This beautiful gift.

A little girl who has faced more during her short life than most.

A little girl who can only be described as a miracle. A sweet & precious miracle.

A little girl that was used in mighty ways from the moment she was born. Used for His glory from her first breath.

A little girl so perfect & strong. So very strong.

With the pretty eyes & smile that consumes her entire face.

With the tiny little toes that curl when I rub her back.

With the reddest hair & one random strand that’s longer than all the rest.

With the chubbiest thighs & ankles.

With two (sharp) teeth that she flashes when she grins.

A testimony, so powerful, at the smallest of ages.

A testimony that reached far beyond our tiny family of three.

A testimony full of mountains, valleys, & depths so deep.

A testimony that I can’t wait to share with her. And hear her share in the years to come.

Emma, I am so incredibly blessed to be your mama.

It’s amazing & undeserving.

It’s long days, long nights & an abundance of smiles, giggles, & smooches.

It’s more than I could have ever dreamed. More than I could have ever imagined.

This love I have for you doesn’t compare to the love I thought I’d have for you. It’s so, so much more. And different.

Actually holding you in my arms. And calling you my own. And hearing you say ma-ma.

It’s breathtaking. You’re breathtaking.

Emma Joy. All consuming jubilation.

It’s a perfect match.

A very accurate description of who you are.

My joy.

My heartbeat on the outside.

My daily reminder of His love. His grace. His mercies.

music - Take Heart : Hillsong

{I made a little video of E’s first year..and I cried during the process more times than I’d like to admit.]

I love you sweet girl!

Thank you for making this life a million times brighter!

Resurrection Sunday

Trying to teach E the “Liz” face.

This one makes me laugh. Such an accurate capture of our life. Mama trying to make sure E’s headband is in the right place since E enjoys pulling them off. And daddy mumbling something about how annoying he thinks headbands are. Yep. True life.

This family of mine is more than I deserve. It’s more than I could have ever dreamed. 

Her sweet smile & his dimples. I mean.

Last year I remember thinking about how hard it must have been for Mary to watch her son be crucified. And I wondered about the unending love I would feel for the baby growing inside my belly.

This year I stood in the back of the sanctuary, holding my daughter, and fighting back tears.

Tears of joy. That I have a savior who went to the cross for me. For my disobedience. A savior, who had a mama. That loved Him. And raised Him. And accepted God’s calling on her life to let Him be beaten & mocked & crucified.

How overwhelming & reassuring. That my love for this child in my arms is nothing compared to the love poured out that day. This gift I call Emma is so abundantly loved & prayed for & cherished by her mama. Yet she is held in the palm of my creator’s hand. He calls her daughter. He went to the cross for her.

His love for her is unending. Even more so than my own.